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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic vs Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical — 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 + 0 road tests and 32 + 502 owner reviews. How we score

Altimax Arctic is ahead, 58–33

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Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Tire BDunlop

SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

All-Season tire

Tests – · none yet Owners 15 · 502 reviews

“I also found last night that this tire in my size (195/65R15) is the OEM tire for the 2009 Honda Civic DX-VP (and probably other configurations and model years close to that).”

Category by category

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

  1. 57

    Dry

    Altimax Arctic +27
    30
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 44 (est.)
    Reviews found online5110

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 61.1 (est.) + 40% × 51.4 = 57

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 43.7 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 30

    No road tests of dry for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 62

    Wet

    Altimax Arctic +29
    33
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 42 (est.)
    Reviews found online5919

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 59 = 62

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 42.2 (est.) + 40% × 19.1 = 33

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

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 59

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic +19
    40
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 52 (est.)
    Reviews found online5321

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 64 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 59

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 52.3 (est.) + 40% × 21.4 = 40

    No road tests of snow for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

    No road tests of snow for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 54

    Comfort

    Altimax Arctic +25
    29
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online4710

    Altimax Arctic: 40% × 65.1 (est.) + 60% × 47.3 = 54

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 40% × 58.3 (est.) + 60% × 10 = 29

    No road tests of comfort for Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 60

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online50–

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 49.7 = 60

    No road tests of noise for Altimax Arctic. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic +21
    35
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 48 (est.)
    Reviews found online5015

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.6 (est.) + 40% × 50.3 = 56

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 48.2 (est.) + 40% × 14.6 = 35

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 48

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Reviews found online48–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax ArcticDunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Relative Score 58 33
Dry 57 30
Wet 62 33
Snow 59 40
Comfort 54 29
Noise 60 –
Treadwear 56 35
Handling (owners) 48 –

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
Neutral
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

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

Recomputed
Headline score

Altimax Arctic

SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

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 Altimax Arctic

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • High value and affordable price point compared to premium competitors
  • Reliable wet and dry handling during cold weather months

Cons

  • Handling and responsiveness drop off compared to dedicated summer or all-season tires
  • Some users report accelerated wear once the tire reaches 50% tread life
  • Minor tendencies toward understeer during hard cornering
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic review

Tire B SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

General Altimax Arctic

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

Mixed

Community members generally consider the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical an acceptable OEM tire with attractive budget pricing when found on sale. While users appreciate its overall performance, ride comfort, and noise levels, concerns are raised regarding rapid treadwear and limited expected mileage.

bobistheoilguy.com ·2010-04-06

“I also found last night that this tire in my size (195/65R15) is the OEM tire for the 2009 Honda Civic DX-VP (and probably other configurations and model years close to that).”
Top themes
#Affordable pricing#OEM fitment#Poor treadwear#Expected tire lifespan#Ride comfort and noise

Based on 5 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic B · Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
CategoryWinter Touring tiresAll-Season tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic

Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

Winner: General Altimax Arctic — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

General Altimax Arctic scores 62 vs 33 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

General Altimax Arctic scores 57 vs 30 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

General Altimax Arctic scores 54 vs 29 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic scores 56 vs 35 on treadwear.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
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Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

General Altimax Arctic, 62 vs 33 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

General Altimax Arctic, 57 vs 30 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

General Altimax Arctic, 59 vs 40 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

General Altimax Arctic, 54 vs 29 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

General Altimax Arctic, 56 vs 35 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