The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT is a premium extreme-performance summer tire that tends to impress most in the dry, with strong grip, braking and a stable, confidence-building feel when driven hard. Drivers often also rate it as relatively quiet for a UHP tire, with many reporting respectable mileage and even wear on heavier, powerful cars. The main caveat is wet-weather confidence: both owners and independent tests repeatedly flag inconsistent behavior, particularly in standing water and as the tire wears.
In everyday use it generally delivers the sharp, planted character expected of an OE-style max-performance tire, with predictable dry handling and good feedback. A notable number of user reviews describe better-than-expected longevity for the segment, though wear can swing the other way on certain vehicles or driving styles.
Where the SP Sport Maxx GT loses ground is all-round balance, chiefly due to wet performance. Professional tests from the period consistently place it mid-to-lower field and highlight shortcomings such as reduced wet grip, less secure behavior at the limit (including tendencies toward oversteer), and comparatively slower steering response versus leading rivals. This aligns with owner reports of aquaplaning sensitivity and “greasy” wet-road traction as tread depth drops. Comfort is acceptable for the category but can be firm, with some tramlining noted on certain chassis and wider fitments. As a summer tire it is, unsurprisingly, unsuitable for snow and ice.
The quick answer
Owners say70%from 72 owner reviews51% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesStrong dry grip, braking and stability when pushedGenerally low road noise for an extreme-performance summer tireWet-weather performance and aquaplaning resistance can be inconsistent, especially as it wearsSteering response/precision not class-leading versus top competitorsSummarised from the tests and owner reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated March 2026.
How many miles does the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT last?
Based on test and owner data, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT is expected to last around 15,880 miles (25,556 km).
What do owners say about the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT?
Across 72 owner ratings the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT averages 70%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 8.6 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 6.6. 33 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 57% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT most commonly carries EU label ratings of D for fuel efficiency, B for wet grip and 70 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT?
Owners rate the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 6.8 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 65 reviews.
How well do the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 6.6 out of 10 for wear across 65 reviews. 33 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 10,000 miles.
More questions about the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT(5)
Would owners buy the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT again?
51% of owners say they would buy the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT again, based on the 70 owner reviews that answered the question. 27% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT's tread life?
Of the 65 owner reviews analyzed for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 36 mention tread life: 19 praise it (long-lasting) and 17 criticise it (wears quickly). One owner wrote: "the performance they gave over such a long life of 29k". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT's dry grip?
Of the 65 owner reviews analyzed for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 35 mention dry grip: 32 praise it (strong dry grip) and 3 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "i found it impossible to get it loose on dry concrete. I really felt confident on these tires". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT's wet grip?
Of the 65 owner reviews analyzed for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 30 mention wet grip: 16 praise it (confident wet grip) and 14 criticise it (weak wet grip). Read those reviews
What sizes does the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT come in?
The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT is available in 88 sizes, ranging from 225-325/25-50 R17-23.
Across 65 reviews, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT is most often described as a strong-performing UHP summer tire with excellent dry grip, confident handling, and generally low noise for the category. Many higher-scoring reviews also report surprisingly good mileage and even wear, especially on heavier Audi/BMW/Jaguar fitments. However, a meaningful minority report poor confidence in the wet-particularly aquaplaning/standing water and greasy-road traction as the tread wears-along with some complaints of fast wear and a firm, tramlining-prone ride. It is also repeatedly noted as unsuitable for snow/ice, as expected of a summer tire.
What owners mention most counted across 65 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 72 ratings
Owner score70%
Dry Grip86%
Road Feedback76%
Handling72%
Comfort68%
Wet Grip67%
Wear66%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 71%
“On a Subaru WRX, i found it impossible to get it loose on dry concrete. I really felt confident on these tires. In the wet, same story. It is a solid summer tire. It is a bit harsh of a ride, you feel the bumps quite a...”
“I had the Dunlop Sport 01 prior to this and only had these fitted because I left the dealer to fit new tires at a service. This was a poor decision as these are the worst performing tires I have ever had. They have no...”
“great tires with excellent grip , when pushed hard the rear breaks away in a controlled manner. I drive the car hard yet the fronts have done 45k miles and the rears 20k which is not bad for a powerful heavy car.”
2010 Audi A4 3.2 FSI 260 BHP Quattro.
The car came with 4 of the Dunlop's on but two were bad so I replaced all of them with Continental Sport Contact 7's.
The SC's are of course excellent, if not a bit noisy. They wore out and I made the decision to get 2 new Dunlop's and put them on with the older ones that were only about 5% worn.
So this is a direct comparison of the two tires back to back.
Objectively over a variety of driving styles - motorway, town and fast country wet and dry and some snow (I have winter tires) the only difference I can detect is that the Dunlop's are quite a bit quieter.
My only concern is that the Audi being what it is could make any mid-range tire and above look great!
On a Subaru WRX, i found it impossible to get it loose on dry concrete. I really felt confident on these tires. In the wet, same story. It is a solid summer tire. It is a bit harsh of a ride, you feel the bumps quite a bit. Durability also seems mediocre, after 10,000 miles or so, over 2 years of summer driving, they appear to only have another season or two in them. But overall, no complaints. It does what a performance tire is meant to do.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
These tires were fitted to my Audi TTS Roadster . I purchased the car 2nd hand in Feb 2023 and these were the tires fitted. I found the ride very harsh and would get a pronounced shimmy . Turn in felt very slow. I checked the manufacture date on the tires and found they were from early 2018. They were very dry and cracked on the shoulders, they felt almost brittle . I just didnt have any confidence in them. During heavy braking ABS seemed to cut in earlier than i would have thought they should.
I have replaced all 4 tires now with Goodyear eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 and the difference is night and day
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This is an initial impressions review of the Sport Maxx GT on my Golf GTI so unable to comment on wear. Will focus mainly on performance and feel during warm weather driving.
Dry grip is very good. No complaints whatsover. Slightly better than the Falken FK510, another popular UHP summer tire. The tires turn well without much understeer and the car darts into corners. Feedback is perhaps not the best but the tires are predictable and placing the car is easy.
Wet grip is very good as well. Drove on these tires through a tropical storm and they felt planted and never hydroplaned even with puddles all over the roads. Of course, this is dependent on driving sensibly. Drive like a hooligan in the rain and you’ll crash regardless of whatever tires you fit.
Comfort and noise level is decent. The tire isn’t harsh over bumps and noise level is acceptable by UHP standards. If this is your priority, get touring tires instead!
Overall, very good first impressions when fitted on a FWD hot hatch. Price wise, it undercuts all the big brands by quite some margin. Does everything reasonably well, at least in warm climates.
I bought my bmw 640d GC with 34,985 miles on it and thrt had 7mm all round.
As of todays review 10.01.23 the car is on 50,800 miles and thr tires are down to 5mm all round.
Now thats 1mm of wear per 7,500 miles which is excellent. They are runflat and the wear rate is amazing. I will probably get 20,000 miles and more out of these and so far thet are excellent.
Had these as OE fit on a Jaguar XJ, and while they were fine in the dry the car was like Bambi on ice in the wet, huge slides available at will which is fun but not really safe. Threw them in the bin with most of the life left in them.
I can see why the supercharged Jaguars have a reputation for randomly spinning out in the rain with these as OE fit.
I had those tires on my 2008 Audi A5 V6 manual transmission for 12 years. I’m not a daily driver , average around 5K a year. First time I had to replace the tires was when they were too old and started to fall apart. I think they are rated for max 6 years which is normal. Next time I had to replace tires was when I hit big potholes created after snow removals on the streets. I hit some serious potholes and they still held pretty well surprisingly but they’re not indestructible ( I had to replace 3 or 4 not -in the same season). Tires would break when the rim bent from impact. Understandable. One thing that pulls me back to them is grip. I was braking really hard couple of time because people are idiots, and not once did I feel my anti-lock brakes activate. It was a solid hard glued to the road stop! One car behind me had to go into emergency lane while braking to avoid hitting me. On wet surface it had pretty good grip but I wasn’t pushing it in the rain. Snow driving: while it’s not a snow tire it did get me in and out of snowy situation. Front wheel sedans were getting stuck while going up the hill in the snow but I was able to manage to keep moving because my car is quattro. My current 2015 audi S5 has Continental ultra-high performance all seasons tires , and while they’re great overall tires I already felt anti-lock brakes activate when suddenly I had to stop (it wasn’t that hard of a braking I must say). I’m currently looking to get the Dunlops as replacement. Braking>Acceleration.
Done the first 1000km on this set and it's much more comfortable and quiet ride compared to the Continental Contact 5 (RFT) that came with the Mercedes GLA 250 (managed to get ~50K kms out of them). Will be good to see the mileage of these Dunlops RFT.
Had these in 21 inch on my A7. Generally ok with no grip or traction issues. The main issue was the known fault of the side wall splitting. One nearly new tire failed an MOT and had to be replaced. And one that still had a few mm left virtually disintegrated and could have killed me. Tried to raise the issue with Dunlop but the couldn't care less. Disgusted with their complete lack of ownership. Needless to say they were all replaced with other brands. Will never buy Dunlop again.
I have these tires fitted to a BMW 6 series this was the OEM spec that the car was purchased with , i really do not recommend these tires as at present the car is on its tenth tire be it a combo of front and rear regardless of the size the issue is exactly the same the tread separates from the tire, a vehicle with less than 55000 miles. I have no confidence in traveling too far as it seems that every long journey these tires do not withstand consistent driving yes tire pressures are checked on a regular basis , tracking and balance checked and all checks out.
Member
Audi
255/35 R19
13,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Had new tires fitted all round. Fronts are now in need of replacing after 13,000 miles. Great grip but they wear out like cheese. Rears are okay. I drive a Remapped 2.7 A5. I don't drive like an imbecile. Very disappointed with such a well known Brand
