///M-Spec
Staff Emeritus
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Dunlop Winter Sport M3
What it is: A High Performance Winter Tire
What it costs: USD $60-250, depending on exact tire size
How long have I owned/used it: 6 weeks
Pros: Excellent snow and ice traction, retains a good portion of stock handling for the winter
Cons: Coarse ride, noise
Dunlop's Winter Sport tires are designed for high performance cars that come with larger factory wheels sizes, usually 17", 18" or 19" inches. In order to fit on the factory rims, these tires are wider and of lower aspect ratio by design. In this sense, the tires are a compromise because for snow and ice traction, you typically want a narrower tire than stock. However, because the car retains it's factory footprint (or somewhere close to it), some amount of stock lateral performance is maintained.
A promo shot from Dunlop showing the tread pattern
So what you have here is neither fish, nor fowl. It is not going to grip ice and snow as well as a fully dedicated, studless ice and snow tire (such as a Bridgestone WS-50 or even Dunlop's own Graspic DS-2) but with it's tall treadblocks and deep siping, it will not handle anywhere near as well as a Max Performance Summer Tire, like my Z4's ContiSportContact.
However, it is something of a winter jack of all trades. The winter compound remains soft and pliable even in sub-freezing temperatures, making for good dry winter handling. The deep snow/ice channels and generous siping allow the tire to vastly out-perform an all-season tire when the white stuff comes down. Summer tires aren't even on the map here.
I picked up a set of these in size 225/45-18 for my 2006 Z4 M Roadster. I would have much preferred some cheaper 17x7.5s but because of the large front brake calipers on the M version of the Z4, I was forced to go with 18s if I wanted the wheels to clear the caliper.
They were mounted onto a set of ALT 18x8 M6 replica wheels. I put about 1000 miles of mixed driving, city commuting, long distance highway, rain, snow, you name it.
Size 225/45VR-18 Winter Sports mounted on 18x8 ALT Miro 346 (M6 replica) wheels
The tires are very capable on snow and ice, allowing me to drive with confidence on New Jersey and New York's snow and slush covered roads. Stability is superb and braking performance was exemplary. I avoided any DEEP snow that may cause the very low Z4 to turtle and get stuck --all the snow traction in the world isn't going to help if your tires aren't touching the ground-- so I admit there wasn't any opportunity for the tires to be truly challenged.
I also managed to drive up my parent's very steep snow and ice covered driveway numerous times this winter without any issues. Between the Winter Sports and the BMW's M Differential Lock, getting traction was easy.
My only gripe with the Winter Sport M3 was the somewhat coarse ride and tire roar at highways speeds. Compared with the fairly aggressive OE SportContacts (a Max Performance Summer Tire), the car was louder and the ride over even smooth surfaces caused more NVH than stock.
Using an apple-to-oranges comparison, my 2004 330i w/Performance Package rode significantly better than stock on a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50s.
On a cold, but clear and dry winter day, I occasionally want to stretch the Z4's legs a little. When it comes to dry grip, the Winter Sport has fairly low limits. While the car could still zig and zag, you can literally FEEL the little M squirming around on those soft tread blocks. The tires seemed willing, but unenthusiastic about spirited driving.
Dry braking was still very good however; getting into the ABS was harder than I expected. Meanwhile the S54's 268 lb-ft of torque on tap as low as 4,200 RPM had the rear tires absolutely shrieking for mercy even without going WOT.
Upon weighing it's excellent snow and ice performance, I can't say I'm very upset over dry grip. Overall, I was pleased with the tire and would buy another set.
Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Conclusion: A good compromise tire for sports sedan/coupe owners who need to retain large diameter wheels even in the winter
M
What it is: A High Performance Winter Tire
What it costs: USD $60-250, depending on exact tire size
How long have I owned/used it: 6 weeks
Pros: Excellent snow and ice traction, retains a good portion of stock handling for the winter
Cons: Coarse ride, noise
Dunlop's Winter Sport tires are designed for high performance cars that come with larger factory wheels sizes, usually 17", 18" or 19" inches. In order to fit on the factory rims, these tires are wider and of lower aspect ratio by design. In this sense, the tires are a compromise because for snow and ice traction, you typically want a narrower tire than stock. However, because the car retains it's factory footprint (or somewhere close to it), some amount of stock lateral performance is maintained.
A promo shot from Dunlop showing the tread pattern
So what you have here is neither fish, nor fowl. It is not going to grip ice and snow as well as a fully dedicated, studless ice and snow tire (such as a Bridgestone WS-50 or even Dunlop's own Graspic DS-2) but with it's tall treadblocks and deep siping, it will not handle anywhere near as well as a Max Performance Summer Tire, like my Z4's ContiSportContact.
However, it is something of a winter jack of all trades. The winter compound remains soft and pliable even in sub-freezing temperatures, making for good dry winter handling. The deep snow/ice channels and generous siping allow the tire to vastly out-perform an all-season tire when the white stuff comes down. Summer tires aren't even on the map here.
I picked up a set of these in size 225/45-18 for my 2006 Z4 M Roadster. I would have much preferred some cheaper 17x7.5s but because of the large front brake calipers on the M version of the Z4, I was forced to go with 18s if I wanted the wheels to clear the caliper.
They were mounted onto a set of ALT 18x8 M6 replica wheels. I put about 1000 miles of mixed driving, city commuting, long distance highway, rain, snow, you name it.
Size 225/45VR-18 Winter Sports mounted on 18x8 ALT Miro 346 (M6 replica) wheels
The tires are very capable on snow and ice, allowing me to drive with confidence on New Jersey and New York's snow and slush covered roads. Stability is superb and braking performance was exemplary. I avoided any DEEP snow that may cause the very low Z4 to turtle and get stuck --all the snow traction in the world isn't going to help if your tires aren't touching the ground-- so I admit there wasn't any opportunity for the tires to be truly challenged.
I also managed to drive up my parent's very steep snow and ice covered driveway numerous times this winter without any issues. Between the Winter Sports and the BMW's M Differential Lock, getting traction was easy.
My only gripe with the Winter Sport M3 was the somewhat coarse ride and tire roar at highways speeds. Compared with the fairly aggressive OE SportContacts (a Max Performance Summer Tire), the car was louder and the ride over even smooth surfaces caused more NVH than stock.
Using an apple-to-oranges comparison, my 2004 330i w/Performance Package rode significantly better than stock on a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50s.
On a cold, but clear and dry winter day, I occasionally want to stretch the Z4's legs a little. When it comes to dry grip, the Winter Sport has fairly low limits. While the car could still zig and zag, you can literally FEEL the little M squirming around on those soft tread blocks. The tires seemed willing, but unenthusiastic about spirited driving.
Dry braking was still very good however; getting into the ABS was harder than I expected. Meanwhile the S54's 268 lb-ft of torque on tap as low as 4,200 RPM had the rear tires absolutely shrieking for mercy even without going WOT.
Upon weighing it's excellent snow and ice performance, I can't say I'm very upset over dry grip. Overall, I was pleased with the tire and would buy another set.
Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Conclusion: A good compromise tire for sports sedan/coupe owners who need to retain large diameter wheels even in the winter
M
