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Dunlop SP Sport 2050 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Sport 2050 vs Vredestein Sportrac 5 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 2 road tests and 4 + 335 owner reviews. How we score

Sportrac 5 is ahead, 73–52

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Dunlop SP Sport 2050
Tire ADunlop

SP Sport 2050

Summer Premium Touring tires

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 44 · 4 reviews

Vredestein Sportrac 5
Tire BVredestein

Sportrac 5

Summer

Tests 72 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 335 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test (noise)

“Ah yes, it is Dutch, and also produced in the Netherlands(east side of the country).. I am going this afternoon for the new ones, the sportrac 5 is well known here, I will keep you posted..”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 54

    Dry

    Sportrac 5 +19
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 2050Sportrac 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 59 (est.)71
    Reviews found online4775

    SP Sport 2050: 60% × 59.3 (est.) + 40% × 46.9 = 54

    Sportrac 5: 60% × 71.1 + 40% × 75.1 = 73

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport 2050. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 50

    Wet

    Sportrac 5 +24
    74
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 2050Sportrac 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 55 (est.)73
    Reviews found online4377

    SP Sport 2050: 60% × 55 (est.) + 40% × 43.3 = 50

    Sportrac 5: 60% × 72.8 + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport 2050. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 57

    Comfort

    Sportrac 5 +14
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 2050Sportrac 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online4673

    SP Sport 2050: 60% × 65.1 (est.) + 40% × 46 = 57

    Sportrac 5: 60% × 69.7 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 71

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 57

    Noise

    Sportrac 5 +14
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 2050Sportrac 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)75
    Reviews found online4065

    SP Sport 2050: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 40.4 = 57

    Sportrac 5: 60% × 74.9 + 40% × 64.5 = 71

    No road tests of noise for SP Sport 2050. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 51

    Treadwear

    Sportrac 5 +21
    72
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 2050Sportrac 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 58 (est.)71
    Reviews found online4172

    SP Sport 2050: 60% × 58 (est.) + 40% × 40.7 = 51

    Sportrac 5: 60% × 71 + 40% × 72.3 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 2050. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 47

    Handling (owners)

    Sportrac 5 +28
    75
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 2050Sportrac 5
    Reviews found online4775
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport 2050Vredestein Sportrac 5
Relative Score 52 73
Dry 54 73
Wet 50 74
Comfort 57 71
Noise 57 71
Treadwear 51 72
Handling (owners) 47 75

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Less important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

SP Sport 2050

Sportrac 5

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A SP Sport 2050

Pros

  • Adequate dry road grip and handling response
  • Satisfactory performance in dry and wet conditions for certain drivers
  • Reasonable noise levels on smooth road surfaces

Cons

  • Poor wet weather grip and handling
  • Fast treadwear with low mileage limits (some wearing out within 9,000 to 18,000 miles)
  • Noticeable road noise on damaged or rough road surfaces
All owner themes in the SP Sport 2050 review

Tire B Sportrac 5

Pros

  • Excellent dry and wet grip for daily driving
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong wear resistance and long tread life

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can feel vague or cause a 'floating' sensation on true sports cars
  • Reduced stability and increased risk of hydroplaning in heavy standing water or deep puddles
  • Some users reported a harsher ride due to stiffer compounds depending on the tire size
All owner themes in the Sportrac 5 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Dunlop SP Sport 2050

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Vredestein Sportrac 5

Positive

Community sentiment toward the Vredestein Sportrac 5 is overwhelmingly positive, particularly among drivers of classic and older European or enthusiast cars. Users praise its strong wet and dry grip, sidewall stability, and compliant ride, frequently recommending it as one of the few high-quality summer performance tires still offered in rare 14-inch and 15-inch sizes.

twingoforum.com ·2017-03-16

“Sorry, I completely forgot to reply to this. The vredstein sportrac 5 are a good tyre, much better handling in the wet over the Hankook Ventus that I had fitted to the front, (now on the back) at around 65£ each for the sportracs id recommend you try them. I've had problems with 205/40/17 scrubbing on mine even with stock cup rims, not sure why but was even worse when I got a set of OZ rims, so went to 195/40/17”
kiaownersclub.co.uk ·2016-10-29

“Had them on my ford focus excellent tyres fantastic grip in the wet and dry went through winter with no issues a good looking tyre as well fitted to high performance cars and a premium brand tyre”
alfabb.com ·2021-03-04

“Wrong car/tire model, but I bought a set of Vredestein Sportrac 5s last year and mounted them on a spare set of wheels for my Alfetta GT . Really like the tires and they're well reviewed. Only took them off because I decided I prefer the look of the Ronal A1 wheels and old Pirelli P400 tires that the car came to me with.”
Top themes
#wet and dry grip#rare vintage wheel sizes#value and pricing#ride comfort and stability#classic car fitment#grand touring summer performance

Based on 26 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport 2050 B · Vredestein Sportrac 5
CategorySummer Premium Touring tiresSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—35
Rim diameters—14″ – 17″

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport 2050

Vredestein Sportrac 5

Winner: Vredestein Sportrac 5 — better handling, wet and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Dunlop SP Sport 2050 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 4 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Vredestein Sportrac 5 scores 75 vs 47 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Vredestein Sportrac 5 scores 74 vs 50 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Vredestein Sportrac 5 scores 72 vs 51 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Vredestein Sportrac 5 scores 73 vs 54 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 2050
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Tire B · Vredestein Sportrac 5
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SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5?

Which is better in the wet, SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5?

Vredestein Sportrac 5, 74 vs 50 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5?

Vredestein Sportrac 5, 73 vs 54 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5?

Vredestein Sportrac 5, 71 vs 57 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5?

Vredestein Sportrac 5, 71 vs 57 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Sport 2050 or Sportrac 5?

Vredestein Sportrac 5, 72 vs 51 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology