Review: Dunlop Graspic DS-3

Not all snow tires are created equal, and Dunlop's Graspic DS-3 snow tires are something of a rare if not a unique beast. Somewhat like an inside-out version of Nokian's WR G2, the Graspic DS-3 excels in one specific area - high performance on cold dry pavement - while providing merely adequate performance in nearly all other conditions.

Pros

• Excellent performance on dry pavement.
• Excellent treadwear.
• Very low road noise.

Cons

• Substandard snow/ice performance.
• Mixed wet road performance.

One of the major tradeoffs that all snow tires must make is in the area of rubber compounding. Winter tires are made of compounds that retain some measure of flexibility and stickiness in extremely cold temperatures, but many of these compounds can feel squishy and loose on dry pavement. Most studless snow tires I know of are biased heavily towards snow and ice performance. (One might think, ‘Well, duh!’) Graspics, on the other hand, are clearly biased towards dry-road performance in cold temperatures. This is certainly an existing niche, but in my opinion, a rather small one.

The Graspic DS-3 features a silica-based rubber compound with strands of fiberglass woven through the treads to increase winter grip. Interestingly, Dunlop notes that only the first 55% of the tread depth is made of the silica-based compound, with the remaining depth composed of a more standard all-season compound. This is quite an odd choice to my way of thinking, but might allow drivers to run the DS-3’s as summer tires once the treads have worn down to the point where snow and ice grip would be compromised anyway.

Tread blocks are designed with interlocking zigzag siping patterns to stiffen the tread laterally which improves steering feel. Dunlop’s Digital Rolling Simulation computer-aided design technology was used to improve the footprint, pressure distribution and rolling qualities of the tire.

On snow and ice, the Graspics are markedly inferior in terms of acceleration, lateral grip and braking to any of the top tier of snow tires such as the Michelin X-Ice or Nokian Hakkapelliitta. To give but one example, they required an average of three feet more distance to come to a full stop from 10mph. In my opinion, slower acceleration on snow or ice is not often a major problem, but that three feet of braking distance can sometimes be very, very important.

On wet roads, the Graspic gets mixed reviews. Many customers like the sticky feel, but testing data shows them to be again inferior when compared to other tires, particularly in terms of wet braking grip, requiring significantly more distance to come to a full stop. At the risk of repeating myself, I do generally consider braking performance to be much more important than acceleration in the real world.

Where the Graspics shine brighter than all other winter tires is on cold dry pavement and well-plowed roads. Handling is stiff and agile, with almost no trace of squishiness. Steering feel is light and responsive. The tires track very well and tend to give the driver a good feel for the road surface while minimizing small irregularities, although larger bumps will definitely be felt. Many people do complain of some elevated road noise, but a good many more express amazement over how slowly the treads wear down. Both road noise and tread wear are probably a function of the slightly harder, fiberglass-reinforced rubber compound. All in all, on dry roads the Graspics approach the handling qualities of a decent summer performance tire, something few other snow tires can effectively boast.

I’m not personally an admirer of the Graspic DS-3, though I do admit to its obvious fine qualities within its niche. If the vast majority of your winter driving occurs on cold pavement or plowed roads, and you are looking for a winter tire that feels and handles much like your summer tires, these tires may well be ideal for you. Use these tires the way they are designed to be used, and you will probably be quite happy with them. However, relying on these tires to perform like other winter tires in deep snow or glare ice may well be a recipe for unhappiness.

The Dunlop Graspic DS-3 averages $75 to $150 per tire, depending on size.