Skip to content
tirewheelguide.com
Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Continental ContiSportContact 5P 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
Snow
–
Comfort
73
Noise
71
Treadwear
75
Handling
77
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Continental ContiSportContact 5P — better noise, dry and comfort. Pick the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 if treadwear matters most to you.
Read full

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made via links on this page.

Category breakdown

7 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 5P leads by 9
A
87
B
78
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 74
Tire Rack owners 87 –
Tyre Reviews owners 85 84
SimpleTire owners 93 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5P leads by 2
A
81
B
79
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 80
Tire Rack owners 79 –
Tyre Reviews owners 78 78
SimpleTire owners 73 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A
93
B
–
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
SimpleTire owners 73 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5P leads by 3
A
76
B
73
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 69
Tire Rack owners 76 –
Tyre Reviews owners 72 79
SimpleTire owners 87 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiSportContact 5P leads by 28
A
99
B
71
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
Professional tests (TWG score) – 71
SimpleTire owners 80 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SportMaxx RT 2 leads by 16
A
59
B
75
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
Tire Rack owners 56 –
Tyre Reviews owners 55 75
SimpleTire owners 80 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) SportMaxx RT 2 leads by 2
A
75
B
77
Why this score
SourceContiSportContact 5PSportMaxx RT 2
Tyre Reviews owners 75 77

Scores at a glance

CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5PDunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Relative Score 78 76
Dry 87 78
Wet 81 79
Snow 93 –
Comfort 76 73
Noise 99 71
Treadwear 59 75
Handling 75 77

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

Personalize

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
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
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 5P

The Continental ContiSportContact 5 P is widely regarded as a high-performance tire that excels in dry and wet grip, providing exceptional handling and confidence for spirited driving. While users frequently praise its steering precision and comfort, the consensus is heavily polarized by its rapid tread wear and high price point, leading many to view it as a premium, short-lived performance option rather than a long-term value choice.

Pros

  • Exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions
  • High levels of steering feedback and cornering precision
  • Superior ride comfort and bump absorption compared to many UHP rivals
  • Strong braking performance and stability at high speeds

Cons

  • Rapid and often premature tread wear
  • High purchase price relative to longevity
  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
  • Performance drop-off once tread depth reaches the lower limits

Observations

  • Owners of high-torque, front-wheel-drive vehicles (e.g., Cupra, Leon, S-Max) frequently report significant wheel hop and accelerated front-tire wear.
  • Users with staggered setups on performance sedans (e.g., Mercedes C63, BMW 530D) note that rear tires often require replacement significantly sooner than the fronts.
  • Drivers of heavier vehicles or SUVs occasionally report that the tire's soft sidewall, while comfortable, can feel less precise under heavy cornering loads.
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 5P B · Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Category—Summer Max Performance tires
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available274
Rim diameters18″ – 22″17″ – 19″
Tread depth8 - 10/32″10/32″
UTQG240 - 280 AA A300 A A
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi50 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental

Dunlop

Winner: Continental ContiSportContact 5P — better noise, dry and comfort. Pick the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental ContiSportContact 5P scores 99 vs 71 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 scores 75 vs 59 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental ContiSportContact 5P scores 87 vs 78 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental ContiSportContact 5P scores 76 vs 73 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5P
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Check price on Amazon

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.