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- Outstanding traction when new
- Inexpensive
- Fast tread wear
- Performance deteriorates with age
- Higher-rated tires available for similar or lower prices
The Dunlop SP Sport 5000 is a performance all-season tire that also comes highly recommended by critics. Owners say it gets very good 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 tread-wear rating of any highly recommended tire in this category.
Owners agree that the SP Sport 5000 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. $160) in this category, with its 60,000-mile tread-wear warranty. A less expensive choice, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS (*Est. $155), carries a 50,000-mile tread-wear warranty.
ConsumerReports.org's 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 TireRack.com 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 TireRack.com 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.
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org tests the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 alongside other performance all-season tires, ranking them according to their performance, comfort and more. The tires don't get individual write-ups, and testers don't elaborate much beyond the ratings chart, but ConsumerReports.org's reputation for objectivity makes it the most valuable review source here.
Review: Ratings: Ultra-High Performance, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
2. Tire Rack
Although owners who post reviews here give the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 excellent scores on everything except deep snow and ice performance, it only rises to the middle of the pack among ultra-high-performance all-season tires. Several reviewers complain that this tire wears quickly and begins to hydroplane dangerously as it gets older.
Review: Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Asymmetrical, Contributors to TireRack.com
3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Manufacturers are required by law to test their tires' traction, heat resistance and tread wear, and to label the tires accordingly. The Dunlop SP Sport 5000's AA rating for traction on wet roads places it in the top 3 percent of tires, but its tread-wear rating is lower than other top-rated performance tires'. The SP Sport 5000 gets an A for heat resistance.
Review: Tire Rating Lookup, Editors of SaferCar.gov
4. 1010Tires.com
Owner ratings for the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 go on for nine pages at this Canadian retail site. Each review rates the tire's handling, comfort, noise, tread wear and performance on dry, wet and snowy roads. Some owners also post a few sentences of explanation. Tread wear and snow handling are low points for this tire.
Review: Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Tire Reviews & Ratings, Contributors to 1010Tires.com
This site collects user reviews of tires, but the ratings here are not as extensive or detailed as those at TireRack.com. The Dunlop SP Sport 5000 is one of six Top Picks chosen by editors. It averages 4.03 points (out of 5), with 56 reviews posted. Most of the reviews here are more than five years old.
Review: Dunlop SP Sport 5000, Contributors to CarReview.com
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