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Toyo NanoEnergy R38 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Sport LM705 vs Toyo NanoEnergy R38 — 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 39 + 8 owner reviews. How we score

NanoEnergy R38 is ahead, 70–65

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Toyo NanoEnergy R38
Tire BToyo

NanoEnergy R38

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 70 · 8 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    NanoEnergy R38 +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6572

    SP Sport LM705: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.5 = 66

    NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 72.2 = 71

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport LM705. 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 NanoEnergy R38. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 61

    Wet

    NanoEnergy R38 +11
    72
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online5873

    SP Sport LM705: 60% × 63 (est.) + 40% × 57.6 = 61

    NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 73.2 = 72

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport LM705. 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 NanoEnergy R38. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 62

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)–
    Reviews found online56–

    SP Sport LM705: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 56.4 = 62

    No road tests of snow for SP Sport LM705. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 70

    Comfort

    SP Sport LM705 +1
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7069

    SP Sport LM705: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70

    NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport LM705 or NanoEnergy R38. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online57–

    SP Sport LM705: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 56.9 = 63

    No road tests of noise for SP Sport LM705. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    SP Sport LM705 +1
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6665

    SP Sport LM705: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 66.4 = 66

    NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 65.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport LM705. 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 NanoEnergy R38. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    NanoEnergy R38 +7
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport LM705NanoEnergy R38
    Reviews found online6471
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport LM705Toyo NanoEnergy R38
Relative Score 65 70
Dry 66 71
Wet 61 72
Snow 62 –
Comfort 70 69
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 66 65
Handling (owners) 64 71

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

SP Sport LM705

NanoEnergy R38

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 SP Sport LM705

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and smooth bump/pothole absorption
  • Very low road noise and quiet highway operation
  • High value for money compared to premium competitors

Cons

  • Significantly compromised wet grip and poor performance in heavy rain
  • Soft sidewalls lead to mushy steering response and lack of high-speed handling feedback
  • Faster-than-expected wear reported by some users
All owner themes in the SP Sport LM705 review

Tire B NanoEnergy R38

Pros

  • Reliable wet and dry grip with predictable handling limits
  • Good value for money compared to premium brand alternatives
  • Solid longevity and mileage, with respectable tread wear reported

Cons

  • Slightly increased road noise reported by some users
  • Limited size or availability challenges noted by consumers wanting replacements
All owner themes in the NanoEnergy R38 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport LM705 B · Toyo NanoEnergy R38
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6—
Rim diameters16″ – 19″—
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport LM705

Toyo NanoEnergy R38

Winner: Toyo NanoEnergy R38 — better wet, handling and dry. Where the Dunlop SP Sport LM705 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Toyo NanoEnergy R38 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Toyo NanoEnergy R38 scores 72 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Toyo NanoEnergy R38 scores 71 vs 64 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Toyo NanoEnergy R38 scores 71 vs 66 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport LM705
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Tire B · Toyo NanoEnergy R38
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SP Sport LM705 or NanoEnergy R38?

Which is better in the wet, SP Sport LM705 or NanoEnergy R38?

Toyo NanoEnergy R38, 72 vs 61 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport LM705 or NanoEnergy R38?

Toyo NanoEnergy R38, 71 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Sport LM705 or NanoEnergy R38?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 69 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, SP Sport LM705 or NanoEnergy R38?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 65 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