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Dunlop SP Sport Maxx View Gallery (1)
215-315/30-55 R16-22 25 sizes 2021

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx is a Max Performance Summer tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

6.5
Tire Reviews Score Based on User Reviews
Limited Confidence View Breakdown
Dry Grip
79%
Wet Grip
69%
Road Feedback
69%
Handling
67%
Wear
63%
Comfort
64%
Buy again
52%
166 Reviews
66% Average
2,535,957 miles driven
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Summer Premium
BETA
6.5 / 10
Based on User Reviews · Limited Confidence · Updated 23 Feb 2026

The Tire Reviews Score is the most comprehensive tire scoring system available. It aggregates professional test data from multiple independent publications, user reviews, and consistency analysis using Bayesian statistical methods, weighted normalisation, and recency-adjusted scoring to produce a single, reliable performance rating.

Learn more about our methodology
Score Components
Professional Tests
Weight: 80%
Tests: 0
Publications: 0
User Reviews
Weight: 15%
Reviews: 166
Avg Rating: 66.2%
Min Required: 5
Consistency
Weight: 5%
Score Std Dev: 0.17
History Points: 10
Methodology & Configuration
Scoring Process
  1. Collect Test Data: Gather results from professional tire tests across multiple publications. Minimum 1 test(s) required.
  2. Normalize Positions: Convert test positions to percentile scores using exponential weighting (factor: 1.2).
  3. Apply Recency Weighting: More recent tests are weighted higher with a decay rate of 0.95.
  4. Incorporate User Reviews: Factor in user review data (minimum 5 reviews). Weight: 15%.
  5. Bayesian Smoothing: Apply Bayesian prior (score: 7, weight: 1.5) to prevent extreme scores with limited data.
  6. Calculate Final Score: Combine all components using normalization factor of 1.1. Max score with limited data: 9.5.
Component Weights
Test Data
80%
User Reviews
15%
Consistency
5%
All Configuration Parameters
ParameterValueDescription
safety_weight 0.7 Weight multiplier for safety-related metrics
performance_weight 0.55 Weight multiplier for performance metrics
comfort_weight 0.4 Weight multiplier for comfort metrics
value_weight 0.45 Weight multiplier for value-for-money metrics
user_reviews_weight 0.15 How much user reviews contribute to the final score
test_data_weight 0.8 How much professional test data contributes to the final score
consistency_weight 0.05 How much score consistency contributes to the final score
recency_decay_rate 0.95 Rate at which older test results lose influence (higher = slower decay)
min_test_count 1 Minimum number of professional tests required
min_review_count 5 Minimum number of user reviews required
score_version 1.9 Current version of the scoring algorithm
score_normalization_factor 1.1 Factor used to normalize raw scores to the 0-10 scale
confidence_factor_weight 0.2 How much data confidence affects the final score
position_penalty_weight 0.2 Penalty applied for poor test positions
gap_penalty_threshold 12 Score gap (%) that triggers additional penalties
min_metrics_count 2 Minimum number of test metrics needed per test
limited_data_threshold 2 Number of tests below which data is considered limited
single_test_penalty 0.75 Score multiplier when only one test is available
critical_metric_penalty 0.7 Penalty for poor performance on critical safety metrics
critical_metric_threshold 70 Score below which a critical metric penalty applies
position_exponential_factor 1.2 Exponent used to amplify position-based scoring
position_exponential_threshold 0.9 Position percentile below which exponential scoring applies
gap_multiplier_critical 3 Multiplier for critical gap penalties
max_category_weight 2 Maximum weight any single category can have
max_score_limited_data 9.5 Score cap when data is limited
bayesian_prior_weight 1.5 Weight of the Bayesian prior in smoothing
bayesian_prior_score 7 Prior score used for Bayesian smoothing
evidence_test_multiplier 1.9 Multiplier for test evidence in confidence calculation
evidence_metric_divisor 3 Divisor for metric count in evidence calculation
evidence_review_divisor 10 Divisor for review count in evidence calculation
combined_penalty_floor 0.2
All Tests

Sorry, we don't currently have any magazine tire tests for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Questions and Answers for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

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August 29, 2023

I currently have these Dunlop Sports Maxx directional tires on my Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo 1.0 TSI 110BHP. But on the rear passenger Tire im getting a humming sound around 30 to 45MPH . Its not a wheel bearing as i had this replaced thinking it was a bearing. Can you advise how to get rid of this noise ? Its just on 1 tire

If the tire has stepping or another wear pattern that can cause noise, it will be difficult to correct without replacing the tire. You can try swapping the tire to another position on the car, doing a full rotation (cross rear left to front right and rear right to front left) might help wear the tire more evenly.
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Size Price Range  
Available in 6 tire sizes - View all.

Review Summary

Based on 139 user reviews

Drivers report mixed results for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx: many praise strong dry grip, stable high-speed handling, low noise for some fitments, and occasionally excellent mileage, but a significant number complain about rapid or uneven wear, poor wet traction when worn, noise as they age, and sidewall/defect issues. Overall sentiment is balanced-to-negative with notable variability by vehicle and size, so while performance can be confident when new, durability and wet grip consistency are common concerns.

Strengths
  • Dry grip/handling
  • Low noise/comfort (new)
  • Good mileage for some users
  • High-speed stability
  • Wet grip (minority positive)
Areas for Improvement
  • Poor wet grip (especially when worn)
  • Rapid/uneven wear
  • High road noise as they age
  • Sidewall/bulging/defect issues
  • Tramlining

Top 3 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Reviews

Given 53% while driving a Land Rover Range Rover Velar (225/50 R20) on mostly motorways for 16,155 easy going miles
We are very light drivers in our 60's
We drive on very good roads
The tires wore out after 26000 kms
Disgusted
March 25, 2025
Given 46% while driving a BMW 650i Gran Coupe (275/30 R20) on mostly motorways for 5,000 easy going miles
Unreliable poor quality tires.
Tried both Max on 650i F06 BMW
245/35R20 Dunlop Maxx 050+
275/30R20 Dunlop Maxx 060+
Combined over 2 years have replaced 5 tires as Dunlop tires keeps having side wall bubble bulging issues, very poor quality tires and dangerous. Definitely big NO more Dunlop for me. just sharing my experience.
July 8, 2024
Given 63% while driving a Hyundai i30 CRDi (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 9,000 average miles
The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT2 is a good tire with decent grip on acceleration and braking with minimal slip, during harsh cornering the tire have a slight delay in response when fast steering input is added. This is mainly due to the limit of the tire's grip and the slight softer side wall compare to higher-end UUHP tires. After a few track days and running them on a few AutoSolo events, the tire has worn moderately mainly on the shoulders of the groove and partially on side wall but if I were to eliminate this tire completely off competition use, it would be the tire I would definitely buy again. Overall everyday driving it is a comfortable tire with barely any noise at low speeds and on motorway thanks to its softer side wall compare to a track tire and good rolling resistance. For the price of the tire, its definitely worth the performance and especially safety.
May 9, 2024

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Latest Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Reviews

Given 99% while driving a Honda HRV (215/55 R17) on mostly town for 52,500 average miles
Got 52k KMS out of these with quite a bit of tire tread still remaining 7 years later. Unfortunately those 40k Kms out of the 52K kms were over 6 years with plenty of gaps between usage which meant that the car was not being used a lot and may have been one of the reason for small cracks to develop on the side walls.
Had absolutely no issue with the tire for what it's worth, it was comfortable and the road noise measured through a sound app with this tire versus brand new Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires were exactly the same- That's how awesome these tires are. Unfortunately these tires are not easily available in Adelaide and came factory fitted with the vehicle. Had to switch to Bridgestone as a result.
June 2, 2024
Volvo s60 D5 (163) (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 15,000 average miles
I've never reviewed tires before but decided to due to the potential safety issues related to these tires.
I had 4 fitted to my Volvo and first impressions were excellent, grip was superb and the ride quality was decent. The problem has been that as they have gotten closer to the end of their life they have become dangerous. One front tire suffered an instant deflation when the inner 2 inches of rubber wore through to the banding, and with the tire in general good condition. And now the rear tire has done exactly the same but this time manifesting itself as a very bad vibration.
March 28, 2024
Given 60% while driving a Audi 1.8T Quattro (225/45 R18) on mostly country roads for 1,200 spirited miles
Bags of grip wet or dry but a little lacking in feedback. Positive when pushed but during motorway cruising they like to follow imperfections on the surface so you are almost constantly correcting. I plan to replace then fairly soon after a little over a thousand miles. Not a bad tire but they turn a long drive into a chaore.
May 20, 2023
Given 40% while driving a Skoda (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 20,000 easy going miles
Fitted on new car had to replace at 20k, although plenty of tread and careful driving. Tires developed small air leaks all over tires due to cracking.
Will never buy Dunlop again!
May 8, 2023
Given 51% while driving a Jaguar XF S (255/35 R20) on mostly motorways for 20,000 average miles
I had a 4wheel alignment when these tires were fitted. For motorway / straight line driving, without sudden lane changes these tires have been good and quiet. However, with a rear wheel drive car, with high torque I've found these tires to break traction faster in both wet and dry than previous Continental Contact Sport 5. Wet handling has not provided the same confidence as the Continentals too. Comfortable tires on a smooth good surface, but you have to be alert if you want to make quicker manoeuvres on the motorway or on fast A / B roads. I'd say performance has been consistent over the life time of the tire, so not noticing reduced performance with wear. Sadly I'll be happy to swap these soon for another brand soon.
May 1, 2023
Given 39% while driving a Audi Q5 (255/40 R21) on a combination of roads for 6,500 easy going miles
Extremely dissatisfied with the quality of this product. Only had the tires 3years. Having to change as tread has worn away, only driven 6500 miles in the last 2 years as the car was parked whilst working from home during covid. Do not recommend this product for Audi Q5 drivers.
April 11, 2023
Mercedes Benz GL320 CDI (275/55 R19) on a combination of roads for 5 average miles
Just bought them to replace Michelin Latitude Sport. Both are MO. For now they are ok. Will update in a few km. 275/55 R19 111V MFS MO
December 22, 2022
Given 67% while driving a Mazda RX8 (225/45 R18) on mostly motorways for 15,000 spirited miles
These tires were very good brand new. But in time lost way more performance in dry than any of my previous tires. It's still about 5mm left and I'm losing confidence in these to the point that I was way more confident in driving my winter tires in dry in spring when it was about 10-15 degrees Celsius and tires are the same age. Good thing they are losing grip quite progressively so there is no snap, but losing it way to early. Nope, never again.
September 18, 2022
Given 43% while driving a Skoda (215/45 R16) on mostly town for 37 easy going miles
These tires came with my 2015 Skoda Fabia, very unsporty car in SEL trim so cannot say much about the dry performance/feedback these tires provide as it's generally a sloppy A-B car. I will focus my review on the older set, which are original to the car and are now 6 years old - They were originally 3 years old when I bought the car and have been exceedingly noisy, and after nearly 5 years have started to crack on the surface of the tire, and longer cracks on the tire wall. More expectedly, the tires now loose grip on roundabouts in the wet as they are 6 years old with 4.5mm of tread remaining. They were fitted to the rear of the car for 28,000 miles and have been on the front for roughly 9,000 miles - so as for mileage wear these have been excellent, but age wear has been poor. The fresher set which are now 4 years old, are yet to crack and have always been much quieter. No idea how many miles these have been on the car for. I would not recommend these tires only due to the excessive noise and cracking on the original set, and reading the reviews cracking seems to be common after only a few years.
December 26, 2021
Given 52% while driving a Jaguar XF S (255/35 R20) on a combination of roads for 6,000 average miles
Jaguar XF Sportbrake 3.0S, currently 68k with full dealer history. Replaced all four tires with properly marked and recommended for Jaguar, Dunlop SP's. They are ABSOLUTE RUBBISH ! DO NOT BUY !! They have done about 6K in 18 months and have severe cracks around every tread channel which were noticed about 4 months ago. The tire dealer who put in the complaint was told the cracks are only superficial and not in any way a hazard or deflect from the performance of the tire and the car should be driven as normal. This is very hard to believe given the apparent depth of the cracking! They certainly don't inspire confidence in using the 270bhp we bought the car for and are being changed for Pirelli's this week.
July 5, 2021
Given 56% while driving a Skoda (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 12,000 easy going miles
These tires (205/45R16) have all cracked on the edge of the first inside tread groove after 12K miles, even though the car is in regular use. Very poor indeed.
June 11, 2021
Given 67% while driving a BMW X5 (225/45 R17 W) on mostly town for 37,000 easy going miles
Easy driving on overall nice roads and it's now time to replace all four tires after 59,500 km. I've read a lot of reviews about rough driving on Run Flats but I bought mine from a friend and could not tell the difference since. I'm still contemplating whether to go Run Flats or normal. But I will not be buying these Dunlops again because of a few times I've slipped on conditions It should not have slipped. I would say grip is the weakest point of these tires based on my experience.
August 27, 2020
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