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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 vs Hankook Winter i*cept RS — 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 25 + 0 road tests and 47 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

Winter Sport 5 is ahead, 77–71

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Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Tire ADunlop

Winter Sport 5

Winter

± 4

Tests 75 · 25 tests Owners 78 · 47 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 19 / – tests66≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7470

    Winter Sport 5: 60% × 65.8 + 40% × 73.7 = 69

    Winter i*cept RS: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 69.7 = 69

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

  2. 84

    Wet

    Winter Sport 5 +11
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 25 / – tests86≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8273

    Winter Sport 5: 60% × 86.2 + 40% × 81.6 = 84

    Winter i*cept RS: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 73

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

  3. 83

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 25 / – tests87–
    Reviews found online78–

    Winter Sport 5: 60% × 86.7 + 40% × 77.7 = 83

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Winter Sport 5 +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7670

    Winter Sport 5: 40% × 74.4 + 60% × 76 = 75

    Winter i*cept RS: 40% × 69 (est.) + 60% × 70 = 70

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

  5. 33

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests10–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Winter Sport 5: 60% × 10.1 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 33

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter Sport 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.

  6. 79

    Treadwear

    Winter Sport 5 +7
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests78≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8075

    Winter Sport 5: 60% × 78.2 + 40% × 79.5 = 79

    Winter i*cept RS: 60% × 69.7 (est.) + 40% × 75.3 = 72

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

  7. 76

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Sport 5 +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Reviews found online7671
  8. 79

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sport 5Winter i*cept RS
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / – tests79–
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Winter Sport 5Hankook Winter i*cept RS
Relative Score 77 71
Dry 69 69
Wet 84 73
Snow 83 –
Comfort 75 70
Noise 33 –
Treadwear 79 72
Handling (owners) 76 71
Efficiency 79 –

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
± 4

Winter Sport 5

± 8

Winter i*cept RS

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 5Winter i*cept RSΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #5/10 2025 Autobild Winter Tire Test R18 #10/48 2014 50 Winter Tyre Braking Overview – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter Sport 5

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and braking performance in snow, slush, and heavy winter conditions
  • Strong wet weather handling and reliable water clearance to prevent hydroplaning
  • Impressive tread wear and long-term durability across multiple seasons

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a mushy or floating steering response and unstable cornering when temperatures rise above 5-10°C
  • Reduced dry handling precision and longer braking distances in warmer ambient conditions
  • Inadequate or missing effective rim protection despite manufacturer claims
All owner themes in the Winter Sport 5 review

Tire B Winter i*cept RS

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and performance in medium to heavy snow conditions
  • Low rolling resistance contributing to great fuel economy
  • Durable wear rate given the winter conditions

Cons

  • Very soft rubber compound reduces performance and handling on dry, hot roads
  • Less suited for extended high-speed motorway driving
All owner themes in the Winter i*cept RS review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5 B · Hankook Winter i*cept RS
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available4617
Rim diameters15″ – 21″13″ – 16″
Sizes in common33

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Winter Sport 5

Hankook Winter i*cept RS

Winner: Dunlop Winter Sport 5 — better wet, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Hankook Winter i*cept RS rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 scores 84 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 scores 79 vs 72 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 scores 75 vs 70 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5
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Tire B · Hankook Winter i*cept RS
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Winter Sport 5 or Winter i*cept RS?

Which is better in the wet, Winter Sport 5 or Winter i*cept RS?

Dunlop Winter Sport 5, 84 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Sport 5 or Winter i*cept RS?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 69 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Winter Sport 5 or Winter i*cept RS?

Dunlop Winter Sport 5, 75 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter Sport 5 or Winter i*cept RS?

Dunlop Winter Sport 5, 79 vs 72 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