I just put a new set of coopers on my 2000 neon and would like to say that they are much better than the OEM Goodyear eagles.... The treadware is reasonable and they fit perfectly (185 60 r15). The weight of the material is great too. Very close to the goodyears as I can tell my acceleration hasn't changed too much from the original tires.
I had a set of dunlop sport A2's on mine and I hated them big time, but they were much cheaper than the eagles. The A2's seemed to be heavier and they wore in weird spots, the tire dealer that sold them to me tried to convince me that the wear was from problems with my alignment etc, but I doubt it now. The other problems I noticed was acceleration/lugging problems and unpredictable tracking in adverse conditions. I have yet to drive the Cooper tires in Rain or Snow, but the tread design looks like it will be able to handle stuff like that much better. It's raining out now, so in about 2.5 hours I'll be going home, I guess I'll find out then!
Mike