Dry grip and dry handling are the clearest shared positives for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. Tread life is mixed, with longer-term accounts ranging from early replacement to substantial mileage, although wear complaints outnumber praise overall. Around a quarter of owners criticise noise, while a smaller but sizeable group finds it quiet. Wet-grip opinion is almost evenly divided, so neither strong wet confidence nor poor wet grip is a consistent verdict. Most reviews do not identify life stage, and repeat reviewers move in both directions, giving no clear shared ageing trend. Comfort is also mixed, with criticism somewhat more common than praise.
What owners mention most counted across 142 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 173 ratings
Owner score66%
Dry Grip79%
Road Feedback69%
Wet Grip69%
Handling67%
Comfort63%
Wear62%
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Reviews - Page 11
Score spread across 141 written reviews
miles
Review stage
63%
Member
Volkswagen
225/40 R18
31,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Spirited
Keep in mind I have low profile tires at high PSI, these guys are not too noisy and provide good comfort for this type of car. I could get a few more thousand miles out of these if it wasnt for some sidewall damage. 31000 driving fast with this car should shred my tires but theyre still here and just about legal!! Love these tires, maybe this is more down to the car and its setup as some people have reported problems. Nevertheless I am very impresed.
Good tires for aquaplaning. Gives enough confidence is both wet and dry for me. Got very pricey in the last 2 years. Previous to that, their price wasn't too bad. Still rather have this than the Michilin Pilot 1/2/3. Continentals are good but wear out like cheese. Goodyear F1 AYM is the best alternative. Very noisy tire tho but I have a noisy car anyway.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Picked these tires based on magazine test results here in Australia and, although grip in dry & wet conditions has been without fault, they appear over priced here relative to other tires of equal performance. At least they maintained their grip levels right down to the minimum wear markers. They are only now beginning to lose traction in greasy conditions at the end of their life.
Worst feature when new was tendency to tramline, which became worse with higher mileage. The road noise level has increased with increasing miles and is only diminished on the smoothest of surfaces. Their ability to move standing water has also never been great.
Intend to try Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) or Falken 452 next; they are similar price in Australia. They have received many good reviews on this web site and others. Although they are only a replacement for the Pilot Preceda 2 and not the Pilot Sport 2, as has been suggested, Michelin claims that they out-perform the Pilot Sport 2 in most areas, particularly wet braking.
Was also considering Goodyear F1 Asymmetric but they are too expensive in Australia compared to the Falken and Michelin and appear to be sourced from China.
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Have had the car straight from the showroom 18 months ago, but have only done approx 10, 000 miles and need 4 new tires. Can't believe that these tires have only lasted this long!
My wife mainly drives this car, school runs and to and from work. The tire sizes are 275x40x20 for the front and 315x35x20 for the back, all Dunlop SP Sport max run flat tires. Will now switch to Bridgestone and see how I go with these.
I've just had yet another tire damaged for the front left wheel. Last time it was the Continental SportContact 2, which the pothole cut straight through. This time, I am just really pleased the Dunlop Maxx survived it so I could it drive all the way home. I still need to replace it though as I have a 7 inch cut on the side wall, deep enough to ground my car until the local tire dealer can get the tire in in 2 days time. I am just impressed the Dunlop has managed to get me home this time around.
It's a great tire in the wet. I haven't tried the Maxx TT but from what I gathered, I think the TT version may not be as good in the wet as the standard Maxx.
I really wanted to try the Vredstein Ultrac Sessanta but I forgot to ask about it again today when I called the tire dealer. Maybe next time.
PS. This country is so poor. The councils can't afford to mend the potholes. Not impressed.
When i bought car these tires close to the limit, but got whole summer out of them and was surprised with the grip even that they was nearly bold, was still sticking to the road, i have dunlop sp 9000 now and there is still couple mm left on them but i all ready started felling kicking on the back, not as good as sp sport maxx, they one of the best from dunlop, i could say.
I really had high hopes for these tires as i thought i was buying something quite special. In terms of safety, grip and feedback they were not that bad but I have to say they've worn out in very little time at all. The biggest problem with these for me is the amount of noise. I drive a nice car and yet all my passengers think it's really noisy purely because these things generate so much road noise my car is no longer quiet!
If you're after something that grips well and performs then go for it, they're VERY predictable and controllable, i DO like them for that, but oh my god what a lot of song and dance about it!
Very noisy, poor dry grip and abysmal wet or greasy grip. I have had budget tires grip better than these. They came on my MkVI GT TDi Golf and I only hope I make it safely through to the next set (which won't be Dunlop!). Goodyear, Vredestein or if you're flush, Michelin Pilot Sport. I had the Pilots on my A4 and they were awesome.
I bought my R32 approx 8 months ago with these Dunlop SP Sportmaxx fitted on all 4 corners. To be fair I've never had a problem with them, a great all round tire in the dry and wet.
What you have to remember is that Dunlop and Goodyear are the same company so that if your thinking about something like Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric, might be worth a peak at Dunlops also. I believe the GT or TT are even better.
I did nottice when i changed them (now running Michelin Pilot Sport 3) that the tires were looking perished in places and were looking like they were going to fall apart, but that could be down to my driving style!!!!
Only changed to the Michelins as I wanted to try something new.
I got these part worn and I have done 20k on them and there is still 4mm tread left on them. They are a good tire and have lasted really well, and perform well wet and dry I might try a set of brand new ones when they finally die on me.
