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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ vs Pirelli P Zero — 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 Sport Maxx 050+

Summer Ultra High Performance tires

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
60/100
44 owner reviews
Dry
77
Wet
67
Snow
90
Comfort
59
Noise
90
Treadwear
74
Handling
78

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Pirelli

Pirelli P Zero

Summer Max Performance tires

Pirelli P Zero tread pattern
Objective (60%)
70/100
3 professional tests
User signal (40%)
68/100
195 owner reviews
Dry
85
Wet
78
Snow
80
Comfort
42
Noise
78
Treadwear
58
Handling
72

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ — better comfort, treadwear and noise. Pick the Pirelli P Zero if wet and dry matter most to you.
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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) P Zero leads by 8
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
77
B — Pirelli P Zero
85
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
Professional tests (TWG score) – 86
Tire Rack owners – 90
Tyre Reviews owners 80 84
SimpleTire owners – 93

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) P Zero leads by 11
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
67
B — Pirelli P Zero
78
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
Professional tests (TWG score) – 84
Tire Rack owners – 79
Tyre Reviews owners 69 68
SimpleTire owners – 83

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 10
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
90
B — Pirelli P Zero
80
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
SimpleTire owners – 72

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 17
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
59
B — Pirelli P Zero
42
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
Professional tests (TWG score) – 26
Tire Rack owners – 80
Tyre Reviews owners 62 63
SimpleTire owners – 88

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 12
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
90
B — Pirelli P Zero
78
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
Professional tests (TWG score) – 73
SimpleTire owners – 84

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 16
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
74
B — Pirelli P Zero
58
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
Tire Rack owners – 63
Tyre Reviews owners 81 57
SimpleTire owners – 73

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 6
A — Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
78
B — Pirelli P Zero
72
Why this score
SourceSport Maxx 050+P Zero
Tyre Reviews owners 78 72
DriverReviews owners – 84

Scores at a glance

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ vs Pirelli P Zero: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryDunlop Sport Maxx 050+Pirelli P Zero
Relative Score 75 70
Dry 77 85
Wet 67 78
Snow 90 80
Comfort 59 42
Noise 90 78
Treadwear 74 58
Handling 78 72

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
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Important
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Important
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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 Sport Maxx 050+

The Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ receives a polarized reception, often serving as a divisive Original Equipment (OE) choice for premium vehicles. While many users praise its dry-weather handling and value-for-money proposition, a significant portion of owners report severe dissatisfaction regarding cabin noise, ride harshness, and unpredictable wet-weather performance.

Pros

  • Strong dry-weather grip and cornering stability
  • Competitive pricing compared to premium European rivals
  • Good tread longevity for a performance-oriented tire
  • Responsive steering feedback

Cons

  • High levels of road and cabin noise
  • Harsh ride quality and lack of comfort
  • Poor wet-weather traction and susceptibility to hydroplaning
  • Inconsistent performance on uneven road surfaces

Observations

  • Owners of Lexus and Infiniti models frequently cite this tire as a major detractor from the vehicle's intended luxury and comfort experience.
  • Users transitioning from Run-Flat tires to the 050+ often report an improvement in ride comfort, whereas those moving from premium touring tires report a significant increase in noise.
  • Performance-oriented drivers on high-power sedans generally report higher satisfaction with grip levels than those using the tire for daily commuting on standard passenger vehicles.
Tire B Pirelli P Zero

The Pirelli P Zero is widely regarded as a high-performance summer tire that excels in dry, warm-weather conditions, offering sharp handling and significant grip. However, user consensus is polarized by its rapid tread wear, inconsistent performance in cold or wet weather, and reports of high road noise, leading many owners to favor competitors like Michelin for daily driving.

Pros

  • Exceptional dry weather grip and cornering stability
  • Precise steering feedback and handling responsiveness
  • Strong rim protection due to robust sidewall design
  • Effective performance once the tire reaches optimal operating temperature

Cons

  • Rapid and often uneven tread wear
  • Poor traction and confidence in cold, wet, or damp conditions
  • High levels of road noise, particularly as the tire ages
  • Susceptibility to tramlining and vibration issues

Observations

  • Users with high-performance EVs and heavy sedans (e.g., Tesla Model Y, Audi S7) frequently report faster-than-expected tread wear.
  • Owners of front-wheel-drive hot hatches (e.g., Hyundai i30N, Fiesta ST) note significant wheel spin and traction loss in damp conditions.
  • Drivers using larger rim diameters (19-inch+) often report a harsher ride quality and increased sensitivity to road imperfections.
Community buzz

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+

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

Tire B

Pirelli P Zero

Mixed

Community opinion on the Pirelli P Zero lineup is sharply divided based on the specific variant. While summer tires and certain OEM specifications face severe criticism for poor wet weather grip, rapid wear, and difficult installation (particularly in cycling applications), the aftermarket All Season Plus 3 and newer high-performance variants receive strong praise for comfort, quietness, and excellent value compared to Michelin and Continental competitors.

r/TeslaModel3 ·26 upvotes ·2024-07-25

“After one year with Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus Elect 2020 SR+ I replaced the Michelins on my 2020 SR+ at 42,000 miles and 3.5 years with the Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus Elect on my 2020 SR+. Since there are so many "What tire should I buy" posts, I thought I would give a one year review. Background: Live in the Washington, DC area so mild winters and 85% of my miles are local, suburban driving. With local traffic and traffic cameras all around, I drive pretty conservatively only occasionally punching it. Efficiency- Pirellis are about 3% less efficient than Michelins Michelin OEM MXMs 42,006 miles before replacing, 204 Wh/mi lifetime Pirelli P Zero All Season Elect Plus 13,832 miles 210 Wh/mi after 1 year. started out higher for the first 1,000 miles or so, so I expect this to drop to 208 or 209 lifetime. Ride is definitely smoother and quieter. Handling, well, I don't push it, so for me, equal. Grew up locally learning to drive in snow with 60's and 70's RWD cars, so I know how to drive in the light snow we get and the Pirellis handled the snow we got just fine. Just a few inches of heavy, wet snow at a time. Overall I would recommend the Pirellis. I am a bit efficiency minded but am debating taking another hit and getting the caps and pulling the aero covers off, but keeping them for the couple of road trips I do. I expect that would take another 3% hit, so still better than the EPA rated 220 Wh/mi.”

r/mazda3 ·3 upvotes ·2026-04-07

“I put a set of Pirelli P Zero AS3's on my 2019 Mazda 3. After driving about 1,500 miles, I can say that I love them. The steering has a very direct feel - it turns in almost immediately. Needless to say the grip is fantastic. ... and that is only with outside air temps in the 50's. I can't wait to see how they perform when it gets to be in the 70's and they can get some heat in them. One of the reasons I was attracted to this tire is that Pirelli claims to have incorporated technology that helps the tires maintain the same level of performance as they wear over time. I have been frustrated in the past to see how tires loose their grip long before the treadwear gets low. Also, it didn't hurt that Pirelli had a $100 instant rebate!”

r/TyreReviews ·3 upvotes ·2026-06-23

“I just put PZ5 on my vehicle! I live in Louisiana ! They are absolutely insanely sticky! Especially in the rain! My vehicle came with the P-zeros. I’ve had Pirelli’s on my car’s in the past and yes, Pirelli’s are soft. The trade off is sticking to the road! I am an aggressive driver & was aware the sacrifice. I have to change my tires every oil change. 9-12k miles. These PZ5’s grip in the rain. Crazy awesome! Pirelli knocked these suckers out!!! I love ‘em!!!”

r/cycling ·2 upvotes ·2026-09-17

“I used to ride Conti since the GP4K and switched over to Pirelli when I had my new bike 3 years ago. The P-Zero Race was fine I guess but the P-Zero Race RS TLR were the worst. Nightmare to put on and wore out quite fast as well. Punctured the one in the back after 300km and couldn’t seal it. I’m back on the GP5k STR now with no issues or mounting problems. Probably gonna stick to them for some time longer”

Top themes
#Wet weather grip performance#Treadwear and mileage lifespan#All Season Plus 3 vs competitors#OEM spec vs aftermarket variants#Cycling tire installation and rolling resistance#Ride comfort and noise levels#Pricing and discount availability

Based on 99 community posts

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ B · Pirelli P Zero
CategorySummer Ultra High Performance tiresSummer Max Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—89
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—220 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop

Pirelli

Winner: Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ — better comfort, treadwear and noise. Pick the Pirelli P Zero if wet and dry matter most to you.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ scores 59 vs 42 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ scores 74 vs 58 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ scores 90 vs 78 on noise.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli P Zero scores 78 vs 67 on wet.

Tire A · Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
Tire B · Pirelli P Zero

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.