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 Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme — 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
84
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
84/100
44 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictToo close to call: Dunlop Winter Sport 5 and Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme are within 2 points overall. Dunlop Winter Sport 5 is stronger on snow and treadwear. Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme is stronger on wet and dry.
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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)
Wintrac 4 Extreme leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 81 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 83 | 86 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Wintrac 4 Extreme leads by 8
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 79 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 85 | 89 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Winter Sport 5 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 80 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 91 | 80 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Wintrac 4 Extreme leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 90 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 84 | 88 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 78 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Winter Sport 5 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 87 | 83 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Winter Sport 5 leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Winter Sport 5 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 79 | 78 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop Winter Sport 5 | Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 83 | 84 |
| Dry | 82 | 86 |
| Wet | 81 | 89 |
| Snow | 84 | 80 |
| Comfort | 87 | 88 |
| Noise | 78 | – |
| Treadwear | 87 | 83 |
| Handling | 79 | 78 |
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
84
/ 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 Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme is widely regarded by users as a high-performance winter tire that excels in deep snow, ice, and cold, wet conditions. While it offers exceptional traction and safety margins in harsh weather, users note that its performance degrades in warmer temperatures, where the compound becomes soft and handling feels less precise.
Pros
- Exceptional traction and stability in deep snow and on ice
- Strong performance in cold, wet, and greasy road conditions
- Impressive tread longevity and durability
- High value-for-money compared to premium competitors
- Noticeable improvement in handling and confidence over standard summer or all-season tires
Cons
- Reduced handling precision and 'squidgy' feel in temperatures above 13°C
- Initial stiffness or harsh ride quality during the break-in period
- Increased tread wear if used consistently in warm summer weather
- Less effective on clay-based mud when tread depth drops below 4mm
Observations
- Owners of heavy SUVs and 4x4s (e.g., Land Rover Freelander, Volvo XC90) frequently report that these tires transform vehicle capability in extreme winter conditions.
- Users noted that the tires significantly improved the handling of rear-wheel-drive vehicles, which are typically prone to losing traction in cold weather.
- Some users reported a harsh ride initially on larger wheel sizes, which improved significantly after a break-in period of approximately 2,000 miles.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5 | B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Ultra High Performance tires | Winter High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
83
/ 100
Dunlop
84
/ 100
Vredestein
Too close to call: Dunlop Winter Sport 5 and Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme are within 2 points overall. Dunlop Winter Sport 5 is stronger on snow and treadwear. Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme is stronger on wet and dry.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme scores 89 vs 81 on wet.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 scores 84 vs 80 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 scores 87 vs 83 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme scores 86 vs 82 on dry.
Tire A · Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Tire B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
More comparisons
Also compared with
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 also compared with
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme 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.