Tests – · none yet Owners 82 · 38 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D vs Michelin Alpin 5 — 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 + 3 road tests and 38 + 33 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: SP Winter Sport 4D 78, Alpin 5 77.
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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78
Dry
SP Winter Sport 4D +573Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 74 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 84 77 SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 74.4 (est.) + 40% × 83.6 = 78
Alpin 5: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 76.6 = 73
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 0.41).
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84
Wet
SP Winter Sport 4D +282Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 81 (est.) 80 Reviews found online 89 87 SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 80.7 (est.) + 40% × 89 = 84
Alpin 5: 60% × 79.5 + 40% × 86.7 = 82
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).
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71
Snow
Alpin 5 +273Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 71 (est.) 69 Reviews found online 71 79 SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 70.7 = 71
Alpin 5: 60% × 68.7 + 40% × 78.6 = 73
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 0.32).
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79
Comfort
SP Winter Sport 4D +376Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 85 79 SP Winter Sport 4D: 40% × 71.8 (est.) + 60% × 84.5 = 79
Alpin 5: 40% × 70.7 (est.) + 60% × 78.8 = 76
No road tests of comfort for SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
No road tests of comfort for Alpin 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
–
Noise
No comparison62Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests – 60 Reviews found online – ≈ 66 (est.) Alpin 5: 60% × 59.6 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 62
No owner ratings of noise for Alpin 5. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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76
Treadwear
Alpin 5 +783Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 83 Reviews found online 82 83 SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 81.9 = 76
Alpin 5: 60% × 83.2 + 40% × 83.1 = 83
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 0.36).
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85
Handling (owners)
SP Winter Sport 4D +877Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Reviews found online 85 77 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison59Why this score
Source SP Winter Sport 4D Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests – 59
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D | Michelin Alpin 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 78 | 77 |
| Dry | 78 | 73 |
| Wet | 84 | 82 |
| Snow | 71 | 73 |
| Comfort | 79 | 76 |
| Noise | – | 62 |
| Treadwear | 76 | 83 |
| Handling (owners) | 85 | 77 |
| 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
78
/ 100
SP Winter Sport 4D
77
/ 100
Alpin 5
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.
In the overall rankings of 2 tests that ran both, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D finished ahead 2 times and Michelin Alpin 5 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | SP Winter Sport 4D | Alpin 5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #3/14 | #7/14 | – | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2014 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 195/65 R15 · 195/65 R15 |
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.
Tire B Alpin 5
Pros
- Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow and winter conditions
- Outstanding wet-weather performance and aquaplaning resistance
- High ride comfort and remarkably low noise levels for a winter tire
Cons
- Soft rubber compound struggles in warm temperatures (above 20°C–25°C), causing cornering smear
- Soft sidewalls reduce precision during aggressive dry handling
- Potential increase in noise and hardening of the rubber compound after 3 years of use
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D | B · Michelin Alpin 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 20 | 17 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 21″ | 15″ – 20″ |
| Sizes in common | 3 | 3 |
Which one should you actually buy?
78
/ 100
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
77
/ 100
Michelin Alpin 5
Too close to call: Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D and Michelin Alpin 5 are within 2 points overall. Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D is stronger on handling, dry and comfort. Michelin Alpin 5 is stronger on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 85 vs 77 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Alpin 5 scores 83 vs 76 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 78 vs 73 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 79 vs 76 on comfort.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Tire B · Michelin Alpin 5
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SP Winter Sport 4D or Alpin 5?
Which is better in the wet, SP Winter Sport 4D or Alpin 5?
Neither, by our numbers: 84 vs 82 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Winter Sport 4D or Alpin 5?
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 78 vs 73 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, SP Winter Sport 4D or Alpin 5?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 73 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, SP Winter Sport 4D or Alpin 5?
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 79 vs 76 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Winter Sport 4D or Alpin 5?
Michelin Alpin 5, 83 vs 76 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