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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV vs Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D — 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 6 + 0 road tests and 15 + 38 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Pilot Alpin 5 SUV 79, SP Winter Sport 4D 78.

Check price on Amazon · Pilot Alpin 5 SUV Check price on Amazon · SP Winter Sport 4D
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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

Winter

± 5

Tests 83 · 6 tests Owners 78 · 15 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2024 AS SUV Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 78

    Dry

    Level
    78
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests76≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8084

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 79.9 = 78

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 74.4 (est.) + 40% × 83.6 = 78

    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).

  2. 82

    Wet

    SP Winter Sport 4D +2
    84
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests82≈ 81 (est.)
    Reviews found online8289

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 81.9 = 82

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 80.7 (est.) + 40% × 89 = 84

    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).

  3. 83

    Snow

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV +12
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests89≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7571

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 88.7 + 40% × 74.6 = 83

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 70.7 = 71

    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).

  4. 74

    Comfort

    SP Winter Sport 4D +5
    79
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7785

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.5 = 74

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 40% × 71.8 (est.) + 60% × 84.5 = 79

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Alpin 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 SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 84

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests97–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 96.5 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 84

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 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. 72

    Treadwear

    SP Winter Sport 4D +4
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7582

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 69.7 (est.) + 40% × 75.2 = 72

    SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 81.9 = 76

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Alpin 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 SP Winter Sport 4D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 79

    Handling (owners)

    SP Winter Sport 4D +6
    85
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Reviews found online7985
  8. 63

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests63–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUVDunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Relative Score 79 78
Dry 78 78
Wet 82 84
Snow 83 71
Comfort 74 79
Noise 84 –
Treadwear 72 76
Handling (owners) 79 85
Efficiency 63 –

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
± 5

Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

± 8

SP Winter Sport 4D

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.

DisciplineCategoryPilot Alpin 5 SUVSP Winter Sport 4DΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/10 2025 Auto Motor und Sport Winter Tire Test R18 #3/48 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 Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and handling on wet and slushy roads
  • High tread life and durability over long distances
  • Excellent dry road comfort and low noise levels

Cons

  • Abrupt loss of grip when reaching the limit on hard-packed snow
  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • Performance can feel less predictable than dedicated Nordic winter tires in extreme ice/snow conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 SUV review

Tire B 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.
All owner themes in the SP Winter Sport 4D review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available7120
Rim diameters17″ – 23″16″ – 21″
Sizes in common55

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D

Too close to call: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D are within 2 points overall. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV is stronger on snow. Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D is stronger on handling, comfort and treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV scores 83 vs 71 on snow.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 85 vs 79 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 79 vs 74 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 76 vs 72 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Check price on Amazon

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Pilot Alpin 5 SUV or SP Winter Sport 4D?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Alpin 5 SUV or SP Winter Sport 4D?

Neither, by our numbers: 82 vs 84 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Alpin 5 SUV or SP Winter Sport 4D?

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

Which is better in snow, Pilot Alpin 5 SUV or SP Winter Sport 4D?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV, 83 vs 71 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Alpin 5 SUV or SP Winter Sport 4D?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 79 vs 74 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Alpin 5 SUV or SP Winter Sport 4D?

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 76 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