Pirelli Dragon Sport

The Pirelli Dragon Sport is a Extreme Performance Summer tire designed to be fitted to Motorcycles.

Dry Grip 79%
Wet Grip 77%
Road Feedback 76%
Handling 74%
Wear 73%
Comfort 71%
Buy again 71%

Tire review data from 15 tire reviews averaging 74% over 68,413 miles driven.

The Dragon Sport is ranked 9th of 14 Summer Extreme Performance tires.

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Questions and Answers for the Pirelli Dragon Sport

2017-12-17 - I have just installed 2 x Pirelli Dragon Sport on the front wheels of my 2010 Audi TT . WHAT PRESSURE SHOULD I HAVE THE TYRES INFLATED AT PLEASE ? Regards Greg

The tire pressure for the Pirelli Dragon Sport is vehicle and load specific. The correct tire pressure for your vehicle can usually be found on a sticker in the door shut of the driver's door, or in the manufacturer's handbook.


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Top 3 Pirelli Dragon Sport Reviews

Given 56% while driving a Subaru Levorg 1.6 gt s (235/45 R18) on a combination of roads for 5,000 average miles
Easy to damage. I do a lot of kms and never had a tire so easy to damage with the exception of Kapsen cheap garbage.
I was sold these with the promise of getting a lot of mileage I wouldn’t know about that because they burst or have severe sidewall damage with fairly minor hits. I’ve damaged a third tire. The grip I would say is very average. I’m surprised others are saying it’s good. Rather than replace the one that popped I’m getting all four relatively new tires stripped off and changed back to Goodyear Eagle F1, which are better in all respects.
Helpful 22 - tire reviewed on August 8, 2023
Given 82% while driving a Volkswagen Golf mk6 GTD (225/45 R17) on mostly town for 100 average miles
Pirelli have released a performance tire in the Asia Pacific market called the Dragon Sport (same name as the Euro motorbike tire). Feedback on chat forums is very positive. They are extremely cheap for a Pirelli tire. As this UK website is read across the world, I thought I should give an initial review on them here.

First impressions are very good. They are quiet and give excellent feedback, much better than the original fitment Bridgestone Turanza ER300s. There is some slight 'slap' from road joins, but not like a hardcore track-ready tire (eg: PS4).

Wide grooves give excellent wet grip and wet braking. USTQ rating of 400 indicates a relatively hard compound, so they aren't for track use and may not be so great in emergency dry braking. But they should last a long time.

It is too soon to give a considered opinion, but at this point they seem to be an excellent choice for anyone upgrading from standard rubber to something better. I will be recommending them to friends who say "I need some tires but don't know what to buy."

For enthusiasts, I would say "Buy the Adrenalin RE003s, Michellin PS4s or PZeros instead". (All Continental tires are overpriced out of contention here in Australia, as our coarse chip roads can eat them in less than a year.)
Helpful 124 - tire reviewed on March 2, 2017
Given 83% while driving a Volkswagen Mk5 Golf 2.0TSI Variant (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 5,000 spirited miles
Chinese made Pirellis, who'd have thought. Fitted at the front end. Only had them 8000km so far, but very impressed. Noisier than I think I'd think my wife would like, but wet/dry traction and handling are more important. And these deliver. I subsequently fitted Momo's to the rear. They'll be be reviewed separately.
Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on February 23, 2022
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Latest Pirelli Dragon Sport Reviews

Given 57% while driving a Ford Falcon xr6 (245/40 R18) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
These tires are good tires for daily driving on reasonably smooth roads, but I have found they struggle when pushed on backroads and make above-average noise on highways and course chip country roads. The tires do not have as high a level of grip as the 'Sport' name would suggest, and shouldn't be compared to PS4/RE003 or equivalent tires. Anyone looking at these should think of them as a mild performance tire, with more grip than the average commuter tire, but less than an 'enthusiast' tire. However, at the limit, the tires let go progressively and hold up well to braking. Some slight understeer and chatter can be felt in the rain, but can be driven around.
Helpful 0 - tire reviewed on March 13, 2024
Given 60% while driving a Honda 2004 Integra (215/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 1,000 spirited miles
These shouldn't be marketed as a sports tire. They're a replacement to the P1 Cinturato - a passenger tire.

They're cheap for Pirellis and seem like a good deal for an entry level performance tire. They're not performance focused though. Front end grip is not strong, heavily understeer biased, steering is a little sloppy due to softish sidewalls. At least they're safe dynamically at their low limits. Wet performance fine.

The reality is these should never have been called Dragon Sport - They're most like am entry level touring tire from any of c the major brands - which checks out when you look at the price.

If you want an entry level performance tire just get RE003 or Michilin Pilot Sport instead. Even tires like the Dunlop FM800, which is similarly priced but marketed more as a Touring tire - has a more sporty handling characteristic than the Dragon Sport.
Helpful 3 - tire reviewed on January 31, 2024
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Given 97% while driving a Holden 1995 commodore executive wagon (245/40 R19) on mostly town for 4 easy going miles
best tire last me 4 years still plenty tread left amazing tire i need bigger size me commodore but dont make them only me front awseome tire
Helpful 24 - tire reviewed on August 21, 2022
Given 83% while driving a Audi A6 S line (245/45 R18 W) on mostly motorways for 0 average miles
I have used these tires on my 523i F10, then I sold the car and on my audi I swapped the original tires to the michelin Ps4. The first 1000km wasn't very good on the ps4, however after that they grip was really good. Even better in the rain. It felt really good in the corners but unlike the pzeros. But the ps4's life span was not good. After 20k km it started peeling and I didn't have the confidence to drive with them. So I swapped to a set of dragon sport. Immediately notice them improvement in comfort. It felt like a comfortable touring tire, less road noise but with steering response and no float like touring tires. Comparing to the ps4, I would say maybe a 10% reduction in sporty feel but more comfortable and these tire last longer than the ps4. I used them around 35k km on my previous car. I would I buy them again, yes unless the pzero's are on discount
Helpful 23 - tire reviewed on February 9, 2021
Given 64% while driving a Volvo S80 T6 (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 15,000 easy going miles
I bought these tires to replace my worn out Michelin Pilot Sport 4. I bought it because of the high treadwear rating of 400. Quite expensive I must say and more so than the outgoing Michelins. Instantly, felt this tires made my ride more comfortable and despite being a performance oriented tire, it performs like a luxury tire with minimal tire noise. Very good in the wet and enjoy taking corners with confidence. Best part of all is that, I hit a large rock in the middle of a dark road at 80km/h and amazingly enough the tire did not rupture. My rim was damaged and the tire shop could not believe it. This tire is one tough tire! Now the downsides, for a long distance commuter like myself, it did not last as long as I had hoped. After 24,000km I had to replace all 4 corners considering that I am gentle on throttle and I rotate and inflate my tires regularly. As a high mileage driver, I would not buy it again.
Helpful 25 - tire reviewed on January 9, 2021
Given 90% while driving a Holden commodore (255/35 R19) on mostly town for 300 spirited miles
Good performance, reasonably cheap.
Helpful 27 - tire reviewed on August 31, 2020
Given 76% while driving a Volkswagen Golf MK7 R 300 BHP (235/35 R19) on a combination of roads for 3,000 spirited miles
These tires came with my Golf R. Honestly hadn’t heard of them before until I did a search. What I can say is that I’m pleasantly surprised! For a budget tire they are quite good. I’d almost say that I’d buy them again however I think it only fair that I try the Michelin PS4 simply because they seem to come highly recommended? Of course the PS4’s are $100/tire more expensive but until I drive with them on my R I’ll never be able to give an honest opinion! Happy motoring👍
Helpful 23 - tire reviewed on August 29, 2020
Given 84% while driving a Audi A3 Sedan (8V) 1.4 TFSI (225/45 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 16,000 spirited miles
My Audi A 3 came with the Cinturatto P7 as OEM tires. I blew 3 of them because of potholes, so I changed it for the Dragon Sport. My take: Dry: Great Grip and traction, they gives you confidence for spirited driving. They have good braking ability, something I didnot expect because the treadwear is above 400. Wet: they have above average performance in the wet, they were a little below the Cinturatto P7. Still they have good overall performance in the wet. Noise: the noise is ok, noisier than the P7 Cinturatto, but aceptable. Tread: the tire has a hard compound, I drove the car for around 16000 miles and they seem to have mid life. Design: The tread design is assymetric and sporty, the sidewall has a Dragon with the letters which it looks cool. Conclusion: It is a great aftermarket sporty tire, it handles well in wet and dry, stiff sidewall which helps with the handling and the price is just above midrange tires but with Pirelli premium quality. And by the way it is a UHP Tire, not a extreme neither max performance tire.
Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on March 30, 2020
Given 86% while driving a Toyota Corolla Altis (225/45 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 9 spirited miles
I had these DragonSport tires mounted on a turbocharged Corolla Altis and I've now had them for about 9,000 miles (15,000 km). Dry grip is phenomenal for the price, wet grip is also very good, much more so than some of my previous tires. Overall, grip and handling are on par with the more expensive Michelin PS4 and Bridgestone RE003. After 15,000 km, they still pretty much look new btw, I expect they will last at least another 30,000 km.
Helpful 34 - tire reviewed on October 2, 2018
Given 89% while driving a Jaguar XF (245/40 R19) on mostly motorways for 4,000 easy going miles
I have put these tires onto a 2010 Jaguar XF with 19” oem wheels. My main priorities were noise and comfort, followed by price, wear, and grip.

I’m located in NSW, Australia so my experience here has been a mix of new and old roads, smooth and coarse chip, mostly dry, and mostly at 60-100kph speeds.

My tire search started due to the fact that I was previously using kumho ku39, and had discovered that one of the near new front tires was out of round, and I wasn’t willing to take the risk again with a mid tier brand. My ku39 had 95% tread on the front and 15% on the rear.

The DragonSport grip has been good however I am not a spirited driver, with the exception of taking roundabouts a bit faster at times. I haven’t had any issue with these tires on various roads. They feel quite stable and not floaty.

The tires have fairly good noise levels over coarse chip roads, and are very quiet over smooth asphalt. I suspect it would be hard to do much better without going to a Michelin primacy, which has a significant price increase.

Comfort/harshness is good. They are definitely more comfortable than the ku39 and less “crashy” over joins in the road. A minus for me is there’s still a decent amount of road feedback, as I wouldn’t have liked for it to absorb the bumps a bit better. I am running them at 36 psi, instead of the jaguar recommended 32.

Fuel economy has been good, with around 5% better fuel economy than the ku39.

Ultimately I chose this tire due to the number of reviews noting its noise level over coarse chip, a good treadlife rating above most of the competition, brand name, and the fact I found it on sale ($239 each). However I would still buy it at it’s more normal pricing of ($285 each).

Overall I would definitely buy this tire again. Its a good touring tire, that is well priced, which is surprisingly hard to find in the 245/40/19 size.

I did find that the tires took a few hundred kms to break in. I had some steering wheel shake at 80ks despite having had a balance and alignment when fitted. Since then, it has gone except at 110kph where there is a pronounced shake but it is very specific to the speed so I suspect it just needs another balance after wearing in.

In my research prior to purchase I considered the Pilot sport 4 (too expensive, never on sale, noisy), RE003 (pricier, noisier, this would have been my #2 choice), Cooper CS5 (hit and miss reviews, USA based reviews particularly poor), Goodyear eagle f1 asymmetric (pricier), Primacy 3 (expensive, poor tread life), Falken FK150 (limited reviews online, mid tier brand), contisportconact5 (very poor treadlife), Hankook Evo2 (harsher,noisy, fuel inefficient)
Helpful 34 - tire reviewed on September 24, 2018
Given 73% while driving a Nissan Primera (215/45 R17 V) on mostly motorways for 15,000 spirited miles
Had on my Nissan Primera p11 for a year fronts wore ok for how hard I drive never rotated them ended up having wheel spin after a few months on one wheel but were good tires
Helpful 35 - tire reviewed on June 8, 2018