tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Touring R1 vs Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424 — 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 22 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

SP Touring R1 is ahead, 70–56

Check price on Amazon · SP Touring R1 or OPTIMO ME02 K424 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    SP Touring R1 +10
    59
    Why this score
    SourceSP Touring R1OPTIMO ME02 K424
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online7055

    SP Touring R1: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 69.8 = 69

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 62.6 (est.) + 40% × 54.9 = 59

    No road tests of dry for SP Touring R1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 71

    Wet

    SP Touring R1 +21
    50
    Why this score
    SourceSP Touring R1OPTIMO ME02 K424
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 55 (est.)
    Reviews found online7143

    SP Touring R1: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 70.6 = 71

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 55.3 (est.) + 40% × 42.6 = 50

    No road tests of wet for SP Touring R1. 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 OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 67

    Comfort

    SP Touring R1 +8
    59
    Why this score
    SourceSP Touring R1OPTIMO ME02 K424
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6654

    SP Touring R1: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.7 = 67

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 40% × 65.8 (est.) + 60% × 54.3 = 59

    No road tests of comfort for SP Touring R1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourceSP Touring R1OPTIMO ME02 K424
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–61

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 60.9 = 64

    No road tests of noise for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 69

    Treadwear

    SP Touring R1 +6
    63
    Why this score
    SourceSP Touring R1OPTIMO ME02 K424
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7161

    SP Touring R1: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 71 = 69

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.2 = 63

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Touring R1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 72

    Handling (owners)

    SP Touring R1 +22
    50
    Why this score
    SourceSP Touring R1OPTIMO ME02 K424
    Reviews found online7250
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Touring R1Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424
Relative Score 70 56
Dry 69 59
Wet 71 50
Comfort 67 59
Noise – 64
Treadwear 69 63
Handling (owners) 72 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
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
± 8

SP Touring R1

± 8

OPTIMO ME02 K424

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 Touring R1

Pros

  • High tread longevity and durability
  • Excellent value for money
  • Comfortable and quiet ride quality

Cons

  • Inconsistent wet-weather performance
  • Reports of sidewall vulnerability
  • Occasional road noise feedback
All owner themes in the SP Touring R1 review

Tire B OPTIMO ME02 K424

Pros

  • Available in hard-to-find niche sizes such as for the Geo Metro
  • Long-lasting tread life due to a harder rubber compound
  • Affordable pricing and accessible delivery

Cons

  • Alarmingly poor wet grip leading to frequent skidding and loss of control
  • Extended stopping distances in rainy conditions despite vehicle safety systems like ABS and traction control
  • Noticeable squealing during dry cornering due to hard compound
All owner themes in the OPTIMO ME02 K424 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Touring R1 B · Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
UTQG400 B B—
Sidewall—Blackwall

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Touring R1

Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424

Winner: Dunlop SP Touring R1 — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 72 vs 50 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 71 vs 50 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 69 vs 59 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Touring R1 scores 67 vs 59 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Touring R1
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

SP Touring R1 or OPTIMO ME02 K424?

Which is better in the wet, SP Touring R1 or OPTIMO ME02 K424?

Dunlop SP Touring R1, 71 vs 50 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Touring R1 or OPTIMO ME02 K424?

Dunlop SP Touring R1, 69 vs 59 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Touring R1 or OPTIMO ME02 K424?

Dunlop SP Touring R1, 67 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Touring R1 or OPTIMO ME02 K424?

Dunlop SP Touring R1, 69 vs 63 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