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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Continental ContiSportContact 5 vs Dunlop Sport Maxx RT — Compared (May 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

VS
Tire B Dunlop

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
78/100
180 owner reviews
Dry
88
Wet
84
Comfort
82
Noise
–
Treadwear
60
Handling
81
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Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Dunlop Sport Maxx RT — better treadwear, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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Category breakdown

6 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx RT leads by 5
A
83
B
88
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5Sport Maxx RT
Tire Rack owners 87 86
Tyre Reviews owners – 88
SimpleTire owners 99 92

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx RT leads by 10
A
74
B
84
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5Sport Maxx RT
Tire Rack owners 81 79
Tyre Reviews owners – 84
SimpleTire owners 98 87

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx RT leads by 8
A
74
B
82
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5Sport Maxx RT
Tire Rack owners 80 70
Tyre Reviews owners – 82
SimpleTire owners 97 95

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A
72
B
–
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5Sport Maxx RT
SimpleTire owners 98 92

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx RT leads by 15
A
45
B
60
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5Sport Maxx RT
Tire Rack owners 56 70
Tyre Reviews owners – 60
SimpleTire owners 92 84

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5 leads by 2
A
83
B
81
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5Sport Maxx RT
Tyre Reviews owners – 81

Scores at a glance

CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5Dunlop Sport Maxx RT
Relative Score 69 77
Dry 83 88
Wet 74 84
Comfort 74 82
Noise 72 –
Treadwear 45 60
Handling 83 81

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Continental ContiSportContact 5

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Dunlop Sport Maxx RT

The Dunlop SportMaxx RT is widely regarded as a high-performance tire that excels in dry and wet grip, offering a comfortable and quiet ride that often transforms the driving dynamics of the vehicles it is fitted to. While users frequently praise its handling, braking, and confidence-inspiring feedback, the consensus is heavily polarized by its rapid tread wear, which many owners find unacceptable for daily driving.

Pros

  • Exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Predictable handling and communicative steering feedback
  • Strong braking performance
  • Good value for money compared to other premium brands

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear and short lifespan
  • Soft sidewalls which some users find less sharp for aggressive cornering
  • Reports of cracking or premature aging of the rubber compound
  • Poor performance in snow or freezing temperatures
  • Inconsistent longevity across different vehicle weights and driving styles

Observations

  • Users with heavy front-wheel-drive vehicles or high-torque diesel estates frequently report the fastest tread wear, often requiring replacement under 15,000 miles.
  • Owners of performance-oriented cars (e.g., Alfa Romeo, Mazda, Volvo) often report that the tire significantly improves ride quality and noise levels compared to stiffer OEM tires like run-flats or Pirelli P Zeros.
  • Some users on 19-inch sizes noted increased road noise and harshness, suggesting the tire's comfort benefits may be more pronounced on smaller rim diameters.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 B · Dunlop Sport Maxx RT
Sizes available305
Rim diameters17″ – 22″17″ – 19″
Tread depth8 - 10/32″9/32″
UTQG280 - 420 A - AA A240 A A
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi50 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental

Dunlop

Winner: Dunlop Sport Maxx RT — better treadwear, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT scores 60 vs 45 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT scores 84 vs 74 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT scores 82 vs 74 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT scores 88 vs 83 on dry.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5
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Tire B · Dunlop Sport Maxx RT
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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.