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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Dunlop Direzza DZ03 vs Dunlop SP Touring R1 — 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.

Tire A Dunlop

Dunlop Direzza DZ03

Summer Trackday and Competition tires

Dunlop Direzza DZ03 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
79/100
7 owner reviews
Dry
94
Wet
66
Comfort
47
Treadwear
71
Handling
89

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Dunlop

Dunlop SP Touring R1

Summer Premium Touring tires

Dunlop SP Touring R1 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
78/100
22 owner reviews
Dry
84
Wet
75
Comfort
76
Treadwear
82
Handling
81

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Dunlop SP Touring R1 — better comfort, treadwear and wet. Pick the Dunlop Direzza DZ03 if dry and handling matter most to you.
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Category breakdown

5 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) Direzza DZ03 leads by 10
A — Dunlop Direzza DZ03
94
B — Dunlop SP Touring R1
84
Why this score
SourceDirezza DZ03SP Touring R1
Tyre Reviews owners 94 84

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SP Touring R1 leads by 9
A — Dunlop Direzza DZ03
66
B — Dunlop SP Touring R1
75
Why this score
SourceDirezza DZ03SP Touring R1
Tyre Reviews owners 66 75

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) SP Touring R1 leads by 29
A — Dunlop Direzza DZ03
47
B — Dunlop SP Touring R1
76
Why this score
SourceDirezza DZ03SP Touring R1
Tyre Reviews owners 47 76

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) SP Touring R1 leads by 11
A — Dunlop Direzza DZ03
71
B — Dunlop SP Touring R1
82
Why this score
SourceDirezza DZ03SP Touring R1
Tyre Reviews owners 71 82

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Direzza DZ03 leads by 8
A — Dunlop Direzza DZ03
89
B — Dunlop SP Touring R1
81
Why this score
SourceDirezza DZ03SP Touring R1
Tyre Reviews owners 89 81

Scores at a glance

Dunlop Direzza DZ03 vs Dunlop SP Touring R1: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ03Dunlop SP Touring R1
Relative Score 72 79
Dry 94 84
Wet 66 75
Comfort 47 76
Treadwear 71 82
Handling 89 81

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.

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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 Dunlop Direzza DZ03

The Dunlop Direzza DZ03G is widely regarded as a high-performance competition tire that excels in dry track and tarmac rally environments. While it offers exceptional grip and lap time improvements over competitors, users note significant trade-offs in road noise and rapid tread wear, making it better suited for dedicated track use than daily driving.

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and cornering confidence
  • Significant lap time improvements compared to entry-level semi-slicks
  • High durability and consistent performance under intense heat cycles
  • Predictable handling characteristics on track

Cons

  • Extremely high road noise, often compared to failing wheel bearings
  • Rapid tread wear and short lifespan
  • Poor performance in standing water with high risk of aquaplaning
  • Not recommended for daily driving due to comfort and noise levels

Observations

  • Users on lightweight platforms like the MR2 and MX-5 report excellent handling improvements, though rear tire wear is a common concern.
  • High-horsepower AWD vehicles like the Mitsubishi EVO 9 benefit from the tire's grip but emphasize the extreme noise levels during road use.
  • Users noted that the tire's performance remains consistent even when pushed to the limit in competitive tarmac rally settings.
Tire B Dunlop SP Touring R1

The Dunlop SP Touring R1 is generally regarded as a reliable, budget-friendly touring tire that excels in longevity and comfort for daily family driving. While many users praise its dry-weather performance and value, there is a significant polarization regarding wet-weather safety, with some users reporting excellent traction and others describing it as inadequate.

Pros

  • High tread longevity and durability
  • Excellent value for money
  • Comfortable and quiet ride quality
  • Reliable dry-weather grip and braking

Cons

  • Inconsistent wet-weather performance
  • Reports of sidewall vulnerability
  • Occasional road noise feedback
  • Variability in actual tire width compared to specifications

Observations

  • Users driving standard family vehicles and sedans (e.g., Toyota Corolla, Honda City) report high satisfaction for daily commuting.
  • Some users noted that the physical width of the tire may measure narrower than the stated nominal size.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ03 B · Dunlop SP Touring R1
CategorySummer Trackday and Competition tiresSummer Premium Touring tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop

Dunlop

Winner: Dunlop SP Touring R1 — better comfort, treadwear and wet. Pick the Dunlop Direzza DZ03 if dry and handling matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 76 vs 47 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 82 vs 71 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop Direzza DZ03 scores 94 vs 84 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 75 vs 66 on wet.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ03
Tire B · Dunlop SP Touring R1

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.