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Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 vs Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 — 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 + 9 road tests and 12 + 61 owner reviews. How we score

SP Winter Sport M3 is ahead, 77–72

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Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Tire BNexen

WinGuard Sport 2

Winter

± 5

Tests 73 · 9 tests Owners 71 · 61 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (noise)

Category by category

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

  1. 74

    Dry

    SP Winter Sport M3 +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 72 (est.)71
    Reviews found online7769

    SP Winter Sport M3: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.4 = 74

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 69.4 = 70

    No road tests of dry for SP Winter Sport M3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 82

    Wet

    SP Winter Sport M3 +7
    75
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 79 (est.)73
    Reviews found online8677

    SP Winter Sport M3: 60% × 79 (est.) + 40% × 85.9 = 82

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 73.5 + 40% × 77.4 = 75

    No road tests of wet for SP Winter Sport M3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests–70
    Reviews found online–70

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 70.5 + 40% × 69.6 = 70

  4. 74

    Comfort

    SP Winter Sport M3 +6
    68
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)64
    Reviews found online7771

    SP Winter Sport M3: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.5 = 74

    WinGuard Sport 2: 40% × 64.4 + 60% × 70.6 = 68

    No road tests of comfort for SP Winter Sport M3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    81
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–94
    Reviews found online–61

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 94.3 + 40% × 61.3 = 81

  6. 75

    Treadwear

    SP Winter Sport M3 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 71 (est.)75
    Reviews found online8071

    SP Winter Sport M3: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 79.6 = 75

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 71.3 = 73

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Winter Sport M3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    SP Winter Sport M3 +11
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Reviews found online8170
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    34
    Why this score
    SourceSP Winter Sport M3WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–34
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Winter Sport M3Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Relative Score 77 72
Dry 74 70
Wet 82 75
Snow – 70
Comfort 74 68
Noise – 81
Treadwear 75 73
Handling (owners) 81 70
Efficiency – 34

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

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

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 M3

± 5

WinGuard Sport 2

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A SP Winter Sport M3

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep, fresh, and compacted snow
  • Impressive performance on ice and slippery inclines
  • Sporty, responsive handling on dry roads comparable to summer tires

Cons

  • Accelerated wear if left on during warmer summer months
  • Slightly slippery under heavy braking on dry roads until fully warmed up
All owner themes in the SP Winter Sport M3 review

Tire B WinGuard Sport 2

Pros

  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Low noise levels and high comfort, often rivaling all-season or summer tires
  • Strong grip and stability on cold dry and wet pavement

Cons

  • Subpar performance on hard-packed ice and deep snow compared to dedicated heavy-duty winter tires
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to slightly vague handling or a 'rolly' feeling in hard cornering
  • Reports of higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor drop in fuel economy
All owner themes in the WinGuard Sport 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—80
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″
Tread depth—11/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2

Winner: Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 — better handling, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 12 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 scores 81 vs 70 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 scores 82 vs 75 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 scores 74 vs 68 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 scores 74 vs 70 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3
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Tire B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
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SP Winter Sport M3 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Which is better in the wet, SP Winter Sport M3 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3, 82 vs 75 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Winter Sport M3 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3, 74 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Winter Sport M3 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3, 74 vs 68 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Winter Sport M3 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 73 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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