# anyone try cooper cs3 replacement for fuel max?



## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

Getting time to replace the 2014 Eco MT tires, a little over 36k miles. The cs3 say lower rolling resistance, but they do not make the claims Goodyear does.

Wondering if anyone has tried the cs3 tires on their eco, and noticed effect on mpg.

Thanks!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

What's your tread depth? I ask because the OEM tires on the ECO are rated for 65K miles treadwear. If they're ready for replacement already make sure you get a refund on the difference.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

I wouldn't get the CS3. They are an older tire, and you can get the newer CS5 Grand Touring for only slightly more. We have the CS5 grand touring on our Chrysler van, and they are a very good tire. Just beware of the Ultra Touring version.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

obermd said:


> What's your tread depth? I ask because the OEM tires on the ECO are rated for 65K miles treadwear. If they're ready for replacement already make sure you get a refund on the difference.


4/32


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

CS3 are a couple pounds lighter. I have the CS5 on my 2011 GC, they are pretty nice and have lasted a while - which is why I'm considering Cooper.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

fj5gtx said:


> CS3 are a couple pounds lighter. I have the CS5 on my 2011 GC, they are pretty nice and have lasted a while - which is why I'm considering Cooper.


Speaking of weight - the factory Fuel Maxes are 18.9 lbs, while the CS3s are 23 lbs.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

obermd said:


> What's your tread depth? I ask because the OEM tires on the ECO are rated for 65K miles treadwear. If they're ready for replacement already make sure you get a refund on the difference.


My Goodyear will be dead by 60k km. I have 40k km now and they will last maybe another year. Are you saying they'll refund me money? I love money


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

MP81 said:


> Speaking of weight - the factory Fuel Maxes are 18.9 lbs, while the CS3s are 23 lbs.


And the CS5s are 26.9 lbs, which is why I'm thinking CS3s. 

I'm looking for a little empirical evidence to give me a sign of mpg loss... Are the tires going to make that much difference?

A friend was trying to get their tires down to 2/32 to get some reimbursement on faster than warranted wear. He wiped the car out against a guide rail on the highway due to hydroplaning. He was trying to save a few bucks, ended up costing him a pile more. I will put new ones on in the next month, the weather will start to deteriorate soon.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

Kelly Edge A/S are only 18.0 lbs. Hmmm....


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

I contacted my local mom-n-pop tire dealer that sells goodyear in September. They coached me on approaching the manufacturer, I contacted goodyear in late September, got the replacements in early November (my delay due to the job travel). Got a discount, and still got the rebate for replacements. Ordered the lighter of the two maxfuel offerings. It was a "good faith"? discount. Good advice Obermd! Thank you.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

Time for tires again. The originals were replaced at 41,398. At 85,142 now and they are all down to 4/32. They haven't been doing well in the rain for a couple months now, time to replace them. Seems like all I can get wring out of the Goodyears is about 40k, and the last 5k or so the performance is degraded.

Thinking about swapping to Continental PureContact LS.


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## LS1LOL (Feb 24, 2013)

What pressure are you running them at? I ran mine at 51 pounds and got nice even wear on them, as well as 65k miles out of them. I'm considering putting a set on my girlfriend's CR-V actually as she'll need some about mid next summer, and so far I have yet to find a tire that wears as well as them with as good of mileage as them.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

I bought the continentals. Its getting less mpg, probably about 5-10%. I always run about 37 psi. I can tell they don't roll as easy downhill as the FuelMax tires did. Probably should have stuck with the FuelMax...


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

fj5gtx said:


> I bought the continentals. Its getting less mpg, probably about 5-10%. I always run about 37 psi. I can tell they don't roll as easy downhill as the FuelMax tires did. Probably should have stuck with the FuelMax...


I had the PureContact on mine (not LS, not sure what the difference is). They are very grippy - definitely not a LRR tire despite their branding. I loved em, but MPG wasn't a huge concern to me. They were just such a massive improvement over the FR710 that came on my 1lt

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I have a set of Continental True Contacts that are "Eco" qualified and they seemed to be quite well MPG wise as well as traction. Just like JBlackburn: They were just such a massive improvement over the tires that were on my RS.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

Chevy put some specialized tires on the Eco model, Goodyear Fuelmax. There are two different versions, one that matches OEM and one that is heavier. The previous replacement, I matched to OEM. This time I tired the "eco-plus" version of the Continental. I've noticed the car gets dangerous (hydroplaning) on the highway when the OEM goodyears get down to 4/32s. Outlay wise, it'll cost me a little more fuel, but if they are safer and can go closer to worn out (2/32s) - it wouldn't be a bad choice. 

We'll see how it goes. If my driving distance needs are the same, I'll probably I'll be back on this thread in 2 years


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## CRUISE-CRUZE (Nov 8, 2010)

If you want an alternative, I got these for the next season (I use winter tires now):
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...eSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes#RatingsReviews 
I used them only for 300 miles before the weather got bad, they are very quiet and I got better MPG than original Assurance. Not relevant yet since I need more miles on them but take a look...


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## cdccjohnson (Apr 10, 2018)

I have been using Cooper tires for many years now. I had the previous generation cs3 on my sons Mazda6. Best tires I think we have ever owned. They had excellent tire wear, min noise and perfect wear patterns. I have had cs5's on a Saab and my wifes Genesis. A better riding tire but had two that the belt separated and tire wear hasnt been close to what was advertised so they have been a bit of a disappointment. I have purchased a set of the new CS3-G1's for my Cruze when the OEM Michelins need replacing but havent had a need to install just yet. They get nothing but very positive reviews.

I live in FL so wet weather traction is #1 priority and all the coopers have been excellent. 

The savings of coopers vs most of the major makes mores than offsets any fuel savings by shopping for a brand name "low roll resistance". If you have time to wait, Cooper often offers some significant rebates and makes the cost equation even better.


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## mikeeitup (Aug 27, 2013)

I have the CS5's and love 'em. Not seeing much of a mpg difference but the ride quality difference is making up for whatever I'm losing in mpg. Those oem tires were GARBAGE!


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## TheDog (Mar 27, 2014)

I bought some Cooper CS3 tires (for our Focus, not our Cruze) and hated them. True they were very quiet and I had no issues with MPG or wear but the traction was not nearly as good as the Contis that the Focus came with. Strangely, I had a lot of issues with the tires spinning on take offs and really, how much power can my 2 L focus (driven for MPG) be putting out?

I actually replaced the CS3's at less than 30K miles because the wet grip was so poor and winter was coming. I now have about 10K miles on my Conti PureContact LS tires and am beyond satisfied. Still quiet and seemingly fuel efficient but far, far more resistance to spinning the tires or plowing in turns.


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## TheDog (Mar 27, 2014)

For our Cruze ('14 diesel) we've stuck with GoodYear Fuel Max for all of the cars 115K miles (well technically about a third of them are Blizzak snow tire miles each year) though now we have the non GM specific ones. When we bought the car new I thought I would hate the LRR tires but as many people have said on CruzeTalk, the Fuel Max tires are surprisingly capable and satisfying. In my opinion, our Cruze is not a sharp handler at all despite the 17" wheels and the Z-Link suspension but at least in our situation, the tires are AT LEAST matched to the cars modest suspension abilities.


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