Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
WatchThe Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D is a Ultra High Performance Winter tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.
Expected Mileage
18,667
miles
Low Confidence
40
Reviews
77%
Average
434,712
miles driven
11
Tests (avg: 2nd)
All Tests
View Test Results11
Tests
2nd
Average
1st
Best
5th
Worst
Latest Tyre Test Results
2011 Auto Bild 4x4 Winter Tyre Test
1st/8
255/55 R18 • 2011
Easily the best in the snow, great in the wet and dry. Quiet.
High price, moderate rolling resistance.
2010 AMS Winter Tyre Test
5th/10
205/55 r16 • 2010
Very good handling characteristics and short braking distances in dry, good ride comfort, good wet performances
Average snow performance
2010 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test
1st/12
195/65 r15 • 2010
Excellent winter tires with peak performance in any weather, short braking distances on dry track, good aquaplaning.
High rolling resistance.
Exemplary
Alternative Tyres
9.9/10
9.2/10
9.0/10
| 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 question
July 4, 2016
Are these tyres also made as Runflats and in what sizes? Thanks, Ray
Both the WinterSport 3D, 4D and 5 are made in runflat sizes. The Dunlop website will have the complete list of sizes, as they will be changing all the time.
January 17, 2017
Are the Dunlop SP Winter sport 3D tyre run flat tyres.
There are runflat and non-runflat version of the Dunlop WinterSport 3D
January 8, 2020
Would these be ok on a VW transporter camper?
As long as the load index specified by VW is correct, yes.
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 tyre 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 tyres 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
Given 100%
while driving a
Honda Accord CTDi
(205/60 R16)
on mostly motorways
for 0 average miles
Excellent tires in every respect for two winter seasons. I continue to use them this winter.
Given 46%
while driving a
Citroën DS5
(235/45 R17)
on a combination of roads
for 7,000 average miles
Terrible on wet and icy roads with no feedback at all. Dry grip, handling and comfort are good with lots of feedback and understanding of the steering progression. Looks to be more of an all season tyre then a M+S winter tyre. Better avoid as it’s not a good all around product for european winter conditions.
Given 56%
while driving a
Audi A8
(255/40 R20 W)
on a combination of roads
for 14,000 average miles
The tires are staggered with production dates from 2013 to 2015. They've been on for only winter driving and ran about 20000km. They have aged kind of well considering the grip and response, but it seems as though the remaining 4-5mm of tyre tread is made of pure plastic. It "kind-of" grips, but the noise is utterly unbearable. Will not consider buying another set for the coming winters.
Latest Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D Reviews
BMW (205/55 R16 V)
on a combination of roads
for 1,000 miles
Very poor grip on wet surface and snow
Given 78%
while driving a
Ford Mondeo Titanium 2.0 TCDI
(235/40 R19 V)
on mostly country roads
for 12 spirited miles
I drive a Ford Mondeo 2.0 diesel titanium 2015 177 BHP. I purchased these tyres as reassurance having sold my four wheel drive and living in a remote rural area. In temperatures under 7 degrees they perform very well. I fit them to my vehicle in November and remove them at the beginning of April. I have used them once in light snow and icy road conditions. Dry grip is fine even in warmer weather but they lose traction if you pull away quickly. They can slip a little if trying to merge onto a dual carriageway under acceleration. In the cold weather they operate at you would expect. We just haven’t had a great deal of cold weather where these tyres would come into their own. I have had the tyres for two years and they are now down to 4mm although I have alternated with summer tyres. I am now going to buy all season tyres to save changing and storing each set annually. Would I recommend these for winter tyres, yes I would. I suppose buying these would depend on where you live. I live in East Anglia and probably don’t need them based on one period of snow in last three years.
Given 62%
while driving a
Suzuki swift sport
(195/50 R16 H)
on a combination of roads
for 0 average miles
Average winter tyre
Given 94%
while driving a
Mercedes Benz ML
(225/45 R17)
on mostly motorways
for 25,000 average miles
Very good on snow, ice, wet , dry no problem at all . I drove in Norway, Sweden low temperatures was perfect.
I'll buy them again.
I'll buy them again.
Given 80%
while driving a
MG ZT 135 CDTi
(225/50 R17 H)
on mostly motorways
for 12,000 average miles
I've been using these tyres for around 12,000 miles (19,000 km) in the last 7 seasons (I try to use summer tyres as much as possible) and they were great when they were new. While getting older, they've become quite noisy what affected the driving comfort especially on longer distances on motorways. Also, the fuel consumption was a bit higher than I would expect. Other than that, I had no problem with grip on any kind of surface, handling is good as well as the road feedback. However, I will try different tyres next time.
Given 40%
while driving a
Opel zafira 1.8 140 mont. 2008
(205/55 R16)
on mostly town
for 30,000 average miles
Had it for 6 years, interchanging with summer tires. First 2 years were ok (about 6500 miles), after that driving in wet (in all wet conditions, from slightly moist to full wet) became slipery. It's like the first 2mm of tyres are rubber, and the rest is plastic. Recently bought all-year tires, that are 2/3 cheeper than Dunlop, and for now its night and day in comparison. Maybe they wasnt good fit for my car model, but, Dunlop lost future buyer because of their tire characteristics.
Given 60%
while driving a
Volvo S80 D5
(225/45 R17)
on mostly town
for 10,000 average miles
Iv got these on all four corners of my volvo s80 replacing dunlop sport maxx1.
Generally, they're good tyres but the noise is unbearable sometimes. Especially on a dry motorway. It almost sounds like the windows are open.
Generally, they're good tyres but the noise is unbearable sometimes. Especially on a dry motorway. It almost sounds like the windows are open.
Audi RS6 Avant V10
(265/35 R20 V)
on mostly motorways
for 10,000 spirited miles
Installed these tires on my Audi RS6 V10 for winter in Germany.
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.
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.
Given 81%
while driving a
Renault Scenic
(185/65 R15 H)
on a combination of roads
for 0 spirited miles
I'm a bit delayed in writing this review, but I've finally got around to it!
As an opening summary, I liked these tyres, 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 tyre!
Comfort was ok, a little harsher than the previous tyres 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 tyre, 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 tyre 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 tyre 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' tyre, as they behave better in the dry (on the steering axle at least) than the fabled Bridgestone A001, and feel nicer to drive too.
As an opening summary, I liked these tyres, 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 tyre!
Comfort was ok, a little harsher than the previous tyres 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 tyre, 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 tyre 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 tyre 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' tyre, as they behave better in the dry (on the steering axle at least) than the fabled Bridgestone A001, and feel nicer to drive too.
Given 89%
while driving a
Renault Scenic
(195/65 R15 H)
on a combination of roads
for 20,000 average miles
Superb tyres. Great grip in all conditions, will plough through fresh snow, slush and frozen snow with ease. Enjoy 60 mph in the fresh snow in outside lane whilst the rest of the traffic crawl along at 20-30 :)
Given 37%
while driving a
Mazda 6
(205/55 R16 T)
on a combination of roads
for 15,000 average miles
I've had them fitted on my old Mazda6 for about 5 winters. Drove in total about 15000 miles with them fitted.
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.
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.
Given 83%
while driving a
BMW 318Ci M Sport Convertible
(245/40 R17)
on mostly country roads
for 7,000 spirited miles
Perfect grip on dry, nice on wet. Even on not perfect road like in my country. Driven in not so cold conditions (mostly 5-15 celsius).
It's my first winter tire on BMW e46 so i can't compare it with others.
I would recommend to a friend.
It's my first winter tire on BMW e46 so i can't compare it with others.
I would recommend to a friend.