Tests – · none yet Owners 48 · 173 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx vs Michelin Primacy 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 + 2 road tests and 173 + 195 owner reviews. How we score
Primacy 3 is ahead, 71–55
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Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 67 · 195 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 20 in 2017 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (wear)
“I have just put a new set of Michelin Primacy 3 T0 Acoustics on and they have been faultless. Lots of grip, very quiet etc. They were also good last year in the snow and were from blackcircles for about £240 a tyre.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
58
Dry
Primacy 3 +1573Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 62 (est.) 74 Reviews found online 53 70 SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 61.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 58
Primacy 3: 60% × 74.2 + 40% × 70 = 73
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).
-
57
Wet
Primacy 3 +1572Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 60 (est.) 72 Reviews found online 52 72 SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 51.8 = 57
Primacy 3: 60% × 71.9 + 40% × 72 = 72
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).
-
52
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Primacy 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
Primacy 3 +1568Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 45 68 SP Sport Maxx: 40% × 64.8 (est.) + 60% × 45.3 = 53
Primacy 3: 40% × 68.9 (est.) + 60% × 67.9 = 68
No road tests of comfort for SP Sport Maxx or Primacy 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 Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 50 – SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 50.1 = 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
Primacy 3 +1667Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 57 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 41 57 SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 57.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.1 = 51
Primacy 3: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 56.8 = 67
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).
-
50
Handling (owners)
Primacy 3 +1868Why this score
Source SP Sport Maxx Primacy 3 Reviews found online 50 68
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Sport Maxx | Michelin Primacy 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 55 | 71 |
| Dry | 58 | 73 |
| Wet | 57 | 72 |
| Snow | 52 | – |
| Comfort | 53 | 68 |
| Noise | 60 | – |
| Treadwear | 51 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 50 | 68 |
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
55
/ 100
SP Sport Maxx
71
/ 100
Primacy 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 Primacy 3
Pros
- Exceptional ride comfort and low noise levels
- Strong dry grip and confident handling
- Smooth, refined high-speed stability and cruising capability
Cons
- Higher than average purchase price
- Faster-than-expected tread wear reported by many users
- Mixed feedback on wet weather performance, with some noting a lack of grip in standing water or snow
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Michelin Primacy 3
Community members generally view the Michelin Primacy 3 as a quiet, smooth, and capable grand touring tire, with several users highlighting the run-flat (ZP) version as superior in comfort to competing run-flats. However, some drivers report fast tread wear, a harsh ride compared to standard non-run-flat alternatives, and note that the model is older and increasingly replaced by newer generations like the Primacy 4.
bobistheoilguy.com
·2022-10-13
“Is your tire size 235/55-18? You might like the Michelin Primacy 3 which is actually a good price for an 18" Michelin. They are summer tires, but that's OK if you have separate winter tires. The Goodyear Assurance Maxlife sounds like something that will last a long time. The Cooper Enduramax is good if you drive over potholes and curbs because it's supposed to be tougher”
mbworld.org
“Continental DWS06 Plus non-runflats, going on my car next week. Have had OEM Michelin Primacy 3's and they are like driving on bricks. I also ordered an OEM donut spare and jack kit for the trunk. Jack kit goes in lower compartment, spare kept under the horizontal floor net (Coupe).”
f30.bimmerpost.com
“The Primacy3 ZP were installed today. Of course, they need a break-in period, but from some highway and city traffic, I'm already sold that these are the best replacement run-flat tires for our 18" size. The car now glides where it previously "sandpapered" its way down the road with the original harsh and noisy Pirellis. Bumps feel far more isolated. The reviews for DriveGuard have been mediocre, not great. These are far better to my senses. The 225/50-18 size is hard to find. Tire Rack carries the Primacy3 ZP, but not in that size. Another tire store in my area confused them with the non-runflat which Michelin has named the same...just Primacy3. Then, realized they couldn't get the ZP version. Very odd wholesale distribution pattern. Discount Tire was able to order them. First day, but very, very pleased. EDIT: My wife even noticed and she never notices anything about cars. She said the car felt smoother to her as a passenger!”
Top themes
#Run-flat ride quality#Tread wear and longevity#Touring comfort and low noise#Model obsolescence and replacements#OE fitment and regional availability#Price and size compatibility
Based on 23 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx | B · Michelin Primacy 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 8 | 42 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 21″ | 15″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Sizes in common | 1 | 1 |
Which one should you actually buy?
55
/ 100
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
71
/ 100
Michelin Primacy 3
Winner: Michelin Primacy 3 — better handling, treadwear and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 68 vs 50 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 67 vs 51 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 73 vs 58 on dry.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 72 vs 57 on wet.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
Tire B · Michelin Primacy 3
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SP Sport Maxx or Primacy 3?
Which is better in the wet, SP Sport Maxx or Primacy 3?
Michelin Primacy 3, 72 vs 57 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport Maxx or Primacy 3?
Michelin Primacy 3, 73 vs 58 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, SP Sport Maxx or Primacy 3?
Michelin Primacy 3, 68 vs 53 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Sport Maxx or Primacy 3?
Michelin Primacy 3, 67 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