tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D vs Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

SP Winter Sport 4D is ahead, 74–67

Check price on Amazon · SP Winter Sport 4D or SP Winter Sport 3D on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Tire ADunlop

SP Winter Sport 3D

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 45 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 8 in 2009 Sport Auto Performance Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Tire BDunlop

SP Winter Sport 4D

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 77 · 38 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 14 in 2011 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 64

    Dry

    SP Winter Sport 4D +11
    75
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online6179
  2. 72

    Wet

    SP Winter Sport 4D +8
    80
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online7383
  3. 68

    Snow

    SP Winter Sport 4D +2
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online6670
  4. 66

    Comfort

    SP Winter Sport 4D +8
    74
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online6380
  5. 64

    Noise

    SP Winter Sport 4D +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online5974
  6. 63

    Treadwear

    SP Winter Sport 4D +8
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online6175
  7. 67

    Handling

    SP Winter Sport 4D +13
    80
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online6780
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Winter Sport 3DDunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Relative Score 67 74
Dry 64 75
Wet 72 80
Snow 68 70
Comfort 66 74
Noise 64 70
Treadwear 63 71
Handling 67 80

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

SP Winter Sport 3D

SP Winter Sport 4D

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategorySP Winter Sport 3DSP Winter Sport 4DΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 33% #3/8 · 2009 Sport Auto Performance Winter Tyre Test 25% #4/14 · 2011 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test +8.3 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A SP Winter Sport 3D

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in deep and packed snow
  • Confident handling and braking performance on cold, wet roads
  • Great dry-road handling and steering response during winter temperatures

Cons

  • High and sometimes unbearable road noise as the tires age
  • Degradation of grip and hardening of rubber compound over multiple seasons
  • Faster or below-average tread life reported by some drivers
All owner themes in the SP Winter Sport 3D review

Tire B SP Winter Sport 4D

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and stability in wet, slushy, and cold dry conditions.
  • Remarkably low road noise, often quieter than summer tire counterparts.
  • High level of ride comfort and refined road manners.

Cons

  • Noticeable 'squirm' or lack of sharpness during high-speed cornering.
  • Occasional reports of understeer in specific wet or icy conditions.
  • Some users noted a 'hard' ride quality compared to previous iterations like the 3D.
All owner themes in the SP Winter Sport 4D review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2120
Rim diameters16″ – 20″16″ – 21″
Tread depth10/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D

Winner: Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 80 vs 67 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 75 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 80 vs 72 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 74 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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.

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

74

Leads

SP Winter Sport 4D

Amazon