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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx vs Michelin Primacy 3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Primacy 3 is ahead, 70–59

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Tire BMichelin

Primacy 3

Summer

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 67 · 195 reviews

“So I have decided there is no way I am paying for the Bridgestone Ecopias at over £200 a tyre, and as such, I have come across the Michelin Primacy 3 on Costco, which I can get fitted for approx £93 a tyre (I only need two on the rear) They seem to have good reviews. My actual tyre size for my i3S should be 195/50 R20, but getting 195/55 R20 instead should only add up to another inch or so in height, so I'm reckoning I should be okay. What are people's thoughts?”

Category by category

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

  1. 61

    Dry

    Primacy 3 +11
    72
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–74
    Reviews found online5869
  2. 61

    Wet

    Primacy 3 +11
    72
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online5871
  3. 54

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Reviews found online44–
  4. 60

    Comfort

    Primacy 3 +9
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Reviews found online5268
  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Reviews found online56–
  6. 56

    Treadwear

    Primacy 3 +11
    67
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online4959
  7. 55

    Handling

    Primacy 3 +13
    68
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxPrimacy 3
    Reviews found online5568
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport MaxxMichelin Primacy 3
Relative Score 59 70
Dry 61 72
Wet 61 72
Snow 54 –
Comfort 60 69
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 56 67
Handling 55 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score

SP Sport Maxx

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
All owner themes in the SP Sport Maxx review

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
All owner themes in the Primacy 3 review

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

Michelin Primacy 3

Positive

Community discussions regarding the Michelin Primacy 3 generally view it as a reliable, cost-effective, and comfortable touring tire option compared to alternatives like Bridgestone Ecopias or Turanzas. Users frequently compare its efficiency and comfort attributes against sportier options like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 or Goodyear Eagle F1, noting its balanced performance.

r/LexusES ·2 upvotes ·2026-09-28

“By far the biggest determinant in road noise will be the road surface, as you found, and no tire will overcome that basic fact. That is so obvious in my area where there are new sections of highway interspersed with old sections. Having said that, I'm running the older Michelin Primacy 3 ST tires on 17 inch wheels on my 2021 ES300h and they are great, compared to the Turanza I was running on 19 inch wheels on the same car. The Michelin Primacy Tour A/S should be even better in this regard. Not sure, but perhaps the higher profile of the 17 inch tires (215/55R17 vs 235/40R19) also helps reduce road noise.”
Top themes
#Cost and value#Ride comfort#Fuel efficiency#Road noise reduction#Comparison with sport tires#Size availability

Based on 7 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx B · Michelin Primacy 3
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available842
Rim diameters16″ – 21″15″ – 20″
Tread depth10/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Michelin Primacy 3

Winner: Michelin Primacy 3 — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Primacy 3 scores 68 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Primacy 3 scores 72 vs 61 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Primacy 3 scores 72 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Primacy 3 scores 67 vs 56 on treadwear.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
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Tire B · Michelin Primacy 3
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

70

Leads

Primacy 3

Amazon