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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Continental ContiSportContact 5 vs Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 — Compared (September 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 SportMaxx RT 2

Summer Max Performance tires

Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
80/100
25 professional tests
User signal (40%)
77/100
92 owner reviews
Dry
78
Wet
79
Comfort
73
Noise
71
Treadwear
75
Handling
77
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Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 — better treadwear and wet. Pick the Continental ContiSportContact 5 if handling and dry matter most to you.
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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) ContiSportContact 5 leads by 5
A
83
B
78
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5SportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 74
Tire Rack owners 87 –
Tyre Reviews owners – 84
SimpleTire owners 99 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SportMaxx RT 2 leads by 5
A
74
B
79
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5SportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 80
Tire Rack owners 81 –
Tyre Reviews owners – 78
SimpleTire owners 98 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5 leads by 1
A
74
B
73
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5SportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 69
Tire Rack owners 80 –
Tyre Reviews owners – 79
SimpleTire owners 97 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5 leads by 1
A
72
B
71
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5SportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 71
SimpleTire owners 98 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SportMaxx RT 2 leads by 30
A
45
B
75
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5SportMaxx RT 2
Tire Rack owners 56 –
Tyre Reviews owners – 75
SimpleTire owners 92 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5 leads by 6
A
83
B
77
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5SportMaxx RT 2
Tyre Reviews owners – 77

Scores at a glance

CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Relative Score 69 76
Dry 83 78
Wet 74 79
Comfort 74 73
Noise 72 71
Treadwear 45 75
Handling 83 77

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

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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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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

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 SportMaxx RT 2

The Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 is generally regarded as a comfortable, quiet, and high-performing tire that excels in daily driving and wet weather conditions. While many users praise its grip and value, a significant segment of the enthusiast community finds the sidewalls too soft for aggressive, high-speed cornering, leading to a 'spongy' or unstable feeling under heavy load.

Pros

  • Excellent wet weather traction and aquaplaning resistance
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Strong value proposition compared to other premium UHP tires
  • Effective rim protection features
  • Good steering feedback for normal to spirited road driving

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can feel unstable or 'wobbly' during aggressive cornering
  • Reports of premature tread cracking or uneven wear in some cases
  • Performance can degrade significantly as the tire wears down
  • Some users report vibration issues or difficulty balancing the tires
  • Not ideal for track use or extremely heavy, high-torque vehicles

Observations

  • Users with heavier or high-torque vehicles often report that the soft sidewalls struggle to maintain composure during quick maneuvers.
  • Drivers of lighter, sporty hatchbacks generally report higher satisfaction with the tire's responsiveness and weight-saving benefits.
  • Several users noted that increasing tire pressure slightly can mitigate the 'spongy' sidewall sensation, though this may come at the cost of some grip.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 B · Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Category—Summer Max Performance tires
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available304
Rim diameters17″ – 22″17″ – 19″
Tread depth8 - 10/32″10/32″
UTQG280 - 420 A - AA A300 A A
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi50 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental

Dunlop

Winner: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 — better treadwear and wet. Pick the Continental ContiSportContact 5 if handling and dry matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 scores 75 vs 45 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 83 vs 77 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 83 vs 78 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 scores 79 vs 74 on wet.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5
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Tire B · Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
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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.