Tests 67 · 10 tests Owners 80 · 68 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry braking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 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 10 + 0 road tests and 68 + 38 owner reviews. How we score
SP Winter Sport 4D leads, 78–74 Narrow edge
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Tests – · none yet Owners 82 · 38 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
76
Dry
SP Winter Sport 4D +278Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests 73 ≈ 74 (est.) Reviews found online 82 84 Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 81.7 = 76
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).
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83
Wet
SP Winter Sport 4D +184Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / – tests 80 ≈ 81 (est.) Reviews found online 87 89 Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 80.4 + 40% × 86.5 = 83
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).
-
65
Snow
SP Winter Sport 4D +671Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / – tests 56 ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 79 71 Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 56.5 + 40% × 78.8 = 65
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).
-
74
Comfort
SP Winter Sport 4D +579Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 72 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 75 85 Winter Sottozero 3: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 74.5 = 74
SP Winter Sport 4D: 40% × 71.8 (est.) + 60% × 84.5 = 79
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).
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71
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests 64 – Reviews found online 82 – Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 64.4 + 40% × 81.6 = 71
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64
Treadwear
SP Winter Sport 4D +1276Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests 57 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 75 82 Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 57.1 + 40% × 74.6 = 64
SP Winter Sport 4D: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 81.9 = 76
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).
-
82
Handling (owners)
SP Winter Sport 4D +385Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Reviews found online 82 85 -
76
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Winter Sottozero 3 SP Winter Sport 4D Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests 76 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 | Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 74 | 78 |
| Dry | 76 | 78 |
| Wet | 83 | 84 |
| Snow | 65 | 71 |
| Comfort | 74 | 79 |
| Noise | 71 | – |
| Treadwear | 64 | 76 |
| Handling (owners) | 82 | 85 |
| Efficiency | 76 | – |
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
74
/ 100
Winter Sottozero 3
78
/ 100
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.
In the overall rankings of 5 tests that ran both, Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 finished ahead 3 times and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D 2 times.
| Discipline | Category | Winter Sottozero 3 | SP Winter Sport 4D | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/48 | #3/48 | – | 3–2 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2014 50 Winter Tyre Braking Overview · 225/50 R17 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Winter Sottozero 3
Pros
- Exceptional wet weather performance and resistance to hydroplaning.
- Strong dry-road handling and steering precision for a winter tire.
- Excellent traction and stability in snow and slush.
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, particularly if driven in temperatures above 15°C or year-round.
- Susceptibility to sidewall damage and bubbling when encountering road hazards.
- Increased noise levels as the tire ages and tread depth decreases.
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.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 | B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 98 | 20 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 21″ | 16″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 16 | 16 |
Which one should you actually buy?
74
/ 100
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
78
/ 100
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Narrow edge: Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D — better treadwear, snow and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 76 vs 64 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 71 vs 65 on snow.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 79 vs 74 on comfort.
Tire A · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Tire B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
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Winter Sottozero 3 or SP Winter Sport 4D?
Which is better in the wet, Winter Sottozero 3 or SP Winter Sport 4D?
Neither, by our numbers: 83 vs 84 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Sottozero 3 or SP Winter Sport 4D?
Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 78 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, Winter Sottozero 3 or SP Winter Sport 4D?
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 71 vs 65 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Winter Sottozero 3 or SP Winter Sport 4D?
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 79 vs 74 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Winter Sottozero 3 or SP Winter Sport 4D?
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, 76 vs 64 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