Dunlop Winter Sport 5

The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 is a Ultra High Performance Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Tire review data from 40 tire reviews averaging 83% over 418,100 miles driven, and 63 tests with an average result of 5th.

Dry Grip 82%
Wet Grip 84%
Road Feedback 78%
Handling 78%
Wear 87%
Comfort 83%
Buy again 82%
Snow Grip 89%
Ice Grip 82%

First On MarketMay 2021
Wheel Size15 - 21"
Width195 - 295mm
Profile35 - 65
Rolling ResistanceB - D
Wet GripB - C
Noise (dB)70 - 74
Winter Rating3PMSF Rated

The Winter Sport 5 is ranked 22nd of 43 Winter Ultra High Performance tires.

This tire replaced the Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D.

In Depth Tire Comparisons

Tests Included

63

Best Result

1st

Worst Result

16th

Average Result

5th

Latest Tire Test Results

2024 ADAC 16 Inch Winter Tire Test
5th of 12 tires
  • The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 tire shows mixed performance across different driving conditions. On dry roads, it struggles with precision and steering feedback, requiring frequent corrections to maintain the desired path. It also shows weaknesses in sudden evasive maneuvers and has below-average dry braking distances. Performance on wet roads is marginally good, with satisfactory results in braking and longitudinal aquaplaning, but excelling in lateral aquaplaning resistance and handling. The tire's strongest performance is on winter roads, where it achieves clearly good ratings. It offers some of the shortest braking distances on snow, above-average traction, and excellent handling with good combination of longitudinal and lateral forces. Ice braking narrowly misses a good rating. Environmentally, the Winter Sport 5 scores well, offering above-average mileage, low wear, and good efficiency due to its low weight and fuel consumption. Overall, the Dunlop Winter Sport 5 excels in winter conditions and environmental performance but has notable room for improvement on dry surfaces.
View Full Test >>
2024 ADAC 17 inch Winter Tire Test
2nd of 16 tires
  • The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 provides good performance on dry, wet, and wintery surfaces, resulting in a good overall rating for driving safety. It offers precise steering, good braking distances, and reliable grip, particularly in snowy conditions. Although its aquaplaning performance on wet roads is only satisfactory, it excels in handling with ample safety reserves. The tire also boasts a good environmental record with a long lifespan, low abrasion, and good efficiency due to its low weight and fuel consumption.
View Full Test >>

2024 Tire Tests

2023 Tire Tests

2022 Tire Tests

2021 Tire Tests

2020 Tire Tests

2019 Tire Tests

2018 Tire Tests

2017 Tire Tests

2016 Tire Tests

2015 Tire Tests

Reports

  • Dunlop WinterSport 5 - Launched
  • SizeFuelWetNoise
    15 inch
    195/55R15 85 HDB71
    195/65R15 91 HCB72
    16 inch
    215/60R16 95 HCB71
    205/55R16 91 TCB71
    205/60R16 96 H XLCB71
    205/60R16 92 HCB72
    205/55R16 94 V XLCB71
    205/55R16 94 H XLCB71
    205/55R16 91 HCB71
    215/60R16 99 H XLCB72
    17 inch
    225/50R17 98 V XLCC72
    225/50R17 98 H XLCC72
    225/50R17 94 HCB72
    205/50R17 93 H XLDC72
    205/50R17 93 V XLDC72
    225/50R17 98 H XLCC72
    215/55R17 98 V XLCC71
    205/50R17 93 H XLCB72
    225/45R17 94 H XLDB72
    225/45R17 94 V XLDB72
    225/45R17 91 HDC72
    225/45R17 94 V XLDB72
    205/50R17 93 V XLCB72
    215/45R17 91 V XLCB71
    205/50R17 93 V XLCB70
    18 inch
    225/40R18 92 V XLDC72
    245/45R18 100 V XLCC72
    245/45R18 100 V XLCB71
    245/40R18 97 V XLCB72
    19 inch
    235/35R19 91 W XLDB72
    View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Dunlop Winter Sport 5 >>

    Questions and Answers for the Dunlop Winter Sport 5

    2016-10-07 - What is the comfort temperature (max/min) for this tire?

    The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 can be used in any temperatures, however it is recommended you fit and use winter tires only when the temperatures are consistently under 7c.


    2016-11-16 - How to fit correctly the tires on the wheel -where should be the yellow mark lines placed? outside or inside?

    The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 is a directional winter tire, and as such has no inside or outside. The sidewall will have an arrow indicating forward rotation, you should go by this indication.


    2023-11-14 - Does xl (extra load) tend to be more noisey and more fuel consumption. Car : Mercedes w205 C220 d bluetec. Tires : Dunlop Winter Sport 5 225/50 R17 98H XL

    Potentially yes, but the differences should be small.


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    YouTube Review

    Top 3 Dunlop Winter Sport 5 Reviews

    Given 81% while driving a Alfa Romeo Giulietta (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 10,000 easy going miles
    I have these tires on an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. I'm a really passionate driver an I always try to find the best tires for my car. I think these tires are excellent during winter season because:
    - Good on snow, especially for traction and braking, not excellent in lateral grip. Also in snowy slope I have never had to put tire chains on (for the moment at least).
    - Very good on asphalt, the car has always a balanced and neutral behavior. You could feel when the car is slipping. Quite fast and precise on steering. (Obviously we are talking about a winter tire, not a summer one!)

    My suggestion is, when is very cold (
    Helpful 28 - tire reviewed on January 15, 2024
    Given 81% while driving a Audi 1.8T Quattro (225/40 R18 W) on a combination of roads for 24,000 spirited miles
    I bought these as the successor to Dunlop WinterSport4 which I had been very happy with before, especially with wet grip and good feel in wet/poor conditions. Living and driving around Scotland I use the WinterSport as an all-season tire. The 5's have improved in all areas and especially in dry handling which was a slight letdown with the 4's. Performance now tails off above around 12 degrees ambient, compared to around 7 degrees with the 4's. At high speed in summer the tires can get a little 'floaty', but for me this is an acceptable compromise to the excellent grip in cold wet conditions. Sidewalls also seem stronger as the 4's were prone to nicks. Wear is similar if not a little better; got around 22/23K from the 4's when on all year and around 24K for the 5's. All in all a great winter tire with acceptable all-year round performance for those of us in more Northern areas.
    Helpful 144 - tire reviewed on September 24, 2016
    Given 72% while driving a Opel Vectra C GTS (215/50 R17) on a combination of roads for 25,000 average miles
    A very snow- and ice-focused tire. Struggled a bit too much with wet and dry conditions, but overall not the all-conquering test winner which seemingly everyone said it is. (might be related to my specific size used)

    After 4 seasons they got annoyingly noisy, but until then, they were quite comfortable.
    Helpful 26 - tire reviewed on July 8, 2023
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    Latest Dunlop Winter Sport 5 Reviews

    Given 78% while driving a BMW (205/60 R16) on a combination of roads for 35,000 average miles
    Very good tire on snow and ice, both handling and braking, also good on dry surfaces.
    A bit too noisy for my taste but it's a winter tire so I guess is ok.
    Helpful 20 - tire reviewed on December 19, 2023
    Given 86% while driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Mivec (205/60 R16) on mostly motorways for 40,000 easy going miles
    It’s a very comfortable and reliable tire especially in the snow, slippery and cold conditions, which we get quite a lot here in Poland. When temperatures rise above 5-6 degrees Celsius the compound proves to be really soft and hence dry breaking isn’t great. It’s time to replace them after 6 seasons and 60K Kms and although it isn’t sporty at all, due to low rolling resistance and comfortable ride, it suits me for long (800 km) trips visiting family in Hungary. I would repurchase it for next winter.
    Helpful 37 - tire reviewed on February 13, 2022
    What to know the BEST All Season Tires for 2024? Click to find out!
    Given 86% while driving a Lexus GS300 (225/55 R16) on a combination of roads for 3,000 easy going miles
    Great tires! Comfortable, quiet with very good traction in snow and ice. I can say that they are much better than the Bridgestone Turanza T001.
    Helpful 35 - tire reviewed on October 6, 2021
    Given 85% while driving a Citroën Spacetourer MPV (225/55 R17) on mostly motorways for 16,000 easy going miles
    I have for the last dozen years driven MPV's as a second family car due to their practicality. Every one of my MPV's has had winter tires for 5 months of the year. These Dunlops were on my most recent 8 seat Citroen Spacetourer, which is about to be replaced by an identical new car, so these wheels & tires will be carried over and fitted again in the next 6 weeks. I have been very impressed with the Wintersport 5's in the two years and 16k miles that I used them and have been fortunate to drive them in about 10 days of decent snow and many frosty mornings in that time. I would rate them as one of the best Winter tires that I have used. They brake very well in snow and wet and also have great traction when accelerating, even when slightly icy slush is about. My previous 5 sets of winter tires were Goodyear and Conti and they were also good, so I know what I like. I found that with the Wintersports I could just about get up a 1 in 5 snow covered 1st gear sharp corner in the north Pennines (UK), which I initially thought would be too much for them in a heavy car with only 2wd. What I really like about them is the plush ride, despite being 101 load rated, which in some brands can mean thick sidewalls, but not these. On cold wet Winter days where temperatures are just above freezing, I have found them to have good traction and pulling away from a wet junction can easily be accomplished without wheelspin even with a heavy load in the rear. They are commendably quiet on all surfaces, but then in my experience most winter tires are quieter than the summer equivalent. I never got to test them on stretches of sheet ice so can't comment on their performance for that. Wear has been brilliant compared to the poor summer Michelin Primacy 3 that the car also uses which only lasted 18,000 miles. I predict that the Wintersport 5 will reach about 30,000 miles if I rotate them around the car each winter. I would buy again, but I suspect that a new Dunlop will be along in 2022 or 23 so I will need to look at Tire Reviews and make a fresh decision from their test results database for the next set of boots. Dunlop Wintersport 5 are highly recommended by me with no caveats.
    Helpful 34 - tire reviewed on October 3, 2021
    Given 53% while driving a Opel Antara 2.2 4x4 184HP (215/50 R17) on mostly motorways for 8,500 average miles
    Overall not as good as a tire as I expected it to be. It's kind of sad to know that I've spent quite a high price for the set, thinking it will be a good tire, as Dunlop has been previously for me, only to find out that I'm almost disappointed in the qualities of it, especially in dry handling. It may have something to do with the fact, that I have fitted KW coilovers.
    Helpful 33 - tire reviewed on May 14, 2021
    Given 69% while driving a Toyota Prius (215/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 40,000 average miles
    The Winter Sport 5 give the car a little too much of understeer but still acceptable, a little more disturbing is they feel a little lazy on the breakes but still ok for a winter tire. I drove only 2-3 hours in real winter conditions here in hamburg so do not expect too much from my opinion - they did their job which is fine for this small and wide format. Noise, comfort and fuel consumption are very ok. The sidewalls were surprisingly full of dents after the first winter, and look not much better than the moon after 3 Winters - but where it counts they still look like one more winter, now the score is 40000 miles.
    Helpful 46 - tire reviewed on April 12, 2021
    Given 86% while driving a Skoda (225/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 19,000 spirited miles
    These have just gone back on my Skoda Yeti 170tdi 4x4 for their 4th season & have probably done close to 20k miles now & yet still have almost 50% wear left so definitely last well. However 1 tire has worn in an odd way with a sort of high patch appearing in the carcass below the tread blocks over about a third of the tire, so on this tire there's about 3mm tread left at this part of the tire, yet 6mm elsewhere, just like the other 3 tires on the car. I've had it checked by my MOT station & also my tire supplier, & both said it's ok to keep in service, so I will, & keep my eye on it. Other than this they have been a great winter tire. Nice, dynamic steering & decent ride quality. Previously I've run Vredestein Wintrac Extreme & Pirelli Sottozero 3 on the Yeti & I'd say the Dunlops have very slightly better wet, dry & snow grip than those tires, except at very low speeds on snow where curiously the Dunlops can understeer noticeably, yet as speed rises over say 15mph, grip comes back rapidly & they're very good after that, & are also the best winter I've experienced on ice. So performance wise, very impressive tires but the odd wear pattern on 1 tire worries me slightly especially as I've also previously suffered 2 faulty Goodyear tires (same company) I do question construction quality & wonder if it's no coincidence that Goodyear/Dunlop have the worst warranty of just about all tire manufacturers.
    Helpful 36 - tire reviewed on December 11, 2020
    Given 96% while driving a Hyundai elantra (205/55 R16) on mostly town for 18,600 average miles
    Drive only on town, on not so much snow (only until the road is cleaned), little wet road, i think 60-70% from time on dry roads. Wery good response, quiet on the road, good to very good on brake. In one season (winter) i made aprox. 30.000 km, and the wear is very good, i think it will resist 3 seasons! Good tire, i will buy again!
    Helpful 37 - tire reviewed on November 8, 2020
    Given 57% while driving a Volkswagen GOLF MK5 R32 3.2 V6 4MOTION (225/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 5,000 spirited miles
    No rim protection!! Despite saying on the side wall it has rim protection, it most certainly doesn’t. Compared to my usual Pilot Sport 3/4 summers which have plenty of curb protection. And sadly I now have to refurb two of my newly refurbished wheels again after being forced against a curb by a SUV charging down a narrow road, I literally just brushed the curb and now they are heavily scuffed.

    Grip in normal conditions is ok, but they do squirm around a fair bit when cornering or braking hard at higher speeds. They felt horrible when new but have improved after a few thousand miles. Damp (not wet) grip was atrocious but has also improved. Don’t expect these to perform like high performance summer tires.

    Typically not had any snow since fitting them, but had frost and ice where grip is obviously reduced but they are progressive and predictable. Also seem to perform well on mud covered roads which is common on the country lanes I drive on. They don’t aquaplane on deep puddles which again is common round here.

    There is tire noise, not intrusive but its there. Fuel economy doesn’t seem to be adversely affected by any great degree, maybe 1mpg, but its hard to say as the car uses more fuel in the colder seasons.

    If it wasn’t for the useless rim protection, I’d probably buy again.



    Helpful 39 - tire reviewed on January 23, 2020
    Given 54% while driving a (235/45 R18 V) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
    Have these tires on a Tesla Model 3 SR+, and I find them to perform very poorly both in dry and wet conditions. Wet even worse than dry. Given the profile structure of the tire, I can imagine very good snow performance, however as these conditions are rare in my country (NL), could not recommend these for any car with more than 200 hp.

    The original Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires made the car seem on rails, these make the car very nervous when accelerating hard.
    Helpful 40 - tire reviewed on January 10, 2020
    Given 81% while driving a Honda Civic 1.5T (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 4,000 spirited miles
    Last tires i used were conti ts 860 t, this year i bought dunlop, and i love it, i can say they are almost as good and a lot cheaper too. I recommend highly... Not scared in wet, icy or snow, they are superb on dry also....
    Helpful 35 - tire reviewed on January 2, 2020
    Given 97% while driving a Audi TT (225/45 R17 V) on mostly country roads for 30,000 spirited miles
    I had theese tires on my Audi TT MK1 and I were very impressed by their performance overall. Tested in all conditions, super super performance on wet roads, amazing on splah and snow, i drove 3 seasons and over 40k kilometers with them without fear and in complete safety.

    Taking everything into account: with theese tires, it.s summer on the road.
    Helpful 59 - tire reviewed on September 21, 2019