Dunlop SP Sport FM800 Reviews - Page 3

I'm comparing my new tires to my previous tire Goodyear EfficientGrip. I was considering getting a new set of EfficientGrips because they have lasted 10 years and they have been outstanding in all seasons, but Bob Jane were able to offer a buy-3-get-1-free offer on these Dunlops FM800s instead. (The EfficientGrip had since been replaced by EfficientGrip Performance and an EfficientGrip Performance 2 is availabe in some markets, but Goodyear didn't reply to my question as to when it would be sold in Australia (win for Dunlop). I drive a 2000 Mitsubishi Magna. As the front wheels have to steer and drive the front wheels, cheap tires tend to spin on greasy roads at traffic lights. I'm not a hoon, but I do tend to accelerate quite quickly so I need good traction. Compared to the Goodyears, I would say these are more comfortable and absorb a little more of the roughness of Australian roads. Grip in the wet is excellent thank to the wide and deep channels. Noise is only slightly louder than the EfficientGrip, but still very good. Somehow the steering seems 'lighter' when driving the car now which is great when parking but I think it makes the car feel slightly less 'accurate' than the EfficientGrip. I can't rate these tires for emergency braking or durability as I've only put a few hundred kms on them. Overall I'd definitely get these tires again if they can last 10 years and there was an offer but I'd also recommend the Goodyear EfficientGrip. I'm sure they's suit most cars, but I'd highly recommend for a Magna / 380, Camry, Falcon or Commodore. Pro: Great value when on sale. Comfortable. Excellent wet and dry grip. Reasonably quiet. Easier to steer. Con: Slight vagueness in accuracy Not tested: Durability, emergency braking, fuel economy

Cheaper than the Michelin Energy XM2+ I previously had on my 1996 camry, these also had far better grip than the Energy XM2+. Granted, the XM2+ is more for a daily commute/everyday sort of driving, and I do spirited driving even on my way to and from work. Who knew driving a slow car fast could be so damn fun... Anyway, on one particular corner where I knew I could take it at 60 km/h with the tires squealing, with the FM800s there wasn't any squealing and I didn't feel like I lost any grip at all. I could've gone 70 km/h faster but I didn't feel confident doing that, at least not outside of the track. Even in the wet, I could still drive like the road was dry and somehow it still retained grip, for someone who had been using XM2s and other similar "daily commute" tires for a very long time, it was nuts going to this and seeing how far I could push them. I can't say how the wear is, because I do very spirited driving whenever I can and I've had these tires for only about 8000 km/5000 mi, it might actually be a bit less than that. But so far there's still quite a bit of tread left, and as for noise personally I'm not bothered at all by noise as I prefer performance above anything else. But they do make more noise than the XM2+ especially if cornering hard so if you want a quiet tire these may not be for you.