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Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiSportContact 5 vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 27 + 300 owner reviews. How we score

SP Sport Maxx TT leads, 64–62 Narrow edge

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Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT
Tire BDunlop

SP Sport Maxx TT

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 300 reviews

“I have the Maxx TT on my car for about 1000 Km which included two slalom sessions. I am very pleased with the ride quality and dry traction. It is much quieter than the OEM tires. I have not had a chance to drive in wet road yet.”

Category by category

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

  1. 65

    Dry

    SP Sport Maxx TT +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6365

    ContiSportContact 5: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.7 = 65

    SP Sport Maxx TT: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66

    No road tests of dry for ContiSportContact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport Maxx TT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 67

    Wet

    ContiSportContact 5 +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6764

    ContiSportContact 5: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 66.5 = 67

    SP Sport Maxx TT: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64 = 66

    No road tests of wet for ContiSportContact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport Maxx TT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 66

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)–
    Reviews found online63–

    ContiSportContact 5: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 63.3 = 66

    No road tests of snow for ContiSportContact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 63

    Comfort

    ContiSportContact 5 +2
    61
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5753

    ContiSportContact 5: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 56.8 = 63

    SP Sport Maxx TT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 53.3 = 61

    No road tests of comfort for ContiSportContact 5 or SP Sport Maxx TT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online69–

    ContiSportContact 5: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 69.2 = 68

    No road tests of noise for ContiSportContact 5. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 53

    Treadwear

    SP Sport Maxx TT +5
    58
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 59 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online4553

    ContiSportContact 5: 60% × 59.2 (est.) + 40% × 44.6 = 53

    SP Sport Maxx TT: 60% × 61.8 (est.) + 40% × 53.2 = 58

    No road tests of treadwear for ContiSportContact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport Maxx TT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 53

    Handling (owners)

    SP Sport Maxx TT +8
    61
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5SP Sport Maxx TT
    Reviews found online5361
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT
Relative Score 62 64
Dry 65 66
Wet 67 66
Snow 66 –
Comfort 63 61
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 53 58
Handling (owners) 53 61

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

ContiSportContact 5

SP Sport Maxx TT

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A ContiSportContact 5

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B SP Sport Maxx TT

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and precise cornering stability
  • Stiff sidewalls providing sharp steering feedback and confidence
  • Better-than-average tread life and mileage for many everyday drivers

Cons

  • High levels of road noise and cabin hum at speeds above 50 mph
  • Stiff, harsh ride quality, particularly with run-flat variants
  • Inconsistent or poor grip in wet, damp, or cold weather conditions
All owner themes in the SP Sport Maxx TT review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Continental ContiSportContact 5

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

Tire B

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT

Positive

Community members generally praise the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT for its quiet road manners, respectable dry and wet grip, and solid track and cold-weather road performance compared to stock competition-oriented tires. Some drivers note relatively soft sidewalls during aggressive slalom events on heavier vehicles or limited grip before coming up to temperature. Overall, drivers find it to be a capable, comfortable summer tire that balances performance and daily drivability.

corvetteforum.com

“We have these tires on my 18 Grand Sport and my wife’s 17 Z51 Convertible driving in Ohio. Very pleased with these tires! Probably should be OEM for these cars. Handle very well. Doesn’t throw gravel up on the cars like stock tires. Cold weather grip is very good! Stock MPSS are scary below 50 degrees. We have had good success with Discount Tire for purchase and install.”
alfaowner.com ·2011-01-04

“In Hong Kong, if your style is aggresive, sport maxx is not enough, i am using AD08 and RE11 is not bad”
acurazine.com

“After 3 sessions of autoslalom, I can say that the sidewall is too soft for this heavy car. I have the front tires set at 39 psi cool. I may try higher pressure next time to see if it can reduce the tire roll and maintain traction. In term of day to day driving, this is a great quiet summer tire. It performs well in wet too.”
Top themes
#quiet ride quality#track and slalom handling#wet and dry traction#cold weather performance#sidewall stiffness concerns#replacement for OEM tires

Based on 19 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT
CategorySummer tireSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available865
Rim diameters17″ – 22″16″ – 18″
Tread depth8 - 10/32″—
UTQG280 - 420 A - AA A—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common22

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiSportContact 5

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT

Narrow edge: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT — better handling and treadwear. Where the Continental ContiSportContact 5 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT scores 61 vs 53 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT scores 58 vs 53 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT
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ContiSportContact 5 or SP Sport Maxx TT?

Which is better in the wet, ContiSportContact 5 or SP Sport Maxx TT?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 66 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, ContiSportContact 5 or SP Sport Maxx TT?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 66 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, ContiSportContact 5 or SP Sport Maxx TT?

Neither, by our numbers: 63 vs 61 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, ContiSportContact 5 or SP Sport Maxx TT?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT, 58 vs 53 on our treadwear score.

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