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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D vs Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow — Compared (May 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.

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
86/100
38 owner reviews
Dry
90
Wet
93
Snow
75
Comfort
93
Noise
–
Treadwear
88
Handling
88

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
87/100
Owner ratings
Dry
86
Wet
89
Snow
88
Comfort
83
Noise
82
Treadwear
84
Handling
85

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D — better comfort, dry and wet. Pick the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow if snow matters most to you.
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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

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) SP Winter Sport 4D leads by 4
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
90
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
86
Why this score
SourceSP Winter Sport 4DScorpion Ice & Snow
Tyre Reviews owners 90 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SP Winter Sport 4D leads by 4
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
93
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
89
Why this score
SourceSP Winter Sport 4DScorpion Ice & Snow
Tyre Reviews owners 93 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Scorpion Ice & Snow leads by 13
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
75
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
88
Why this score
SourceSP Winter Sport 4DScorpion Ice & Snow
Tyre Reviews owners 75 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) SP Winter Sport 4D leads by 10
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
93
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
83
Why this score
SourceSP Winter Sport 4DScorpion Ice & Snow
Tyre Reviews owners 93 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
–
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
82

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SP Winter Sport 4D leads by 4
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
88
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
84
Why this score
SourceSP Winter Sport 4DScorpion Ice & Snow
Tyre Reviews owners 88 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) SP Winter Sport 4D leads by 3
A — Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
88
B — Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
85
Why this score
SourceSP Winter Sport 4DScorpion Ice & Snow
Tyre Reviews owners 88 –

Scores at a glance

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D vs Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryDunlop SP Winter Sport 4DPirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
Relative Score 88 86
Dry 90 86
Wet 93 89
Snow 75 88
Comfort 93 83
Noise – 82
Treadwear 88 84
Handling 88 85

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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Headline score

Tire A

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.

Tire A Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D

The Dunlop SP WinterSport 4D is widely regarded as a high-performance winter tire that excels in cold, wet, and slushy conditions while maintaining impressive comfort and low noise levels. While most users praise its stability and traction in snow and ice, a minority of drivers report a 'squirmy' handling sensation during high-speed cornering, likely due to the softer tread compound.

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.
  • Strong performance in deep snow and on icy inclines.
  • Good tread longevity for a dedicated winter compound.

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.
  • Potential for clearance issues if incorrect aspect ratios are selected for specific vehicle fitments.

Observations

  • Users with wider tire setups noted that while traction is excellent, they may be slightly less effective in deep snow compared to narrower configurations.
  • Drivers of heavier vehicles (e.g., Mercedes S-Class, E-Class) reported high satisfaction with comfort and grip, though they noted the 'squirm' sensation more prominently during aggressive maneuvers.
  • Fitment caution: Owners of vehicles like the Mercedes W213 should ensure correct aspect ratios to avoid clearance issues with suspension components.
Tire B Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop

Pirelli

Winner: Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D — better comfort, dry and wet. Pick the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow if snow matters most to you.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow scores 88 vs 75 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 93 vs 83 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 90 vs 86 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D scores 93 vs 89 on wet.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D
Tire B · Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow

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.