Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT vs Michelin Pilot Sport 3 — 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 300 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 3 leads, 67–64 Narrow edge

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Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT
Tire ADunlop

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. 66

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 3 +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport Maxx TTPilot Sport 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6572

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

    Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.7 = 70

    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).

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Sport 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 3 +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport Maxx TTPilot Sport 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6470

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

    Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 70

    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).

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Sport 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 61

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 3 +4
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport Maxx TTPilot Sport 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5361

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

    Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 61.4 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport Maxx TT or Pilot Sport 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport Maxx TTPilot Sport 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–63

    Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 63 = 66

    No road tests of noise for Pilot Sport 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 58

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 3 +3
    61
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport Maxx TTPilot Sport 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online5358

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

    Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 63.2 (est.) + 40% × 57.6 = 61

    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).

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 61

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 3 +4
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport Maxx TTPilot Sport 3
    Reviews found online6165
Scores at a glance
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT vs Michelin Pilot Sport 3: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryDunlop SP Sport Maxx TTMichelin Pilot Sport 3
Relative Score 64 67
Dry 66 70
Wet 66 70
Comfort 61 65
Noise – 66
Treadwear 58 61
Handling (owners) 61 65

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
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 Maxx TT

Pilot Sport 3

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 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

Tire B Pilot Sport 3

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

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.

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

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 3

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3
CategorySummerSummer tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available510
Rim diameters16″ – 18″15″ – 19″
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT

Michelin Pilot Sport 3

Narrow edge: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 — better dry, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Pilot Sport 3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 70 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 70 vs 66 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 65 vs 61 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 61 vs 58 on treadwear.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3

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SP Sport Maxx TT or Pilot Sport 3?

Which is better in the wet, SP Sport Maxx TT or Pilot Sport 3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 70 vs 66 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport Maxx TT or Pilot Sport 3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 70 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Sport Maxx TT or Pilot Sport 3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 65 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Sport Maxx TT or Pilot Sport 3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 61 vs 58 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