While I won't say that the M3 or 3D is the best snow tire ever they are a fantastic all season tire that will get you through the worst that winter can throw at your car.
Living in Denver and spending a considerable amount of time in the CO mountains I have had Dunlop WS M3's and 3D's and I would rank both as the best winter tires I've ever driven on compared to Pirelli's, Blizzak's, and Michelin Artic Alpin's. Their ability to do it all, from deep snow, ice, wet slushy mess, to dry roads is unparalled.
I put some Yokohama A008's and new shocks on it and I was off. Like the 914 it had nearly 50-50 weight distribution, and relatively stable RWD handling.
There's a really interesting all-season Yokohama tire available (called the Advan S4) in 235/50R17 that is "AA" rated for traction, has a 400 treadwear ratiing, and is one of the least expensive tires in its category and size at $186. Its also rated #1 in the ultra high performance all season category. I'd go with this in a second.
I used to run Dunlop SP Sport Maxx on my S4 and they were awesome. Great balance of wet & dry handling, fairly quiet, and very sticky. Loved em.
Essentially, these tires are fantastic, as stated in my original post. They are quiet. I base this on driving the car 1200 miles in one go from Seattle to LA; I felt that I suffered very little ear fatigue and did not have to try and \"crank\" the radio to be able to hear my music. In daily driving, the tires are solid performers. It is easy to double or more the \"yellow sign\" speed on freeway corners. I have put approximately 2 track days on these tires. They are much more impressive in terms of low speed cornering, as I have been unable to cause significant understeer exiting tight corners at full throttle. There high speed grip (on track) did leave a little to be desired, however this feels more like a reflection of the suspension geometry of the vehicle than the fault of the tire (not enough camber gain). If you would like some sort of concrete comparison of how these tires perform, I can only tell you they performance wise out performed any previous tire I've driven on. I also passed an NSX in the corners of Streets of Willow Springs; grip is not an issue. Lastly, rain performance. LA is a brutal test of wet grip, because if the ground is wet in LA you are actually testing OIL grip. I have only experienced traction issues when accelerating in the rain; if you spin the tires on acceleration, you'll actually have some trouble getting them hooked up again. Hydroplaning seems to be managed very well; braking in wet weather is similarly impressive. *edit* Actually last is wear. The tires wear well. I ruined the fronts pretty bad in two track days because of the Jetta's atrocious suspension setup and weight balance, but normal street driving does not phases these. After 8000 miles including two track days the rear tires show maybe 15% treadwear, I've found this tire to be effective as a street tire in Seattle, LA, and a decent tire on the race track. At $70 a tire for 205/50/R15, you CANNOT go wrong.
I have Dunlop Winter Sport tires riding on 17" wheels during the winter and the ride is smoother and they are not louder than my 18" wheels with summer tires.
Dunlop 5000's Are these tires super loud for you guys too? I'm starting to get annoyed by mine. They seem to stick real well through corners though.
I just put my winter tires on. Dunlop wintersport M3. I have used these for 2 winters already, they have a decent amount of tread left. Maybe 20,000 miles total use on the tires already. 90% highway. I notice that the car now rides much more harsh than it does on the summer tires. It also makes a lot of noise. Almost like a wheel bearing or something. Way more noise than I remember from last winter!
I would suggest staying away from the Yokohama Advan ST. I have the 285-14-19s on my egg and while a great handling and traction tire, after 7K miles they are cupping and I get a low speed noise and vibration to the point that at 8K I am replacing them
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