Dunlop SP Sport 5000

The Dunlop SP Sport 5000 is one of the least expensive performance all-season tires that also comes highly recommended by critics. Owners say it gets tremendous traction -- especially on dry roads -- when it is new, and the SP Sport 5000 gets the highest possible traction rating in government-mandated tests. But the SP Sport 5000 also carries the lowest government treadwear rating of any highly recommended tire in this category. Owners agree that this tire wears out quickly -- and as it ages, several owners report that the SP Sport 5000 begins to hydroplane and otherwise fall short of its early performance. Experts prefer the long-wearing Michelin Primacy MXV4 (*est. $130) in this category. A less expensive choice, the Continental ContiExtremeContact (*est. $90), gets better traction than the SP Sport 5000 on winter roads in some tests, and reviews say it is a bit longer wearing than the Dunlop.

Consumer Reports' test of the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 is thorough as usual, but some of the results oddly do not agree with other reviewers' experiences with this tire. Although the more than 650 owner-written reviews at The Tire Rack are not based on testing, they offer the best glimpse into the SP Sport 5000's real-life performance; a few specific complaints keep cropping up. Owner ratings at another retail site, 1010Tires.com, tend to confirm what owners at The Tire Rack say, but owner ratings for this tire at CarReview.com are less helpful because they are old. The Dunlop SP Sport 5000 gets one of the best traction ratings at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, but owner reviews indicate that this tire's traction changes drastically as it ages.