Thanks...the DTD price is about what I paid for the LE2s with Firestone's 25% sale. Taking away the road hazard I bought at Firestone, I'd be looking at about the same installed price. Good deal.
I like a lot about the CS5s. They have rounded shoulders with a smooth transition to the sidewalls. They have a tread pattern that looks to promote quiet and a smooth ride. I do wish Cooper had a more widespread network. They're sometimes hard to find. Pep Boys is about the only reliable place to find them locally (besides online).
I read your review of the CS5. Nothing about how quiet it is.
And the review of the Defender...praise of its quietness more than once.
I had Sams Club specials on two differnt vehicles (BFG touring TA), and one recently got defenders. One just got the CS5. Both are wearing well. Both handle pretty well. I think the CS5 is better in the rain. And the CS5 are way quieter IMO. Two different vehicles, yes, but I find the CS5 way quieter.
We've had several inches of snow over the last couple days. The CS5 are leaps and bounds better than the FR710 were in the snow. I always felt the Firestones performed poorly in snow.
It's still a 2wd truck, so it's not some kind of winter-performance machine, but I'm quite happy with what I've seen so far.
...after 3 attempts at standard balancing, I had to resort to road-force balancing to get a smooth ride over 60mph...but it IS smooth now...and after sitting in Florida sun for 2 weeks there were no flat spots...nice.
I always get a chuckle at when people give a tire review ( no knock on the OP) new tires are ALWAYS quieter. You can't beat a virgin tire with 10/32+ of new soft rubber with mold oil that hangs around for the first 300-500 miles as a lubricant. You should judge a tire after 20,000+ miles on how loud they are. I am partial to Continental's myself.
I always get a chuckle at when people give a tire review ( no knock on the OP) new tires are ALWAYS quieter. You can't beat a virgin tire with 10/32+ of new soft rubber with mold oil that hangs around for the first 300-500 miles as a lubricant. You should judge a tire after 20,000+ miles on how loud they are. I am partial to Continentals myself.