Cosmo RC-17 vs Achilles Touring Sport AS tires

Cosmo vs Achilles: Which all-season tire is right for you?

All-season tires are among the most preferred tires in America’s automobile fraternity. Their success comes from their year-round use and ability to perform in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions. And when it comes to buying budget all-season tires, brands like Cosmo and Achilles are great options thanks to their high-quality tires that deliver consistent performance without breaking the bank.

The Cosmo and Achilles offer solid options in the all-season, touring, all-terrain, mud-terrain, and highway categories, which are designed for passenger cars, CUVs, minivans, SUVs, and light trucks. However, the Achilles has a wider portfolio as it offers ultra-high-performance (UHP) and rugged-terrain tires as well.

Without the premium price tag, both the Cosmo RC-17 and the Achilles Touring Sport A/S stand out as potential entry-level options designed for everyday passenger cars, CUVs, and compact cars. While both tires improve fuel efficiency, wet braking, control, and ride comfort, they differ in some ways.

The Cosmo RC-17 utilizes a sportier asymmetric tread pattern that enhances cornering stability and turn-in steering response during urban navigation. Conversely, the Achilles Touring Sport A/S prioritizes durability with a symmetric tread design engineered for even wear, low road noise, and dependable driving.

So, which one makes more sense? Let’s put the two tires head-to-head in this Cosmo RC-17 vs Achilles Touring Sport AS tires comparison, where we analyse both on the basis of their performance in our SimpleScore. It’s our in-house tire scoring mechanism that rates each tire on a scale of 0 to 10 for traction, handling, and longevity. Let’s hop in to see which is a better deal.

Cosmo RC-17 tires

Designed for sedans, coupes, and CUVs, the Cosmo RC-17 is a dependable all-season touring tire that focuses on smooth, comfortable daily driving. Its multi-rib tread layout optimizes the contact patch to deliver predictable steering, even wear, and excellent highway stability.

Infused with a silica-rich compound, the RC-17 enhances wet traction to shorten braking distances and resist hydroplaning in heavy rain. Additionally, specialized tread pitch sequencing minimizes road noise, ensuring a quiet cabin experience for everyday commuters and long-distance drivers alike. It is backed by a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

With an 8.2 overall SimpleScore, the Cosmo RC-17 assures dependable grip, traction, handling, and tread life.

Get Cosmo RC-17 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Achilles Touring Sport AS tires

The Achilles Touring Sport A/S is an all-season touring tire designed for passenger cars and SUVs seeking budget-friendly reliability. Backed by a 55,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, it features a symmetric tread design paired with an all-season rubber compound to deliver consistent traction across dry, wet, and light winter conditions.

Wide circumferential grooves of the Achilles all-season tire channel water away to avoid the risk of hydroplaning, while an optimized tread footprint reduces noise and ensures a quiet ride for daily commuters.

With an 8.2 overall SimpleScore, the Achilles Touring Sport AS assures adequate grip, braking, control, handling, and durability all year round.

Get Achilles Touring Sport AS tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Cosmo RC-17 vs Achilles Touring Sport AS tires on traction

Traction is defined as the tire’s ability to provide consistent grip without skidding. All-season tires are preferred due to their strong ability to perform in different driving conditions throughout the year. Let’s see where the two budget tires – RC-17 and Touring Sport AS stand in traction.

Scoring an 8.0 in traction, the Cosmo RC-17 provides dependable year-round grip through a unique tread design that features four wide circumferential channels and a distinct diamond groove pattern to mitigate the risk of hydroplaning and improve wet performance. These elements rapidly drain water away from the contact patch, while multi-sipe shoulder blocks create extra biting edges for consistent dry and wet grip.

On the other hand, the Achilles Touring Sport AS levels up the score with an 8.0 in traction. With reliable year-round performance on both dry and wet roads, its optimized tread pattern evenly distributes weight across the tire’s contact area to maximize road grip. Additionally, specialized siping embedded within the tread blocks creates extra biting edges for confident traction and braking across different weather conditions.

With the same scores, the traction tussle ends in a tie.

Advantage: Tie

Cosmo RC-17 vs Achilles Touring Sport AS tires on handling

Handling defines your control and confidence behind the wheel. The sharper the steering response, the safer and more confident your drive is. The Cosmo and Achilles tires are quite decent in this regard and offer adequate steering feedback and stability on smooth roads.

With an 8.1 handling score, the Cosmo RC-17 delivers smooth and predictable steering response. Its 3D tread block layout reinforces structural rigidity under cornering loads to prevent deformation. Additionally, a continuous center rib maintains consistent contact with the road, providing great control, confident highway stability, and precise steering feedback.

Securing an 8.2 in handling, the Achilles Touring Sport AS uses strategically placed tread block sipes to enhance overall structural stability while battling cornering and braking forces. It delivers linear steering response and steady vehicle control on highways and urban streets alike. Additionally, the innovative tread design absorbs road vibrations and curbs cabin noise, ensuring a quiet and comfortable driving experience.

With a slightly better score, the Achilles Touring Sport AS wins the handling round.

Advantage: Achilles Touring Sport AS

Cosmo RC-17 vs Achilles Touring Sport AS tires on longevity

Most drivers opt for all-season tires due to their long-lasting tread and solid limited manufacturer tread life warranties. The RC-17 and Touring Sport AS do not put you down in service life and offer impressive ratings along with commendable warranties. Let’s check it out.

Achieving an 8.6 in longevity, the Cosmo RC-17 promises enhanced tread life and strong durability. Backed by a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, its optimized tread footprint evenly distributes weight across the contact patch of the tire. This prevents irregular wear patterns, helping the tire to maintain reliable tread performance on paved roads throughout the year.

Boasting a great 8.8 in longevity, the Achilles Touring Sport A/S features an optimized footprint that distributes vehicle weight uniformly across the tread surface for impressive wearability. This prevents premature wear, promoting balanced treadwear throughout its lifespan. Backed by a superb 55,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, it offers budget-conscious drivers a fantastic option.

With a better longevity score, the Achilles Touring Sport AS pins the Cosmo RC-17 to win the tread wear round.

Advantage: Achilles Touring Sport AS

When to use each

All-season tires are designed to offer solid grip, traction, handling, and tread life throughout the year. Their special rubber compounds adapt to the changing environment to deliver impressive performance. Despite being budget tires, the Cosmo RC-17 and Achilles Touring Sport AS offer predictable handling and stability, solid traction, and a longer service life.

However, both tires are not severe snow rated (Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified), which means they cannot handle harsh winter conditions of temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The Cosmo RC-17 is available in 15, 16, and 17-inch rim sizes, while the Achilles Touring Sport AS is available in 52 sizes ranging from 14 to 19 inches.

Which one should you choose?

To sum it up, the Achilles Touring Sport AS turns out to be a marginally better tire in traction and tread life. It also offers a longer tread life than the Cosmo RC-17. However, each tire has its own characteristics which should be considered and matched with your driving needs and budget.

That said, let’s compare the prices of the 185/55R16 83H tire size: the cost of each Cosmo RC-17 is around $71, which brings the price of four such tires to $284. On the other hand, one Achilles Touring Sport AS costs around $55, which means four such tires would cost you approximately $220 (a difference of $64).

Based on SimpleScore, you should buy the Cosmo RC-17 if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Volkswagen Jetta, Chrysler Pacifica, Buick Encore, and the Dodge Caravan
• Want a budget-friendly tire
• Prefer an all-season tire that offers reliable all-round performance

On the other hand, you may go for the Achilles Touring Sport AS if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Hyundai Elantra, and Kia Rio
• Want better handling (8.2 vs. 8.1)
• Prefer an all-season tire with a longer service life (8.8 vs. 8.6)
• Need a tire that offers a longer mileage warranty (55,000 vs 45,000 miles)

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.