Comparison: Dunlop Winter Sport 5 vs. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+ vs. GoodYear Efficientgrip Performance 2 vs. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

Snow is where both tyres genuinely shine, and where the gap between them is smaller than you might expect. Averaged across three snow braking tests, the Dunlop stops in 25.3 m and the Goodyear in 24.9 m — barely distinguishable in the real world. The Goodyear's snow score of 90.6 edges the Dunlop's 88.3, and its snow acceleration and snow circle cornering data are particularly impressive. The Dunlop, however, punched above its weight in the 2023 ADAC SUV test, finishing first overall, and real owners with experience across Scotland and central Europe consistently report that it instils genuine confidence on packed snow and slush. Both tyres are strong winter performers; the Goodyear simply has more margin at the limits of winter traction.

On dry tarmac, neither tyre is a standout performer, but the character difference is telling. The Dunlop generates reasonably confident dry handling at sensible speeds, though testers have repeatedly noted slightly vague precision at the limit and a dry braking score that trails the field. The Goodyear edges ahead with a dry braking score of 83.6 versus the Dunlop's 69.7 — a meaningful gap that suggests the UltraGrip Performance+ offers a more composed and trustworthy dry-road character when things get serious. One real owner on a BMW M240i specifically praised the Goodyear as "the first winter tyre I had that actually is sporty" — high praise that aligns with the measured data.

Wet performance is where the Goodyear's advantage becomes most concrete. Averaged across three measured wet braking tests, the UltraGrip Performance+ stops in 33.5 m against the Winter Sport 5's 34.5 m — a consistent one-metre advantage that matters in real emergency situations. The Goodyear's aquaplaning score of 85 also comfortably exceeds the Dunlop's 79, providing noticeably more margin on flooded surfaces. The Dunlop is no disaster in the wet — one Auto Bild test even found it competitive with summer tyres in wet braking — but it does carry minor weaknesses in lateral aquaplaning that have been flagged across multiple test seasons. In the 2019 braking test, the gap was particularly pronounced at 32.9 m versus 30.6 m in favour of the Goodyear.

This is perhaps the most surprising reversal. Despite being the older design, the Dunlop Winter Sport 5 scores notably lower on comfort at 76.2 and noise at 77.8 — testers flagged road noise as a recurring weakness. The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+, despite being labelled as having only "average comfort" by one test, scores 83.9 for comfort and 87.7 for noise in our aggregated data. Real-world Goodyear owners on BMW 335i and 330ci cars noted the tyre as surprisingly refined. The Dunlop does recover ground on rolling resistance — its score of 82.5 versus the Goodyear's 79.9 translates to slightly lower fuel costs over time, and its predicted mileage is better than some rivals, though the Goodyear's 78.3 mileage score is no slouch either. On Heureka, the Dunlop draws praise from 213 customers with 9.6/10, with quietness cited 26 times — suggesting real-world noise may be more acceptable than test data implies.