83
/ 100
Objective (60%)
89/100
24 professional tests
User signal (40%)
84/100
43 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 vs Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
88
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
87/100
59 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Read full
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 8 leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 81 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 83 | 88 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 8 leads by 11
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 79 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 85 | 92 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 8 leads by 3
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 80 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 91 | 87 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 90 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 84 | 87 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 78 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Winter Sport 5 leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 87 | 86 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 8 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 79 | 83 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop Winter Sport 5 | Goodyear UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 83 | 88 |
| Dry | 82 | 88 |
| Wet | 81 | 92 |
| Snow | 84 | 87 |
| Comfort | 87 | 87 |
| Noise | 78 | – |
| Treadwear | 87 | 86 |
| Handling | 79 | 83 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
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Recomputed
Headline score
83
/ 100
Tire A
88
/ 100
Tire B
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Dunlop Winter Sport 5 is widely regarded as a top-tier winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction and confidence-inspiring performance in deep snow, ice, and slush. While it excels in cold-weather environments, some users note that its soft sidewall construction can lead to a 'mushy' steering feel and reduced stability on dry pavement when temperatures rise above 10°C.
Pros
- Outstanding traction and braking performance on snow and ice
- Excellent longevity and slow tread wear
- High level of ride comfort and low road noise
- Strong resistance to hydroplaning in heavy rain and slush
Cons
- Soft sidewalls can cause unstable handling or 'squirming' in dry, warmer conditions
- Lack of effective rim protection despite marketing claims
- Steering response can feel lazy or imprecise on certain vehicle setups
- Performance noticeably degrades when ambient temperatures exceed 10-12°C
Observations
- Users with high-torque vehicles (e.g., Tesla Model 3, performance-oriented cars) reported that the tire can feel nervous or lack precision during hard acceleration.
- Drivers of heavier vehicles or those using wider tire formats noted that maintaining higher inflation pressures is often necessary to mitigate soft sidewall flex and improve steering feedback.
- The tire is highly regarded for AWD vehicles (e.g., Subaru Forester, Skoda Yeti), where it effectively complements the drivetrain's capability in deep snow.
The Goodyear UltraGrip 8 is widely regarded as a high-performance winter tire that excels in wet, slushy, and snowy conditions, often providing a significant safety upgrade over summer tires. While the vast majority of users praise its comfort, low noise levels, and confidence-inspiring grip, a small minority of users report issues with excessive road noise and inconsistent performance in deep snow.
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
- Positive impact on fuel economy and rolling resistance
- Strong braking performance on cold, icy, and wet surfaces
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
- Some users noted less-than-expected performance in deep, unplowed snow
Observations
- Rear-wheel-drive vehicle owners frequently reported a transformative improvement in winter mobility, allowing them to navigate hills and snow that previously required 4x4 vehicles.
- Users noted that the tire's soft compound provides a 'suspension-like' comfort benefit, though this can lead to a less stiff sidewall feel compared to performance summer tires.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5 | B · Goodyear UltraGrip 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Ultra High Performance tires | Winter Premium Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
83
/ 100
Dunlop
88
/ 100
Goodyear
Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 92 vs 81 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 88 vs 82 on dry.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 83 vs 79 on handling.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 87 vs 84 on snow.
Tire A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
More comparisons
Also compared with
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 also compared with
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.