75
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
60/100
44 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated May 2026
Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II — 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.
VS
86
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
81/100
Owner ratings
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II — better comfort, wet and dry. Pick the Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ if snow and noise 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
Score (0–100)
Winter Sottozero Serie II leads by 10
Why this score
| Source | Sport Maxx 050+ | Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 86 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 80 | – |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Winter Sottozero Serie II leads by 22
Why this score
| Source | Sport Maxx 050+ | Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 89 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 69 | – |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 9
Why this score
| Source | Sport Maxx 050+ | Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 81 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Winter Sottozero Serie II leads by 29
Why this score
| Source | Sport Maxx 050+ | Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 62 | – |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Sport Maxx 050+ leads by 5
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Winter Sottozero Serie II leads by 10
Why this score
| Source | Sport Maxx 050+ | Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 82 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 81 | – |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Winter Sottozero Serie II leads by 9
Why this score
| Source | Sport Maxx 050+ | Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 78 | – |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ | Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 75 | 86 |
| Dry | 77 | 87 |
| Wet | 67 | 89 |
| Snow | 90 | 81 |
| Comfort | 59 | 88 |
| Noise | 90 | 85 |
| Treadwear | 74 | 84 |
| Handling | 78 | 87 |
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.
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Recomputed
Headline score
75
/ 100
Tire A
86
/ 100
Tire B
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
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.
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ | B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer Ultra High Performance tires | — |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | — |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
75
/ 100
Dunlop
86
/ 100
Pirelli
Winner: Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II — better comfort, wet and dry. Pick the Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ if snow and noise matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II scores 88 vs 59 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II scores 89 vs 67 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II scores 87 vs 77 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II scores 84 vs 74 on treadwear.
Tire A · Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II
More comparisons
Also compared with
Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ also compared with
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II also compared with
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.