Dunlop Winter Tires

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

These tires replaced the OE Dunlop run-flats that were on the '08 TT Roadster when we bought it. What a difference, the ride is much less harsh, traction is much better, and spirited driving is fun again. The control at highway speeds in heavy rain is exceptional due to the directional tread pattern. Due to the fact that I change to my other wheel/snow tires for the winter I can not comment on driving on snow and ice. Tread ware is very good after 15,000+ miles. When I bought these tires I had them sent to KO Tire in Elk Grove Village, IL for installation. They did an exceptional job and were very friendly and informative when I asked questions. These were both a winning experience.
Thanks Tire Rack & KO Tire !!

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2013

I'm from the desert, so I don't have much experience with snow/snow tires but I moved to upstate NY and needed some snow tires. I am pretty happy with these tires. Can't compare to other snow tires, but these worked well for me. Good city/highway driving. Much better snow/ice traction than my all-seasons.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2013

I live at a ski resort at 8500 feet with an annual snowfall of 500". These tires on a subaru were awesome. I passed other all wheel drives and SUVs that didn't have snow tires and they were sliding off the road. The traction is unbelievable. These tires were cheaper than blizzaks and I knew I would be driving some highway miles as well. Stopping and turning on snow was no problem. Driving up to Alta and Snowbird was a dream! I am not sure about the wear. I drove 2000 dry highway miles and then six months of 50/50 snow and dry driving and the tires look brand new.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2013

Tread life isn't bad until you start autocrossing on them, then they start to wear, but that is true of any tire :) Also totally ----s driving on these in the snow. They aren't meant for that, but when you get a freak snow storm in May, what ya gonna do? Typically I run these tires May - Oct and a set of winters Nov - April...

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2013

Great tire, great hanlding, would definatley buy these again, I Go thru many tires owning 6 vehicles, will put these on my other winter driving cars. I monitor udates on new tires regularly, i feel these are one of the best tires available for winter driving. Work great for dry weather also. SO far they are showing no signs of wear.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

These are the best snow tires I've owned, over an 8 car career so far. They handle snow and ice just fine, and drive like good all seasons when on dry roads (which is most of the time, even in the middle of a VT winter). My ratings are all for a SNOW tire, not a sticky summer tire. But even considering they are a snow tire, I think they handle almost as well as a good quality all season, and I drive my Mazda pretty hard. I'm replacing the Mazda with a Ford Focus ST, and plan on getting a set of these for the ST. I'm sold.

Initial Review, 5,500 Miles on Tires
March 21, 2013

Best ice / snow tire I have ever owned, bar none. I have owned Goodyear and Michelin snow tires in the past. These run rings around both of them. Lock the AWD, put down your foot and drive through anything, including the Blizzard of 2013 transporting a nurse to and from work at midnight.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
April 01, 2013

I just went through a winter that delivered record snowfalls and the tires performed as I had hoped they would - excellent. I drive in deep snow all the time and despite driving a high performance rear-wheel drive car, I had no problems driving on ice and deep snow on a regular basis. I put them to the test while driving through the Adirondacks in a blizzard after a day of skiing Whiteface...the tires got me through 6-8 inches of snow on the icy roads without a problem...even the step hills and sharp turns...outstanding winter tire fit for my car. I know winter and I love winter driving..great recommendation Tire Rack

Initial Review, 35,021 Miles on Tires
March 21, 2013

These are my first winter tires....and I wore them throughout the whole year, from 2009-2013. I was initially impressed with the snow.

I DON'T KNOW WHY RALLY GUYS HAVEN'T PICKED THIS TIRE UP YET.

Great sand traction, I used them for all season. Treadware was OK, and I did have one small blowout due to a nail, but I guess, for the average treadlife, it was a good buy. In my subaru, with these tires just installed, the little car could STEAM right up hills in deep snow. I think it did better than my jeep in the snow. I rotated the snot out of them to get extra life, and found that this helped.

Road noise is OK. I'm guessing, for a winter tire, the road noise was outstanding. Towards the end, it was a little shaky and there was some traction flaking off. I live on mountain roads and zip through turns, and I felt very comfortable in these tires. Off road, and yes, I did take the beast far off road at least once a month, there were no complaints.


A great melding of tire and awd vehicle.


To sum up:
If you:
Go off road, rally, or are in lots of snow, often, get these.
Great tire to have all winter long if you rotate out.

On long trips, ride comfort is medium, noise level is there but quite bearable.

If you are looking for tread life, and don't have much snow, don't get these.

Ultimately the second time around I'm trying out Defenders as I found myself wanting comfort and tread life to be priority 1. I'll post more if I find drastic differences.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

Just yesterday we had a blizzard and this was my first opportunity to try out these winter tires. The roads were all covered with snow so it was Perfect to see if the tires are going to perform well in these conditions. First I started with starting and abrupt stopping. I was great! Tires kept grip well and stopped only after a minimal slip (the car had no ABS system). Next test was a hill. Next to exxon gas station across from pathmark. It was pretty steep. I stopped in the middle. Car was not sliding down, I started to step on gas pedal, it was difficult and tires were slipping but we made it! I'm sure I wouldn't make it with all season tires. It was impressive but also a very extreme effort. Next was an empty parking lot were I was slaloming in the snow trying to lose control and make the car fishtail. I failed. Tires did a great job! I couldnt believe it. The difference between all season and winter tires is huge. Last part was a long hill on Goerge Rd, I went uphill no problem, downhill I was hitting brakes to see what happens, every time tires made the car stop with minimal slip. Tires totally passed the test. I was amazed how well they performed and how safe they make you feel. I would totally recommend them. You may need them only a couple of times before they plough but they can make a huge difference when you need them and save you. I was so excited to try them out and I was not disappointed. Great tires for a good price. Buy buy buy!

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

Got this tyre 2 winters ago for my outback. At the time it was just about the cheapest snow tyre around. My original outback died last autumn and I got another outback, and i kept the graspics on their rims. I am a confirmed michelin fanboy and was jealous of my GF who had michelin xices on her van. But my graspics have performed flawlessly. I kept them on last Summer and simply pumped them up to 36psi. My commute is 55m each way and I drive 78-90mph traffic and Smokey permitting. Tyres still have 1/3 left up front and 1/4 at the back at 50k miles (was the other way around on my original car). My GF's xices are worn after 20k miles. The tyres have pulled through ice and snow flawlessly. The graspics are also much better in the dry than the OEM tyres which are plainly awful. 4wd is no use if you don't have the right tyre-I spun out in a snowstorm on the OEM all season tyres. If you live in a winter climate region I wholeheartedly recommend the graspics.

Initial Review, 42,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

Our Touareg came with 255/60-17 tires from Dunlop. They were throw-aways well before 20K miles. The corners wore off quickly and they became very noisy. This is with the tires inflated to their maximum suggested cold pressure. The replacements were the same size, but from Goodyear. They, too wore the corners off in about 20K to 25K miles and became noisy. Again tire pressure was maintained at the top end of the cold pressure range. The third set was yet another manufacturer and the same size. Same story.

So, for tire set #4, I went to the alternate size 235/65-17 and bought the Generals. It was my guess that the wear problem was suspension related relative to the tire width. These narrower profile tires were better in snow, wet and hard pack/ice. They handled just fine on a 5000 pound truck, but not quite as responsive as the wider, lower profile tire. They've been more than acceptable for towing (5000# fully loaded car trailer) and fine for City/Highway driving. Further, they've been far more comfortable and quiet throughout the 40+K miles so far.

We've gotten more than twice the milage out of these Generals than we got out of any of the previous tires. The product is excellent, but the change in tire profile is what has saved these tires. They aren't as wide and haven't sheered off the corners at all. Treadwear across the entire face is very uniform.

So, if you own a Touareg and are fed up with tire wear, noise and harsh ride, consider going to the taller, narrower profile. There's not much downside and the improvement is very good. Further, the speedometer is spot-on accurate with these tires compared to the original lower profiles. I gave the Altimax Generals mostly 9s with a couple of 8s and 10s. These have by far been the best tires yet in about 120K miles of driving. They probably will see us through the Summer and Fall, but will be replaced before next Winter.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
March 06, 2013

The only reason I would possibly buy these again is because I believe the performance is worth the extra money on the Blizzaks. These tires, though, are impressive in their own right as they have worn EXTREMELY well. I have had these exact tires mounted on a '95 //M3 as well as this '98 323 for most of the use. Believe it or not, the difference in suspension setups still provided for similar commentary:
These tires are quite noisy (expected with winter tires) but corner extremely well. They ride quite harshly as compared to a more pricey Blizzak or Vatiiva, but for the extended wear I'll take it! All in all, I still have about 6/32 of tread after literally 6 seasons of use. This is with SPIRITED driving style. The tires have shown some rot along the sidewalls, so it is now time to replace. Overall I am happy with these considering the money spent. If you have some more cash to lay down, I would recommend some Blizzaks. Beware more frequent replacement however.

Initial Review, 8,500 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

I bought these Continental tires so I wouldn't have to put on my dedicated snow tires every year. They have been awesome with this winters above average snow fall. They go, stop, and corner as well as my snow tires. Granted as the tread wears, they won't be as good in the snow, but that's why I still have my snow tires sitting in the garage waiting for action. These tires look great on my Audi and although they don't match the OEM summer Dunlops ability to make the car feel like it's riding on rails when cornering, the Continentals are far superior for Iowa's climate.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
March 06, 2013

These tires replaced some terrible Michelin all-seasons which made the hatchback Mercedes basically a hockey puck in the ice/snow. The LM-60 tires are absolutely the best rubber I've found, hands down, for winter sport tires. This opinion is compared to Dunlop Wintersport M3, D3, Blizzak WS-60, and Nokian Vatiiva. I have used all of these other tires extensively on multiple cars with multiple driving styles, and I would now go with the Blizzak marque in general for ALL winter vehicles from here on out.
Cons- winter tires are always noisier, and the Blizzaks fit the mold. Mileage suffers a bit, and wear is accelerated with the softer rubber. Driving with an average style can prolong life and get you hopefully 4-5 seasons out of them. Start getting some G's on your turns frequently, and you may only get a couple seasons at best. These tires will not wear well on cars with suspension work / increased cambers. Beware.

Initial Review, 18,000 Miles on Tires
March 04, 2013

This is an excellent tire for all driving conditions! I bought theses tires in December 2011 and kept them on for a year because of how well they handled various weather/road conditions. They are slower than a performance tire, but that's a small setback compared to the excellent tread wear and all around use for this tire. Will definitely buy again and highly recommend.

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
February 28, 2013

Great for light snow and slippery roads. Not the best for deep snow but way better than all season. Tire performance in wet conditions is excellent overall. Handling is only slightly less than the OEM Bridgestones. Cornering on dry salty roads could use a little improvement

Initial Review, 45,000 Miles on Tires
January 30, 2013

well, after own this tires about 3 winters, time to say something about them. i drove around 30.000 every year and i drove 6months of it on winter tires... so im thinking i put around 45.000km on them and treads not even half way yet... i living in edmonton-alberta and we do get all kinda winter here... every intersection sheet of ice and this tires can do wht they desing for to do... every heavy snowfall i wish to other people luck, because i dont need luck from them about stucking somewhere.. this tires make my car feels like im driving a tank on sandy beach with about a foot high snow... best part of the seen this tires, when you stop somewhere in the pile of snow, takes you out like you driving on the pavement... feel like roads clean for high speed...
on the highway ride very smooth and comfi, noise level not too high at 120km/h above you shouldnt go above the that speed anyways, because winter and they are snow tire not a super sport tires... if you dont know how to use your tires than stop -----ing about tread life is not good because you doing something wrong like high speeding...
like i said i have them about 3 winters and i'll go maybe 4 more winters with them... always remember you paying high price dosent mean it will stay perfect forever, but if you do know how to use your winter tires they will serve you 100.000 clik no problem...
enjoy with your tires...

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 03, 2013

It rarely snows in Portland, but some life changes required that we drive over the Cascades to Central Oregon in winter. This is the first set of dedicated winter tires for this car, and I'm very happy with them. I had zero traction issues with my RWD car, even when climbing fairly steep hills with 2-4" of packed snow. No issues descending, either. Sure, I could slide the tail under power if I chose to; but that's not unexpected. At near highway speeds (45-50) in the mountains, I encountered patchy ice with a lot of embedded gravel and chain rutting interspersed with wet pavement at temperatures at or just below freezing. The car tracked beautifully; on occasion I could feel it squirm just a bit but that wasn't even enough motion to light up the ESP warning light...so the car wasn't alarmed by the level of traction. The tires do "sing" more on dry surfaces than my Pilot Sport Al-Seasons, but the level of grip in true winter conditions is far, far superior. I'll only put this set of wheels on when snow threatens or when we need to go over the mountains, so they won't be worn all winter. At this rate I'll get many years of service out of them.