Cooper CS4

Cooper CS4 Touring Tires

Cooper’s premium luxury touring tire is the Cooper CS4. It is designed for those who desire a touring tire with
attractive styling, sporty handling, and all-season traction, while providing the most comfortable ride possible.

(The latest in this series of Cooper Touring Tires is the CS5. Read about it HERE.)

The range of vehicles suitable for the Cooper CS4 Touring tire include passenger cars, minivans, small SUV’s and crossovers (CUV). (For other Cooper tire options see Cooper Tires online.)

COOPER CS4 FEATURES AND BENEFITS:

• R-Tech (Response Technology) construction utilizes a number of design features that work together to provide enhanced tire performance.
• Coupled Silica Tread Compound–The chemically bonded silica and carbon black compound allows for better wet traction without giving up tread wear. The optimized polymer mix allows the tire tread to remain softer at lower temperatures but still have less rolling friction.
• 4 Rib All-Season Tread Design–The Innovative 4 rib tread design provides for excellent stability, traction and treadwear.
• Ventless Technology–By utilizing ventless technology in the treads, the CS4 Touring provides a clean and crisp appearance.

Motor Trend magazine published an article about the CS4 around the time Cooper released them. It seems they were impressed by what they found:

Throughout its eighty-one year history, Cooper Tire has avoided the OEM market, preferring instead to stick to its role as a replacement tire manufacturer. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Ohio-based company has a lot riding, literally, on its latest offering, the CS4 Touring. Clearly, one of the most important products in its history, Cooper spent some $200 million to develop the new rubber…

The CS4 is the first tire designed using Cooper’s new R-Tech (Response Technology) construction. R-Tech’s features include strategically placed, variable density nylon belts designed to minimize flat spotting and maximize even tread wear and a special nylon wrap that shrinks under heat to improve rigidity and dry traction. The tread design also features a wide tread arch, an open shoulder design, and wide grooves aimed at improving wet traction.

Another innovation is the use spring vents instead of traditional vents during manufacturing. Thanks to the process, a brand new CS4 is devoid of the small rubber “hairs” typical of a new tire. While spring vents are more expensive, the cost is offset by the lower quantity of waste rubber.

The CS4 is available in two tread designs, a T-rated four-rib and the H- and V-rated five-rib. The T-rated tire features one large center aqua channel, while the H- and V-rated variants have two, one on either side of the center rib. Combined with the tire’s silica tread compound, the design makes for strong wet handling and hydroplaning resistance, Cooper claims.

After the presentation, we headed out to the track at last, where Cooper had only the base, T-rated CS4 available. A bummer, but we made do. Four tests and demonstrations were planned for the day: a wet braking test, dry handling demonstration, wet handling test, and a performance demonstration with Cooper’s performance advisor Johnny Unser.

The wet 60-0 braking test involved a pair of Cadillac DTS sedans, one wearing the stock Continental ContiTour rubber, the other the CS4. The CS4 proved a better stopper, helping to halt the car between three and 10 feet quicker, depending on the driver. Cooper’s own tests showed a difference between 10 and 12 feet.

In cruising laps around the two-mile oval, the CS4 displayed low road noise, even on segments designed to replicate rough roads, and proved stable in high-speed lane change maneuvers.

Perhaps the most telling was the wet handling test, in which Cooper pitted the CS4 against the Michelin Harmony, both sized 215/65R16, on a pair of Ford Mustangs. The difference was noticeable, with the CS4 feeling more planted and stable than the Harmony on the wet pad autocross course. On average, the Mustang wearing the CS4 achieved lap times at least half a second quicker.

In addition, we rode along with Unser for some hair-raising hot laps around the dry handling course in a Mustang GT. The CS4 took everything the Indy Car veteran dished out and was able to handle sharp 85-90 mph cornering without much unwanted skidding. Unser noted that he liked the predictable handling and responsiveness of the CS4, which was underscored by how effortlessly he was throwing the car around the course.

Aimed at lower-end cars, the T-rated CS4 is the less capable variant, but comes with an 80,000 mile tread warranty, while the H- and V-rated variants come with a 60,000 mile tread warranty. Every tire is also backed by a 45-day road test, allowing customers to return the tire for a full refund if they’re not satisfied.

While Cooper didn’t confirm a price range for the CS4, the tire should start somewhere around $60 for a 14-inch T-rated tire, with the range topping out in the $120 per tire ballpark for the V-rated models. A total of 60 sizes will be available (29 T-rated and 31 H- and V-rated), ranging from 14 to 18 inches in diameter.

Of course, it’s hard to make a definitive judgment on how the CS4 stands up to the competition based on a couple of short one-on-one comparisons, but overall, it seemed to be a no-compromise all-season tire that offers a quiet and comfortable ride, and solid performance in both wet and dry situations. And that is exactly what Cooper wanted it to be.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/features/112_0704_cooper_cs4_touring/viewall.html#ixzz1hTyuAkoc

The Cooper CS4 can be found online from several different retailers. It is suggested that you check with all of these sites to find the best deal for your individual needs.