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Avon Spirit ST vs Dunlop RoadSmart III — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 15 + 16 owner reviews. How we score

Spirit ST leads, 82–80 Narrow edge

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Avon Spirit ST
Tire AAvon

Spirit ST

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 87 · 15 reviews

Dunlop RoadSmart III
Tire BDunlop

RoadSmart III

Summer

± 7Provisional

Tests 72 · 1 test Owners 85 · 16 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 6 in 2020 Motorcycle Sports Touring Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 82

    Dry

    Spirit ST +5
    77
    Why this score
    SourceSpirit STRoadSmart III
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 77 (est.)72
    Reviews found online8985

    Spirit ST: 60% × 76.7 (est.) + 40% × 89.1 = 82

    RoadSmart III: 60% × 72.1 + 40% × 85.3 = 77

    No road tests of dry for Spirit ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 87

    Wet

    Spirit ST +4
    83
    Why this score
    SourceSpirit STRoadSmart III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 83 (est.)≈ 80 (est.)
    Reviews found online9387

    Spirit ST: 60% × 82.9 (est.) + 40% × 93 = 87

    RoadSmart III: 60% × 79.8 (est.) + 40% × 87.4 = 83

    No road tests of wet for Spirit ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for RoadSmart III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 78

    Comfort

    Level
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSpirit STRoadSmart III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online8282

    Spirit ST: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.9 = 78

    RoadSmart III: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.9 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for Spirit ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for RoadSmart III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 75

    Treadwear

    RoadSmart III +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceSpirit STRoadSmart III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8083

    Spirit ST: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 80.4 = 75

    RoadSmart III: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 82.5 = 76

    No road tests of treadwear for Spirit ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for RoadSmart III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  5. 87

    Handling (owners)

    Spirit ST +1
    86
    Why this score
    SourceSpirit STRoadSmart III
    Reviews found online8786
Scores at a glance
CategoryAvon Spirit STDunlop RoadSmart III
Relative Score 82 80
Dry 82 77
Wet 87 83
Comfort 78 78
Treadwear 75 76
Handling (owners) 87 86

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Spirit ST

± 7

RoadSmart III

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Spirit ST

Pros

  • Excellent grip in dry, cold and wet conditions, with confidence-inspiring braking and wet-weather performance, and capability extending to occasional track use
  • Stable, predictable handling at high speeds and under heavy loads (pillion and luggage), with a comfortable ride and low noise
  • Good tread life reported by several riders, who describe even wear, resistance to squaring off and mileage up to nearly double that of Michelin tyres

Cons

  • Wear complaints from a minority, including one rider who got only about 2,000 km
  • Reluctance to turn in fast direction changes and a lack of feedback from the tyres, according to one reviewer
  • Front tyre vibration and shaking over 60 mph on one BMW K1600GT, which persisted after rebalancing at two garages
All owner themes in the Spirit ST review

Tire B RoadSmart III

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and mileage compared to dedicated sport tires.
  • Sharp, responsive steering and handling characteristics.
  • Consistent and reliable grip in both dry and wet road conditions.

Cons

  • Occasional reports of rear-end slippage during aggressive cornering with power input.
  • Front tire wear can be uneven or faster than expected depending on suspension setup.
  • Some users noted a firm ride quality due to the stiff carcass construction.
All owner themes in the RoadSmart III review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Avon Spirit ST B · Dunlop RoadSmart III
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeMotorcycleMotorcycle

Which one should you actually buy?

Avon Spirit ST

Dunlop RoadSmart III

Narrow edge: Avon Spirit ST — better dry and wet. Where the Dunlop RoadSmart III is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Avon Spirit ST rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 15 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Dunlop RoadSmart III rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Avon Spirit ST scores 82 vs 77 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Avon Spirit ST scores 87 vs 83 on wet.

Tire A · Avon Spirit ST
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Tire B · Dunlop RoadSmart III
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Spirit ST or RoadSmart III?

Which is better in the wet, Spirit ST or RoadSmart III?

Avon Spirit ST, 87 vs 83 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Spirit ST or RoadSmart III?

Avon Spirit ST, 82 vs 77 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Spirit ST or RoadSmart III?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 78 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Spirit ST or RoadSmart III?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 76 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology