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

Dunlop RoadSmart II vs Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV — 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.

Tire A Dunlop

Dunlop RoadSmart II

Summer Premium Touring tires

Dunlop RoadSmart II tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
68/100
4 owner reviews
Dry
68
Wet
53
Comfort
68
Treadwear
78
Handling
75
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Pirelli

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV

Summer Max Performance tires

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tread pattern
Objective (60%)
70/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
87/100
7 owner reviews
Dry
89
Wet
72
Comfort
86
Treadwear
76
Handling
91
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV — better dry, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Read full

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

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) Diablo Rosso IV leads by 21
A
68
B
89
Why this score
SourceRoadSmart IIDiablo Rosso IV
Professional tests (TWG score) – 87
Tyre Reviews owners 68 93

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Diablo Rosso IV leads by 19
A
53
B
72
Why this score
SourceRoadSmart IIDiablo Rosso IV
Professional tests (TWG score) – 67
Tyre Reviews owners 53 79

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Diablo Rosso IV leads by 18
A
68
B
86
Why this score
SourceRoadSmart IIDiablo Rosso IV
Tyre Reviews owners 68 86

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) RoadSmart II leads by 2
A
78
B
76
Why this score
SourceRoadSmart IIDiablo Rosso IV
Tyre Reviews owners 78 76

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Diablo Rosso IV leads by 16
A
75
B
91
Why this score
SourceRoadSmart IIDiablo Rosso IV
Tyre Reviews owners 75 91
DriverReviews owners – 92

Scores at a glance

CategoryDunlop RoadSmart IIPirelli Diablo Rosso IV
Relative Score 68 81
Dry 68 89
Wet 53 72
Comfort 68 86
Treadwear 78 76
Handling 75 91

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
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
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 RoadSmart II

The Dunlop RoadSmart II receives highly polarized feedback from riders, with experiences ranging from exceptional confidence to significant safety concerns. While some users praise its precision and grip in both dry and wet conditions, others report severe traction issues, particularly with the rear tire during spirited riding.

Pros

  • High levels of dry and wet grip for sport-touring applications
  • Excellent steering precision and rider feedback
  • Inspires confidence in varied riding conditions for satisfied users

Cons

  • Reported lack of rear tire traction during aggressive cornering
  • Inconsistent performance leading to safety concerns in wet weather
  • Perceived inferiority compared to competing sport-touring brands

Observations

  • Positive performance noted on the Yamaha FZ1-S, suggesting suitability for certain naked sport-touring setups.
  • Riders of heavier sport-touring motorcycles, such as the BMW R1100RT, reported significant instability and rear-end slippage.
Tire B Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV

The Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV is widely regarded as a top-tier hypersport tire that offers significant improvements in feedback, warm-up time, and lean-angle confidence over its predecessors. While users consistently praise its performance in both wet and dry conditions, the consensus notes that these gains come at a premium price point and with potential longevity trade-offs depending on riding style.

Pros

  • Exceptional dry and wet grip with rapid warm-up times.
  • High level of precision and confidence at deep lean angles.
  • Improved feedback and stability compared to previous generations (DR2/DR3).
  • Surprisingly good low-speed stability and handling characteristics.

Cons

  • Higher price point compared to competitors and previous models.
  • Performance consistency may degrade as the tire reaches the end of its service life.
  • Potential for increased wear rates under aggressive riding conditions.

Observations

  • Users reported significant improvements in resistance to cupping on smaller displacement bikes (e.g., PCX 125) compared to the Diablo Rosso II.
  • Aggressive riders utilizing standard sportbike sizes (120/70 and 190/55) report that the tire maintains performance characteristics comparable to more track-focused compounds like the Rosso Corsa II.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop RoadSmart II B · Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
CategorySummer Premium Touring tiresSummer Max Performance tires
Vehicle typeMotorcycleMotorcycle
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop

Pirelli

Winner: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV — better dry, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV scores 89 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV scores 72 vs 53 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV scores 86 vs 68 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV scores 91 vs 75 on handling.

Tire A · Dunlop RoadSmart II
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
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.