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Head-to-head Updated

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring vs Michelin Primacy Tour A/S — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 980 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

CS5 Ultra Touring leads, 66–62 Narrow edge

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Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
Tire ACooper

CS5 Ultra Touring

All-Season tire

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 62 · 980 reviews

“Need tires, American made, based, operated. Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring”

Michelin Primacy Tour A/S
Tire BMichelin

Primacy Tour A/S

All Season

± 6Provisional

Tests 77 · 1 test Owners 48 · 9 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2024 TireRack All Season and Weather Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 72

    Dry

    Primacy Tour A/S +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)82
    Reviews found online7458

    CS5 Ultra Touring: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 73.6 = 72

    Primacy Tour A/S: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 58.3 = 73

    No road tests of dry for CS5 Ultra Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 70

    Wet

    CS5 Ultra Touring +1
    69
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)78
    Reviews found online6955

    CS5 Ultra Touring: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 70

    Primacy Tour A/S: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 55.1 = 69

    No road tests of wet for CS5 Ultra Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 59

    Snow

    CS5 Ultra Touring +3
    56
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 64 (est.)64
    Reviews found online5045

    CS5 Ultra Touring: 60% × 64.1 (est.) + 40% × 50.3 = 59

    Primacy Tour A/S: 60% × 63.8 + 40% × 44.6 = 56

    No road tests of snow for CS5 Ultra Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    CS5 Ultra Touring +8
    57
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6352

    CS5 Ultra Touring: 40% × 67.5 (est.) + 60% × 62.7 = 65

    Primacy Tour A/S: 40% × 65.3 (est.) + 60% × 51.7 = 57

    No road tests of comfort for CS5 Ultra Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Primacy Tour A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online71–

    CS5 Ultra Touring: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 68

    No road tests of noise for CS5 Ultra Touring. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 54

    Treadwear

    CS5 Ultra Touring +10
    44
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 59 (est.)≈ 54 (est.)
    Reviews found online4630

    CS5 Ultra Touring: 60% × 59.2 (est.) + 40% × 46 = 54

    Primacy Tour A/S: 60% × 53.5 (est.) + 40% × 30.1 = 44

    No road tests of treadwear for CS5 Ultra Touring. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for Primacy Tour A/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    CS5 Ultra Touring +16
    53
    Why this score
    SourceCS5 Ultra TouringPrimacy Tour A/S
    Reviews found online6953
Scores at a glance
CategoryCooper CS5 Ultra TouringMichelin Primacy Tour A/S
Relative Score 66 62
Dry 72 73
Wet 70 69
Snow 59 56
Comfort 65 57
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 54 44
Handling (owners) 69 53

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

CS5 Ultra Touring

± 6

Primacy Tour A/S

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A CS5 Ultra Touring

Pros

  • Significantly quieter and smoother ride than OEM or competitor tires
  • High value for the money, offering performance comparable to premium brands at a lower cost
  • Exceptional wet and dry traction with strong resistance to hydroplaning

Cons

  • Disappointing tread life for some users, with a few reporting significant wear well before the expected mileage warranty
  • Below-average performance in snow and winter conditions despite being marketed as all-season
  • Occasional balancing issues or stiffness causing vibrations at highway speeds
All owner themes in the CS5 Ultra Touring review

Tire B Primacy Tour A/S

Pros

  • Comfortable and quiet ride quality suitable for highway cruising
  • Predictable and stable handling under normal dry conditions
  • Reliable puncture resistance that allows for easy repairs

Cons

  • Poor wet-weather performance and cornering grip
  • Pronounced understeer and early squealing during cornering
  • Faster-than-expected tread wear and premature replacement needs
All owner themes in the Primacy Tour A/S review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

Positive

Community sentiment for the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring is predominantly positive, with owners regularly praising its quiet road manners, smooth ride comfort, and exceptional wet weather traction at a competitive price point. Some owners report concerns regarding rolling resistance, noted minor fuel economy drops, and cited premature or uneven tread wear falling short of mileage warranties. Overall, it is widely viewed as an accessible, high-value touring tire, though long-term durability opinions vary.

clublexus.com

“Was able to get them out of the interstate this morning and at speeds of 70+ there was very little road noise in my opinion. Very happy with them so far. I can tell you with a lot of conviction to not buy any Champiro tires. The PO of my car threw these on at 83k and at 100k they were bald on the front. Loud and threw me all over the road. Huge difference in reasonably priced like the Coopers and cheap.”
grassrootsmotorsports.com

“I just ponied up (ouch) for four new Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring (V-Rated) in 225/55R17 for SWMBO's Grand Prix. They felt nice on the drive home and were smooth on the freeway.”
r/madeinamerica ·4 upvotes ·2017-12-14

“Need tires, American made, based, operated. Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring”
Top themes
#quiet road noise#wet weather traction#smooth ride comfort#affordable price value#tread wear life#rolling resistance impact

Based on 87 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Primacy Tour A/S

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring B · Michelin Primacy Tour A/S
CategoryAll-Season tireAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available16
Rim diameters18″18″ – 22″
Tread depth11/32″—
UTQG500 - 640 A A540 A - B A
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring

Michelin Primacy Tour A/S

Narrow edge: Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring — better handling, treadwear and comfort. Where the Michelin Primacy Tour A/S is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Michelin Primacy Tour A/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring scores 69 vs 53 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring scores 54 vs 44 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring scores 65 vs 57 on comfort.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring scores 59 vs 56 on snow.

Tire A · Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
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Tire B · Michelin Primacy Tour A/S
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CS5 Ultra Touring or Primacy Tour A/S?

Which is better in the wet, CS5 Ultra Touring or Primacy Tour A/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 69 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, CS5 Ultra Touring or Primacy Tour A/S?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 73 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, CS5 Ultra Touring or Primacy Tour A/S?

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring, 59 vs 56 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, CS5 Ultra Touring or Primacy Tour A/S?

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring, 65 vs 57 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, CS5 Ultra Touring or Primacy Tour A/S?

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring, 54 vs 44 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology