Tests – · none yet Owners 48 · 173 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 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 (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 173 + 10 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 3 is ahead, 67–56
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Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 10 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
58
Dry
Pilot Sport 3 +1169Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 53 69 SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 61.7 (est.) + 40% × 52.8 = 58
Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 69 = 69
No road tests of dry for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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 0.42).
-
57
Wet
Pilot Sport 3 +1370Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 60 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 52 70 SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 51.8 = 57
Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70
No road tests of wet for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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 0.55).
-
52
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 60 (est.) – Reviews found online 41 – SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 41.2 = 52
No road tests of snow for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
-
53
Comfort
Pilot Sport 3 +1063Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 45 60 SP Sport Maxx: 40% × 64.7 (est.) + 60% × 45.3 = 53
Pilot Sport 3: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 59.8 = 63
No road tests of comfort for SP Sport Maxx or Pilot Sport 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
60
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 50 – SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 50.3 = 60
No road tests of noise for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
51
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 3 +960Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 57 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 41 57 SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 57.5 (est.) + 40% × 41.2 = 51
Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 62.8 (est.) + 40% × 56.7 = 60
No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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 0.35).
-
50
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Pilot Sport 3 Reviews found online 50 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Sport Maxx | Michelin Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 56 | 67 |
| Dry | 58 | 69 |
| Wet | 57 | 70 |
| Snow | 52 | – |
| Comfort | 53 | 63 |
| Noise | 60 | – |
| Treadwear | 51 | 60 |
| Handling (owners) | 50 | – |
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
56
/ 100
SP Sport Maxx
67
/ 100
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
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
Tire B Pilot Sport 3
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 8 | 10 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 21″ | 15″ – 19″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Sizes in common | 0 | 0 |
Which one should you actually buy?
56
/ 100
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
67
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 3
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 — better wet, dry 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
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 70 vs 57 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 69 vs 58 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 63 vs 53 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 60 vs 51 on treadwear.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3
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SP Sport Maxx or Pilot Sport 3?
Which is better in the wet, SP Sport Maxx or Pilot Sport 3?
Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 70 vs 57 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport Maxx or Pilot Sport 3?
Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 69 vs 58 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, SP Sport Maxx or Pilot Sport 3?
Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 63 vs 53 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Sport Maxx or Pilot Sport 3?
Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 60 vs 51 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