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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport — 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 SP Sport Maxx ROF

Summer Max Performance tires

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
65/100
20 owner reviews
Dry
84
Wet
76
Comfort
74
Noise
–
Treadwear
59
Handling
59

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Michelin

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Summer Max Performance tires

Michelin Pilot Super Sport tread pattern
Objective (60%)
76/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
93/100
2,080 owner reviews
Dry
98
Wet
90
Comfort
93
Noise
92
Treadwear
90
Handling
95

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Michelin Pilot Super Sport — better handling, treadwear 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) Pilot Super Sport leads by 14
A — Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
84
B — Michelin Pilot Super Sport
98
Why this score
SourceSP Sport Maxx ROFPilot Super Sport
Professional tests (TWG score) – 99
Tire Rack owners – 95
Tyre Reviews owners 79 94

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Pilot Super Sport leads by 14
A — Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
76
B — Michelin Pilot Super Sport
90
Why this score
SourceSP Sport Maxx ROFPilot Super Sport
Professional tests (TWG score) – 88
Tire Rack owners – 89
Tyre Reviews owners 69 83

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Pilot Super Sport leads by 19
A — Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
74
B — Michelin Pilot Super Sport
93
Why this score
SourceSP Sport Maxx ROFPilot Super Sport
Tire Rack owners – 87
Tyre Reviews owners 65 81

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
–
B — Michelin Pilot Super Sport
92

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Pilot Super Sport leads by 31
A — Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
59
B — Michelin Pilot Super Sport
90
Why this score
SourceSP Sport Maxx ROFPilot Super Sport
Tire Rack owners – 80
Tyre Reviews owners 44 82

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Pilot Super Sport leads by 36
A — Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
59
B — Michelin Pilot Super Sport
95
Why this score
SourceSP Sport Maxx ROFPilot Super Sport
Tyre Reviews owners 59 86
DriverReviews owners – 88

Scores at a glance

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryDunlop SP Sport Maxx ROFMichelin Pilot Super Sport
Relative Score 70 92
Dry 84 98
Wet 76 90
Comfort 74 93
Noise – 92
Treadwear 59 90
Handling 59 95

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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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 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF

The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF is widely regarded as a high-performance tire that excels in ride comfort, cabin quietness, and dry-weather handling. However, these benefits are frequently offset by significant concerns regarding rapid tread wear and inconsistent traction in wet or cold conditions, leading to a polarized user experience.

Pros

  • Excellent dry-weather grip and handling performance
  • Superior ride comfort and low road noise levels
  • Stiff sidewall construction provides stable steering feedback
  • Aesthetically pleasing, aggressive tread design

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear
  • Poor traction and safety concerns in wet or cold weather
  • High replacement costs relative to longevity
  • Susceptibility to road debris and sidewall damage

Observations

  • High-horsepower vehicles, such as the C63s AMG, struggle with off-the-line traction, suggesting the tire is ill-suited for high-torque applications.
  • Users with 20-inch and larger wheels frequently report issues with tramlining and tracking on uneven road surfaces.
  • Owners of luxury SUVs like the BMW X5 and Audi SQ5 appreciate the ride quality but express frustration over the short lifespan of the tires in these heavier applications.
Tire B Michelin Pilot Super Sport

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is widely regarded as a benchmark ultra-high-performance summer tire, praised for its exceptional dry grip, steering precision, and confidence-inspiring handling. While it excels in warm, spirited driving conditions, users note that its performance diminishes significantly in cold temperatures or heavy standing water, and some report increased road noise compared to touring-oriented tires.

Pros

  • Exceptional dry traction and cornering grip
  • High level of steering feedback and responsiveness
  • Strong wet weather performance for a summer-focused tire
  • Impressive tread life relative to its performance category
  • Significant ride quality improvement over OEM run-flat tires

Cons

  • Noticeable loss of grip in cold temperatures (below 10-15°C)
  • Increased road noise reported by some users
  • Higher price point compared to competitors
  • Reduced performance in standing water as tread depth decreases

Observations

  • Users transitioning from factory run-flat tires on BMW and other luxury vehicles report a transformative improvement in ride comfort and steering feel.
  • High-horsepower vehicle owners note that while the tire offers excellent grip, it can still struggle to put power down in cold or damp conditions.
  • Some users on 18-inch and smaller setups report that the stiff sidewalls can lead to a harsher ride on uneven or broken road surfaces.
Community buzz

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Positive

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is widely praised by the automotive community for its exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and overall performance as a high-performance summer tire. While some users note limitations in cold or snowy weather and occasional concerns regarding tread life or aging cracks, most enthusiasts consider them a benchmark daily driver and street performance tire.

r/cars ·40 upvotes ·2017-07-04

“They weren't kidding about Michelin Pilot Super Sports. They're way grippier than the Continental ExtremeContact DW tires that were rated #2 after the Super Sports on tirerack.com. I had a 2009 GTI with 225 width ExtremeContacts and now I have a 2016 with 235 width Super Sports. The difference is not subtle. Now, both have been gently upgraded to the Pilot Sport 4 S, and the ExtremeContact Sport. The only two max performance summer tires with a tread life warranty. 30k miles on square stance cars where you rotate them properly, and 15k on staggered.”

r/GolfGTI ·3 upvotes ·2018-03-23

“12k on two consecutive sets of PSS. Stage 2 MK6 (285whp/325wtq), drive fairly aggressively, an odd track day or two here and there, full suspension but run aggressive alignment settings. No abnormaly quick wear in any one spot, they just look like racing slicks when I’m done. If you can afford it, they are well worth the $$. Other tires may come close in performance, but for daily use, can’t beat the comfort of the PSS”

r/ft86 ·2 upvotes ·2016-04-18

“As someone who lapped the car until I destroyed the OEM tires, and then lapped a set of PSS until I destroyed those too. The PSS are stickier than stock for sure, but they arent really sticky when it comes to tires for the track. They overheat and get greasy if you drive them hard, and they will slip at just slightly higher speeds. TL;DR: they are better than stock, but they arent a track sticky tire by any means so tail happy is still a thing.”

r/Cartalk ·2 upvotes ·2025-05-25

“Had this on my E90, as well. Alignment was good, wheel balance on road force machine was good. Turned out i had over 0.250" of runout on both rear wheels. Took me two sets of 255/35/18 PSS's and me watching them balance the tires to figure it out... bought new wheels, never went to a Tirediscounters since.”

Top themes
#exceptional dry and wet grip#handling and cornering performance#tread life and longevity#comparison to ps4s#cold weather and snow limitations#road noise and ride comfort

Based on 60 community posts

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport
CategorySummer Max Performance tiresSummer Max Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop

Michelin

Winner: Michelin Pilot Super Sport — better handling, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 95 vs 59 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 90 vs 59 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 93 vs 74 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 98 vs 84 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ROF
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport

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.