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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D vs Hankook Winter i cept evo2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 5 road tests and 38 + 28 owner reviews. How we score

SP Winter Sport 4D is ahead, 78–70

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Hankook Winter i cept evo2
Tire BHankook

Winter i cept evo2

Winter

± 7

Tests 67 · 5 tests Owners 71 · 28 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 79

    Dry

    SP Winter Sport 4D +12
    67
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 75 (est.)65
    Reviews found online8471

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 74.8 (est.) + 40% × 84.1 = 79

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 64.9 + 40% × 71.3 = 67

    No road tests of dry for SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 84

    Wet

    SP Winter Sport 4D +13
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 81 (est.)70
    Reviews found online8974

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 81 (est.) + 40% × 89.2 = 84

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 70.1 + 40% × 73.5 = 71

    No road tests of wet for SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 71

    Snow

    SP Winter Sport 4D +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 71 (est.)72
    Reviews found online7166

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 70.8 (est.) + 40% × 70.8 = 71

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 72 + 40% × 66.4 = 70

    No road tests of snow for SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 80

    Comfort

    SP Winter Sport 4D +10
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online8571

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 40% × 72.1 (est.) + 60% × 85 = 80

    Winter i cept evo2: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 71.1 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    55
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–47
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 47.4 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 55

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i cept evo2. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 76

    Treadwear

    SP Winter Sport 4D +7
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 72 (est.)67
    Reviews found online8273

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 81.8 = 76

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 67.1 + 40% × 72.6 = 69

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 85

    Handling (owners)

    SP Winter Sport 4D +12
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Reviews found online8573
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    59
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–59
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Winter Sport 4DHankook Winter i cept evo2
Relative Score 78 70
Dry 79 67
Wet 84 71
Snow 71 70
Comfort 80 70
Noise – 55
Treadwear 76 69
Handling (owners) 85 73
Efficiency – 59

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.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

SP Winter Sport 4D

± 7

Winter i cept evo2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategorySP Winter Sport 4DWinter i cept evo2ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/48 2014 50 Winter Tyre Braking Overview #5/11 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B Winter i cept evo2

Pros

  • Impressive grip and traction on snow and ice
  • High level of ride comfort and low noise levels
  • Good value for money compared to higher-priced premium alternatives

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls or goofy feel on dry roads, particularly in warmer winter temperatures
  • Performance and grip degrade significantly as the tire ages over multiple seasons
  • Can struggle to put down high torque/power on rear-wheel-drive vehicles
All owner themes in the Winter i cept evo2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D B · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2079
Rim diameters16″ – 21″15″ – 22″
Sizes in common1414

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D

Hankook Winter i cept evo2

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

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 84 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 79 vs 67 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 85 vs 73 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 80 vs 70 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
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Tire B · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
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SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2?

Which is better in the wet, SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 84 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 79 vs 67 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 70 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 80 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Winter Sport 4D or Winter i cept evo2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 76 vs 69 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