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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — Compared (September 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

Tire A Cooper

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

All Season Touring tires

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
94/100
558 owner reviews
Dry
97
Wet
93
Snow
–
Comfort
94
Noise
92
Treadwear
88
Handling
94
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Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Michelin

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Premium Touring All Season tire

Michelin Defender LTX M/S tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
95/100
109 owner reviews
Dry
98
Wet
96
Snow
82
Comfort
96
Noise
95
Treadwear
97
Handling
97
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, wet and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 1
A
97
B
98
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 92
Tyre Reviews owners 70 94
America's Tire owners 97 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 3
A
93
B
96
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 83
Tyre Reviews owners 65 91
America's Tire owners 93 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A
–
B
82
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 94
Tyre Reviews owners – 80

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 2
A
94
B
96
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 84
Tyre Reviews owners 55 87
America's Tire owners 94 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 3
A
92
B
95
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
America's Tire owners 92 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 9
A
88
B
97
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
Tire Rack owners – 92
Tyre Reviews owners 100 97
America's Tire owners 88 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Defender LTX M/S leads by 3
A
94
B
97
Why this score
SourceCS5 Grand TouringDefender LTX M/S
Tyre Reviews owners 55 85
America's Tire owners 94 –

Scores at a glance

CategoryCooper CS5 Grand TouringMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 93 97
Dry 97 98
Wet 93 96
Snow – 82
Comfort 94 96
Noise 92 95
Treadwear 88 97
Handling 94 97

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

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Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

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

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Michelin Defender LTX M/S

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is widely regarded as a premier all-season tire for trucks and SUVs, consistently praised for its exceptional tread longevity and balanced performance across various weather conditions. While the vast majority of users report superior ride comfort, stability, and fuel efficiency, a small minority of owners have noted issues with increased road noise as the tires age or inconsistent traction in specific wet-weather scenarios.

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life often exceeding 60,000–80,000 miles
  • Strong all-weather traction, particularly in dry and light snow conditions
  • Improved fuel efficiency due to low rolling resistance
  • High level of ride comfort and stability for heavy vehicles
  • Reliable performance that often outperforms original equipment (OE) tires

Cons

  • Increased road noise reported by some users as the tire tread wears down
  • Higher price point compared to competitors
  • Occasional reports of reduced wet-weather grip or traction loss during turns
  • Limited off-road capability in mud or deep sand

Observations

  • Heavy-duty truck owners (RAM 2500/3500) report high satisfaction with durability, even under heavy usage or towing conditions.
  • SUV owners (Expedition, Highlander) frequently cite the tire as a significant upgrade over factory-installed rubber, specifically noting improvements in cabin quietness and fuel economy.
  • Users recommend running higher tire pressures (40-45 psi) to optimize performance and handling on certain truck platforms.
Community buzz

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Cooper CS5 Grand Touring

Positive

Community members frequently inquire about the compatibility and longevity of the Cooper CS5 Grand Touring tires across various vehicles like the Toyota Highlander, Corolla, Subaru, and Honda Odyssey. Users who own them report high satisfaction, highlighting quiet rides, smooth handling, and favorable comparisons to competitors like Michelin Defenders.

r/cars ·1 upvote ·2017-09-01

“I have the Cooper cs5 grand touring on my Odyssey and love them. Very quiet and snoot riding. Fwiw, I'm in Southern California so we have little cold/wet weather let alone snow, but they did great when I drove up to Sequoia and had cables on during the snow storm. Much better than the Michelin Defenders I had before.”
Top themes
#Treadwear and Longevity#Ride Comfort and Quietness#Wet and Winter Traction#Price and Value#Vehicle Compatibility

Based on 5 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

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

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Cooper CS5 Grand Touring B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategoryAll Season Touring tiresPremium Touring All Season tire
Vehicle type—SUV and 4x4
Tread depth11 - 12/32″—
UTQG780 A A—
Treadwear warranty80,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 psi—
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Cooper

Michelin

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better treadwear, wet and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 97 vs 88 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 96 vs 93 on wet.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 95 vs 92 on noise.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 97 vs 94 on handling.

Tire A · Cooper CS5 Grand Touring
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Check price on Amazon

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

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