Tests – · none yet Owners 58 · 1,564 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT vs Pirelli P Zero — 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 + 3 road tests and 1,564 + 3,486 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: SP Sport Maxx GT 63, P Zero 62.
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Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 47 · 3,486 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (dry handling)
“New rubber for the road wheels Pirelli P-Zero RS TLR 30mm, measuring 33mm on 25mm inner rim width. Rides like a dream, but the center thread is narrow, so I'd not feel confident if I raced anything with tighter cornering.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
68
Dry
P Zero +472Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 80 Reviews found online 68 61 SP Sport Maxx GT: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 68.3 = 68
P Zero: 60% × 79.6 + 40% × 61.4 = 72
No road tests of dry for SP Sport Maxx GT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
66
Wet
P Zero +571Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 81 Reviews found online 65 55 SP Sport Maxx GT: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.5 = 66
P Zero: 60% × 81.1 + 40% × 54.9 = 71
No road tests of wet for SP Sport Maxx GT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
55
Snow
SP Sport Maxx GT +550Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 44 36 SP Sport Maxx GT: 60% × 62.1 (est.) + 40% × 44.1 = 55
P Zero: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 36.4 = 50
No road tests of snow for SP Sport Maxx GT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
No road tests of snow for P Zero. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
-
61
Comfort
SP Sport Maxx GT +556Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 58 46 SP Sport Maxx GT: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 58.1 = 61
P Zero: 40% × 69.8 + 60% × 46.2 = 56
No road tests of comfort for SP Sport Maxx GT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
67
Noise
SP Sport Maxx GT +958Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 61 Reviews found online 68 53 SP Sport Maxx GT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 67
P Zero: 60% × 60.7 + 40% × 53.1 = 58
No road tests of noise for SP Sport Maxx GT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
54
Treadwear
SP Sport Maxx GT +450Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 59 (est.) 65 Reviews found online 46 28 SP Sport Maxx GT: 60% × 59.2 (est.) + 40% × 46.3 = 54
P Zero: 60% × 65.3 + 40% × 28.1 = 50
No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport Maxx GT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
62
Handling (owners)
SP Sport Maxx GT +656Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Reviews found online 62 56 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison59Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx GT P Zero Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 59
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT | Pirelli P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 63 | 62 |
| Dry | 68 | 72 |
| Wet | 66 | 71 |
| Snow | 55 | 50 |
| Comfort | 61 | 56 |
| Noise | 67 | 58 |
| Treadwear | 54 | 50 |
| Handling (owners) | 62 | 56 |
| Efficiency | – | 59 |
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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
63
/ 100
SP Sport Maxx GT
62
/ 100
P Zero
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 4 tests that ran both, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT finished ahead 0 times and Pirelli P Zero 4 times.
| Discipline | Category | SP Sport Maxx GT | P Zero | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #7/10 | #5/10 | – | 0–4 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2012 EVO Max Performance Tyre Test · 235/40 R18 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A SP Sport Maxx GT
Pros
- Outstanding dry grip and precise cornering handling
- Quiet and refined ride comfort, especially for a high-performance tire
- Strong initial steering response and predictable road feedback
Cons
- Rapid and often uneven tread wear resulting in short lifespan
- Poor traction and confidence in cold temperatures, snow, and ice
- Susceptibility to aquaplaning or slipping in heavy wet conditions
Tire B P Zero
Pros
- Outstanding dry grip and handling performance
- Precise steering feedback and high-speed stability
- Good wet-weather braking and cornering when warm
Cons
- Rapid and uneven tread wear, often requiring replacement much sooner than expected
- Poor grip and unpredictable traction in cold temperatures (below 7°C/45°F)
- Prone to tramlining and tracking road imperfections
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Pirelli P Zero
Community sentiment regarding Pirelli P Zero tires is polarized across its automotive and bicycle product lines. While users praise the tire lineup for sharp steering responsiveness, comfortable ride quality, and strong dry grip—especially on newer models like the AS Plus 3 and PZ5—many drivers report fast tread wear, wet grip issues on certain summer variants, and vulnerability to sidewall bubbles. Additionally, cyclists frequently note that the tubeless road variants offer impressive rolling speed but can be exceptionally difficult to mount.
z4-forum.com
·2018-01-21
“I switched my Z4C from Pirelli P Zero's to Asymmetric 3's, as I was fed up with the noise from the Pirelli's. I find the Asymmetric 3's much quieter, more comfortable and more predictable. The Pirelli's felt like they have more grip in ideal conditions, but got more easily caught out by damp, poor surfaces etc.”
f30.bimmerpost.com
“So I had ditched the horrible pirelli pzero run flats a few months ago for my 335 and got non run flat michelin pilot sports 4s on my 19 in wheels though they were hard to source and loved them. Xmas day driving at 40mph hit a pothole and immediately the low tyre pressure warning came on and the pressure was .2 bar! The air pump and goo thing did nothing for me ie despite switching it on the tyre pressure would go up to 1.2 and as soon and would deflate within a minute when pump was stopped back to .2 bar. I had family over and absolutely needed the car which was stranded away from home so an emergency tyre firm came and installed a accelera phi R tyre(the opnly tyre they could source in all of the city) callout fee in total £200! Incidentally I notice no change in the cars charecteristics if anything the accelera phi R seems softer and quieter? Should I get another michelin PS4 now and ditch the new accelera? I'm also quietly wondering if I made an error by ditching run flats thought he ride and handling are so much better they wouldn't have left me stranded perhaps?”
mbworld.org
“Quote: Originally Posted by ruined_c55 Since I've had mine, I've had Pirelli PZeros with stock wheels, Purely fronts/Accelera PHI R rears with my old wheels and now Lionhart LH Fives. Pirellis lasted 12ish K in the rear, Acceleras about 8K, and the Lionharts are too new to give lifespan feedback on. They did surprisingly well up in the canyons in the rain though. I'm not brave enough to run cheap Chinese tires on my dirtbike, let alone my daily driver pushing almost 400hp. I get between 15-20k out of much more expensive Michelins but the longer life and tons better grip more than make up for it.”
Top themes
#rapid tread wear#wet weather grip#difficult tubeless mounting#sharp steering response#ride comfort and quietness#sidewall bubble issues#AS Plus 3 performance
Based on 277 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT | B · Pirelli P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 22 | 194 |
| Rim diameters | 18″ – 22″ | 17″ – 24″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 240 A A | 220 A A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 22 | 22 |
Which one should you actually buy?
63
/ 100
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
62
/ 100
Pirelli P Zero
Too close to call: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT and Pirelli P Zero are within 2 points overall. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT is stronger on noise, handling and snow. Pirelli P Zero is stronger on wet and dry.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT scores 67 vs 58 on noise.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT scores 62 vs 56 on handling.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT scores 55 vs 50 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT scores 61 vs 56 on comfort.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
Tire B · Pirelli P Zero
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SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Which is better in the wet, SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Pirelli P Zero, 71 vs 66 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Pirelli P Zero, 72 vs 68 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 55 vs 50 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 67 vs 58 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 61 vs 56 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Sport Maxx GT or P Zero?
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, 54 vs 50 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