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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV vs Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — 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 2 + 0 road tests and 4 + 59 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 8 leads, 79–75 Narrow edge

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Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV
Tire ADunlop

Winter Sport 5 SUV

Winter

± 7

Tests 70 · 2 tests Owners 79 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2018 Auto Bild Winter SUV / 4x4 Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    UltraGrip 8 +3
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests72≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8083

    Winter Sport 5 SUV: 60% × 72.2 + 40% × 79.6 = 75

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 74.1 (est.) + 40% × 82.9 = 78

    No road tests of dry for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 80

    Wet

    UltraGrip 8 +5
    85
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests78≈ 81 (est.)
    Reviews found online8290

    Winter Sport 5 SUV: 60% × 78.5 + 40% × 82.1 = 80

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 81.2 (est.) + 40% × 89.9 = 85

    No road tests of wet for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 68

    Snow

    UltraGrip 8 +7
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests64≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7678

    Winter Sport 5 SUV: 60% × 63.8 + 40% × 75.6 = 68

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.8 = 75

    No road tests of snow for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 76

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 8 +2
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7982

    Winter Sport 5 SUV: 40% × 70.8 (est.) + 60% × 79.3 = 76

    UltraGrip 8: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.9 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Sport 5 SUV. 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 UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests59–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Winter Sport 5 SUV: 60% × 59.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 62

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter Sport 5 SUV. 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.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 8 +2
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7781

    Winter Sport 5 SUV: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 76.7 = 73

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 81 = 75

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter Sport 5 SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 79

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 8 +4
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Reviews found online7983
  8. 65

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests65–
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Winter Sport 5 SUVGoodyear UltraGrip 8
Relative Score 75 79
Dry 75 78
Wet 80 85
Snow 68 75
Comfort 76 78
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 73 75
Handling (owners) 79 83
Efficiency 65 –

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
± 7

Winter Sport 5 SUV

± 8

UltraGrip 8

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinter Sport 5 SUVUltraGrip 8ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/13 2020 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 235/55 R17 #6/9 2013 ACE Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter Sport 5 SUV

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry road handling
  • Low noise levels and high ride comfort
  • Strong tread longevity and durability

Cons

  • Reduced grip and 'spongy' handling in warmer temperatures
  • Suboptimal traction during ice braking and acceleration
  • Not suitable for year-round use due to rapid degradation in heat
All owner themes in the Winter Sport 5 SUV review

Tire B UltraGrip 8

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in wet, slushy, and snowy conditions
  • High level of ride comfort and refinement
  • Low road noise compared to many winter tire competitors

Cons

  • Reports of excessive road noise for some specific vehicle applications
  • Tread wear can be faster than average under heavy usage or high-speed driving
  • Occasional reports of 'snappy' handling characteristics when pushed to the absolute limit
All owner themes in the UltraGrip 8 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV B · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available3114
Rim diameters16″ – 21″13″ – 16″
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV

Goodyear UltraGrip 8

Narrow edge: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — better snow, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 75 vs 68 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 85 vs 80 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 78 vs 75 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5 SUV
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
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Winter Sport 5 SUV or UltraGrip 8?

Which is better in the wet, Winter Sport 5 SUV or UltraGrip 8?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 85 vs 80 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Sport 5 SUV or UltraGrip 8?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 78 vs 75 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter Sport 5 SUV or UltraGrip 8?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 75 vs 68 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter Sport 5 SUV or UltraGrip 8?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 78 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Winter Sport 5 SUV or UltraGrip 8?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 75 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