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Last updated 10/31/2024 - Originally published 10/31/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Not too many people know this, but Cooper is one of the world's oldest tire manufacturers, having started in the US in 1914. Unlike Toyo which is a Japanese company and arrived in the States in 1966, Cooper has always been in Ohio, although it is owned by Goodyear today. When the two tires mentioned in this comparison compete for a spot on your car, the contest is bound to become interesting. Toyo and Cooper are competing for the greatest mid-range all-season tire that offers buyers a great mix of year-round performance, value, comfort, traction, and longevity. Let's compare the Extensa A/S II and the CS5 Ultra Touring tires to see which is the better all-season tire.
Designed for the same types of vehicles that include sedans, coupes, CUVs, SUVs, minivans, and other passenger cars, the Toyo Extensa A/S II and the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring are dependable all-season tires that offer drivers great traction, longevity, handling, and durability. Both are backed by attractive limited manufacturer tread life warranties, though Toyo gets a slight advantage with the 45-day/500-mile trial. So, which one should you pick? Let’s compare Toyo Extensa A/S II vs Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires based on our proprietary SimpleScore system and find out the winner.
Toyo Extensa A/S II tires
Are you looking for a value-oriented all-season tire that gets a variable limited manufacturer tread life warranty and can fit into SUVs, minivans, CUVs, light trucks, and passenger cars? If yes, the Toyo Extensa A/S II is a good choice that can provide long-lasting service, offer greater fuel efficiency than its predecessor, and be better at braking performance. It is available with a symmetric tread pattern and the high tread depth is responsible for good handling and traction. Multi-wave sipes minimize irregular wear here, leading to longer tread life. This Toyo tire has been specially built for enhanced wet performance and garners a healthy average SimpleScore of 8.7.
Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires
Introduced in 2014, the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring features a modern tread design and rubber compound that not only provides adequate traction and grip but also promotes uniform wear throughout the tire’s lifecycle. While the Stabiledge Technology boosts dry traction and stability, the multiple sipes provide extra biting edges for improved wet performance. The circumferential grooves with connected lateral grooves ensure quick water evacuation to mitigate the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet traction. To keep you updated on the tread life, the CS5 Ultra Touring features a Wear Square Indicator that lets you know the approximate tread left. It is backed by a great limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the details of which will be shared soon.
With an overall SimpleScore of 8.4, the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring returns responsive handling, enhanced control, better cornering, and longer service life.
Toyo Extensa A/S II vs Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires on traction
Any tire gathers the ability to maintain forward motion without skidding with the help of a property known as traction. Whether it's an all-season, ultra-high-performance, or all-weather tire, traction is still paramount for safe movement. Depending on the road conditions, both the Toyo and the Cooper tires will provide great traction.
Multi-wave sipes on the Toyo Extensa A/S II are responsible for good traction, as are the special silica compound and the higher tread depth. Based on the above, this tire can earn an average traction score of 8.6. On the other hand, the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring achieves an impressive 8.5 SimpleScore in traction thanks to an innovative rubber composition and additional biting edges. The above features ensure unmatched stability and grip in any weather condition, including light snow. The CS5 Ultra Touring's circumferential grooves increase wet traction and decrease the chance of hydroplaning, while the Stabiledge Technology improves dry traction.
ADVANTAGE: Toyo Extensa A/S II
Toyo Extensa A/S II vs Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires on handling
When it comes to dry, wet, and light snow conditions, both all-season tires guarantee confident handling and stability year-round. While an improved rib design on the Toyo tire generates more contact pressure with the road for better handling and braking, the multi-wave sipes enhance dry and wet performance. This tire manages to earn an average handling score of 8.6.
Compared to the above, the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring showcases an asymmetric tread design with interconnected center rib and Stabiledge Technology for optimum steering response in wet, dry, and light snow conditions. Much like the Toyo, there’s a special rubber compound here for enhancing handling performance. Additionally, 3D Micro-Gauge sipes generate extra handling and stability on dry roads. We found the Cooper suitable for an average handling score of 8.7.
ADVANTAGE: Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
Toyo Extensa A/S II vs Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring tires on longevity
Longevity refers to the number of miles or years a tire can last. The all-season rubber compounds on both these tires are responsible for providing a longer service life. While multi-wave sipes on the Toyo ensure uniform wear, the low rolling resistance design results in better fuel efficiency. Apart from the 75,000 limited manufacturer warranty on T- and H-rated sizes and the 65,000 mile warranty on V-rated sizes, Toyo also provides a 45-day or 500-mile trial (terms and conditions apply), resulting in an excellent longevity score of 9.2.
The Cooper scores 8.8 in longevity as a result of the balanced tread design that consists of a modern rubber compound and tread profile that promotes uniform wear for longer service life. The 3D Micro-Gauge sipes decrease wear here. Backed by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the CS5 Ultra Touring features a Wear Square Indicator that helps identify the remaining tread life.
ADVANTAGE: Toyo Extensa A/S II
When to use each
All-season tires are engineered to provide optimal traction, grip, handling, durability, and control in a variety of driving situations that involve dry, wet, and light snow weather conditions. These tires are designed for year-round performance and have a longer mileage warranty than most other tire types. As visible here, both the Toyo and the Cooper are evenly matched across different testing parameters.
If your region's weather is unpredictable, with heavy snow and ice expected at any time, you should choose all-weather tires, which provide the same year-round usability as all-season tires but with better traction and performance in moderate to severe winter weather conditions, along with enhanced braking performance. In case the temperatures remain below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for a large part of the year, you'll always be safer with dedicated winter tires.
Which one should you choose?
Starting from the average SimpleScores and across all the abovementioned parameters, the Toyo Extensa A/S II is evenly matched with the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring. Though it beats the latter in traction and longevity while losing in handling, the scores are very close to each other. To make matters clearer, let’s take a look at the starting prices of the two tires to see which one is likely to be a better investment.
While the Toyo is priced at a starting price of roughly $83 per tire ($332 for 4), the Cooper tire’s starting price is approximately $113 per tire ($452 for 4), leading to a difference of $30.
Based on SimpleScore, you can pick the Toyo Extensa A/S II if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Volvo XC60, and Hyundai Santa Fe
- Prefer the cheaper tire
- Want better traction
- Want the higher limited manufacturer tread life warranty
You can go for the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Chrysler Town and Country, Jeep Renegade, or Acura Integra
- Want to monitor tire wear through the Wear Square Indicator
- Want better handling
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.