tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Direzza DZ102 is ahead, 65–59

Check price on Amazon · Direzza DZ102 or SP Sport Maxx on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Direzza DZ102 +5
    61
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online6558
  2. 68

    Wet

    Direzza DZ102 +7
    61
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online6757
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    54
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online–44
  4. 65

    Comfort

    Direzza DZ102 +5
    60
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online6151
  5. 66

    Noise

    Direzza DZ102 +4
    62
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online6456
  6. 62

    Treadwear

    Direzza DZ102 +6
    56
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online5949
  7. 63

    Handling

    Direzza DZ102 +8
    55
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online6355
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ102Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
Relative Score 65 59
Dry 66 61
Wet 68 61
Snow – 54
Comfort 65 60
Noise 66 62
Treadwear 62 56
Handling 63 55

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

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.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Direzza DZ102

SP Sport Maxx

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 Direzza DZ102

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry pavement grip and cornering stability
  • Surprisingly high levels of ride comfort for a performance tire

Cons

  • Rapid or inconsistent tread wear
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
All owner themes in the Direzza DZ102 review

Tire B SP Sport Maxx

Pros

  • Strong dry and wet grip when brand new
  • Responsive handling and sharp cornering precision
  • Low initial road noise and good ride comfort on smooth surfaces

Cons

  • Rapid and uneven tread wear (often wearing out in under 10,000–15,000 miles)
  • High road noise and 'sawtoothing' issues as the tires age
  • Noticeable drop in wet-weather traction and sudden loss of grip near the end of their lifespan
All owner themes in the SP Sport Maxx review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102 B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—8
Rim diameters—16″ – 21″
Tread depth—10/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Winner: Dunlop Direzza DZ102 — better handling, wet and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 63 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 68 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 62 vs 56 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 66 vs 61 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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.

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

65

Leads

Direzza DZ102

Amazon