Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
WatchThe Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D is a Ultra High Performance Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.
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View Test ResultsAlternative Tires
| Size | Fuel | Wet | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 inch | |||
| 185/65R15 88 T | D | C | 70 |
| 16 inch | |||
| 205/60R16 92 H | D | D | 71 |
| 205/55R16 91 H | D | C | 70 |
| 205/55R16 91 H | D | C | 72 |
| 205/60R16 92 H | D | D | 71 |
| 205/55R16 91 H | D | C | 70 |
| 215/60R16 99 H XL | D | C | 69 |
| 215/60R16 99 H | D | C | 69 |
| 205/55R16 91 H | D | C | 72 |
| 17 inch | |||
| 225/50R17 94 H | E | D | 70 |
| 225/50R17 98 H XL | D | C | 70 |
| 215/55R17 98 H XL | D | C | 71 |
| 205/50R17 93 H XL | E | D | 71 |
| 225/50R17 94 H | E | D | 69 |
| 225/60R17 99 H | D | C | 72 |
| 225/60R17 99 H | D | D | 72 |
| 235/65R17 108 H XL | D | D | 72 |
| 235/65R17 104 H | E | C | 72 |
| 225/45R17 91 H | D | C | 71 |
| 225/50R17 94 H | E | D | 70 |
| 225/50R17 94 H | E | D | 69 |
| 235/65R17 108 H XL | D | D | 72 |
| 225/60R17 99 H | D | C | 72 |
| 225/60R17 99 H | D | D | 72 |
| 205/50R17 93 H XL | E | D | 71 |
| 235/65R17 104 H | E | C | 72 |
| 225/45R17 91 H | D | C | 71 |
| 225/50R17 98 H XL | D | C | 70 |
| 18 inch | |||
| 245/40R18 97 V XL | E | D | 70 |
| 245/45R18 100 V XL | D | C | 70 |
| 235/60R18 107 H XL | D | D | 72 |
| 245/40R18 97 V XL | E | D | 70 |
| 245/45R18 100 V XL | D | C | 70 |
| 235/60R18 107 H XL | D | D | 72 |
| 19 inch | |||
| 235/35R19 91 W XL | D | C | 69 |
| 235/35R19 91 W XL | D | C | 69 |
| 20 inch | |||
| 255/45R20 105 V XL | C | C | 73 |
| 255/45R20 101 V | D | C | 73 |
| 255/45R20 101 V | D | C | 73 |
| 255/45R20 105 V XL | C | C | 73 |
Questions and Answers for the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
Ask a questionAre these tires also made as Runflats and in what sizes? Thanks, Ray
Are the Dunlop SP Winter sport 3D tire run flat tires.
Would these be ok on a VW transporter camper?
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| Size | Price Range | |
|---|---|---|
| 205/55 R16 | $103.99 - $103.99 (1 Price) | Compare Prices >> |
| Available in 28 tire sizes - View all. | ||
Review Summary
Based on 34 user reviews
Most drivers rate the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D positively, highlighting strong snow and ice traction, confident wet braking (when new), stable dry handling, and predictable behavior. A minority report weaknesses on wet surfaces as the tire ages, plus noticeable road noise and faster wear. Overall sentiment is favorable, with many recommending it for true winter use while noting comfort/noise and longevity trade-offs.
Strengths
- Excellent snow and ice traction
- Good dry handling and steering response
- Predictable
- Safe winter performance
- Adequate wet grip when new
Areas for Improvement
- Increased noise (especially as tires age)
- Wet grip deteriorates with wear
- Below-average tread life/wear rate
- Higher fuel consumption/rolling resistance
Top 3 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D Reviews
Latest Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D Reviews
I'll buy them again.
Generally, they're good tires but the noise is unbearable sometimes. Especially on a dry motorway. It almost sounds like the windows are open.
Traction is ok, but the car feels less precise than with my Pirelli summer tires.
A bit noisy.
Main drawback: cornering on the wet. Loosing grip too often for my taste, especially on roundabouts. Will not buy these again.
As an opening summary, I liked these tires, they were dependable, pretty predictable, and safe year-round.
before I go any further I must add that my particular set were MO Mercedes suffix, whether or not this has much or any bearing on their performance I doubt I will ever know, but just to make a note.
So, first impressions... After the Continental they replaced which were rather too soft in their construction for my car, these were somewhat of a revelation. Steering response in particular was greatly improved as was the turn-in, going from far too much lock to be desirable in order to change and hold direction, to darting into a corner and nipping through without much complaint at all, within the realms of feasability for a winter compound of course.
Following on from this I was impressed by the stability of said winter compound, being much less 'mushy' than had been expected. In the dry there was little complaint, even when run out of season into the very late spring one year they didn't balk at such conditions. The stiffness of the carcass was clearly responsible to a notable degree, but even still those '3D' sipes seemed to do what they said on the tin, keeping things settled and composed.
Wet behaviour was and wasn't their achilles heel, being interestingly changeable but not seemingly related to ambient conditions or suchlike. Overall the wet grip was good and secure, not the best but not alarming. The thing I found was that at times they would feel almost as if covered by a layer of wax, tacky but slithery, they didn't let go completely at any time but would sometimes when shown a tight curve just understeer into a wide arc, skating across the surface, whilst most of the time being secure and dependable. I did get to know when this was likely to happen, certain road surfaces/ curves, etc. but it didn't always follow suit that it would happen! Temperature, moisture, time of day seemingly had no bearing. Don't take this out of context though, they were good in the wet, you knew how far to push them, and if you did overload them they would smear and drift rather than release and slide, which is always a favourable attribute in a tire!
Comfort was ok, a little harsher than the previous tires but nothing to bother about.
The tread wore well, much better than anticipated, and did see some usage well above the intended temperature realms. They did of course wear quicker in warm weather, but held up well with very little tearing or shreding of the tread blocks.
Winter performance wasn't sparkling but they did get me around absolutely fine including a 2 mile trek on an unploughed, very bumpy, undulating uphill country road 4" deep at the least in snow where we bounced and meandered along quite nicely with my other half rather pensive in the passenger seat! Braking and steering in the snow had to be done smoothly and carefully to avoid breaking traction, but my car is very nose heavy with keen brakes so basic physics dictate that this is likely with any tire, I would say that on a 'normal' car things will be much better indeed, but to what degree I don't know! In a nutshell, I found them a little lacking but nonetheless they got me around in some unsavoury conditions where I know a std tire would've seen me stranded even though I'm no fool when it comes to driving in the snow.
So, to summarise and conclude, If you want the best in the snow or in the wet unconditionally, look elsewhere. If you want a tire with sporty behaviour, safe in the wet, keeps a good amount of precision and stability in the dry, whilst keeping you mobile in the snow and ice, then these are worth putting on your shortlist.
They'd even make a decent 'all season' tire, as they behave better in the dry (on the steering axle at least) than the fabled Bridgestone A001, and feel nicer to drive too.
From my point of view there weren't up to their name and their expectation. Sometimes I've had difficult times in the snow, got stuck for several times, and even on the wet they didn't create confidence. From my point of view they are much more weak than the old Dunlop Wintersport M3 that they were replacing, even than Sava Eskimo S3. Simply, I couldn't drive as fast as the other 2 mentioned on a moderated snowy highway.
Of course it will get you through the winter, but shouldn't this be the purpose of any winter tire?
Dry highway grip was fine, but not much better, on par with the grip on the wet and snow.
Being so weak in traction the progressiveness was ok, as you could feel and was very clear when they started to lose grip.
If I wouldn't find them on promotion, I would definitely be very angry at the acquisition. For this tire, you simply just pay the brand and nothing else. I'm in doubt even to try the 4D now, let alone buy them.
It's my first winter tire on BMW e46 so i can't compare it with others.
I would recommend to a friend.