wi_badger

Well with 6+ inches of snow forecast for tomorrow I finally put my Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds on the car. I have them mounted on a set of factory 17s I picked up for cheap on ebay.

I only drove about 10 miles on them tonight to get the TPMS sensors calibrated so this is only first impressions. As time goes on I will post follow-ups.

I have an 2006 6-speed so I had to go with the factory take off 17s for winter and went with the stock 235/45 for size. Tires are rated 97V-XL but seem to provide a little softer ride as I didn't notice so many little cracks in the road as I do with the factory Bridgestones. They are slightly noisier than the Bridgestones as I notice a faint hum at speeds over 40 mph. It wasn't intrusive and nothing that I would notice with the radio on but I left it off to get a good idea of noise levels.

I don't notice any difference in rolling resistance from a standing stop or any difference in dry braking but I didn't try any hard acceleration or panic stops. There is a difference in handling but for normal driving behavior I wouldn't ever notice it. During some hard cornering they are softer but I had to push it to notice.

I don't have enough experience to recommend them or not but I will include that in my follow-up. Hope this was helpful.

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

How were they in the snow?

SuperJ

I've got about 2,000 km on mine. I like them so far. Quite good in the snow.

elkski

I would love to hear a snow or ice driving report on these tires from some of you guys..report o nthe temp and ice or snow depth..

wi_badger

Well we had 8-10 inches of snow over the course of the day and temps of less than 15 degrees from a previous days temp of 50+. A thin layer of wet slush from the warm pavement covered with snow was the result.

I was able to make it up my driveway which had a slight incline and was covered with 4 inches of snow. No wheelspin no traction control light blinking. The roads were snowcovered in the morning and I made it to work no problems. Some traction control light flashing when taking corners from a stop at intersections. I think in part due to the heavy snowy-slush that always forms at intersections.

Did not have any wheel spin or traction control light blinking unless I tried to drive like I was on a dry road. With any easy foot on the throttle and common sense I was able to go anywhere I wanted.

I would say that they are not in the same league as a WS-50 blizzak or Nokian RSI but I think they retain more of the performance characteristics of the TL. I have Nokian WRs on my 2003 Saab 9-3 and think the Nokian's are quieter with equivalent grip and the Nokian's are about $50 more per tire.

Overall if you drive a large percent of the time on snowy and/or icy roads or have times where you absolutely must be able to get to your destination use a WS-50 or RSI. I live in Milwaukee and streets are usually cleaned quickly and snowfall over 6 inches is rare so the Dunlop is a great compromise. If money wasn't an object I would go with the Nokian's but we all live in the real world and overall I think the Dunlop is second only to the Nokian based on noise.

Hope that helps and as always its just my $0.02.

ahkim

Rather than create a new post, I just thought I'd add on. I just got the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D mounted and wanted to post my initial thoughts. First, contrary to the OP, I thought these tires were very quiet. FYI, I'm coming from the Pirelli Pzero Nero M+S. I was on noisy concrete at 70mph and the two things I noticed were the quietness and the less bumpy ride. They felt smoother but didnt feel soft in a hard turn. The roads are pretty dry now, but there is a little snow pack left which my ABS would activate on with my old tires, but not with the new. So far, so good. Will post more later.

ahkim

Oh, one more thing, what's the difference between these and the Dunlop M3? Badger, how's the treadlife after a year? I've been getting 25-35K miles on my tires, can I expect to use these for 3 winters?

wi_badger

Always nice to see a thread resurrected rather than new threads started. Last year I ran these from Dec 1 - about March 1. Wear has been minimal and I would say 3 seasons would easily be accomplished. I don't put a lot of miles on mine but after 3 months last winter (about 3,000 - 4,000 mi) they show little wear.

We had the heavy snow/ice/sleet again this week and these tires continue to impress in the snow. With temps in the teens and a freezing rain covered by slush and snow I have no traction issues at all unless I am driving with a heavy right foot. I still have the increased noise over the stock Bridgestones but its a small price to pay for very secure winter driving.

Mileage of course suffers 1-2 mpg but that may also be the cold weather. After driving in the snow I now prefer these over the Nokian WRs for snow traction but I would never dream of using these year round where the Nokians make a great all-season alternative but you will pay for that benefit.

Again, I highly recommend for a snow tire I still think the Nokian RSI and Blizzaks are probably better but would sacrifice so much more of the TLs handling than you will with the Dunlop.

As for the difference between the M3...I am told this is the "new version" of the M3 with a higher silicone content. Take that for what its worth, I got that info from the salesman.

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

I read you can't get a better snow tire then that. Many people love them. If I were to

purchase snow tires, that would be the one. I had Blizzack's before, they did good in the

snow, but the sidewalls were WAY to soft. The car felt like it was in a bowl of Jello.