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Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 vs Michelin Primacy 4+ — 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 32 + 10 road tests and 3,507 + 39 owner reviews. How we score

Primacy 4+ leads, 78–74 Narrow edge

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Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2
Tire ADunlop

Sport Maxx RT2

Summer

± 4

Tests 76 · 32 tests Owners 71 · 3,507 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test (comfort (tester's mark))

“Everybody is right. The tyre is available in both a RF and a non-RF versions - so it will simply depend on what you buy. e.g. the rears for my F31 are not RF”

Michelin Primacy 4+
Tire BMichelin

Primacy 4+

Summer

± 4

Tests 85 · 10 tests Owners 70 · 39 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (abrasion)

Category by category

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

  1. 76

    Dry

    Primacy 4+ +2
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 30 / 9 tests7982
    Reviews found online7171
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–194%95%

    Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 79.1 + 40% × 71.1 = 76

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 82.3 + 40% × 70.5 = 78

  2. 80

    Wet

    Sport Maxx RT2 +1
    79
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / 9 tests8483
    Reviews found online7474
    Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%83%
    Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–099%96%
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–183%92%
    Wet Braking (concrete) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–184%86%

    Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 84 + 40% × 73.5 = 80

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 82.6 + 40% × 73.8 = 79

  3. 70

    Comfort

    Primacy 4+ +1
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 1 tests7073
    Reviews found online7169

    Sport Maxx RT2: 40% × 69.6 + 60% × 70.7 = 70

    Primacy 4+: 40% × 73.3 + 60% × 69 = 71

  4. 67

    Noise

    Primacy 4+ +6
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / 7 tests6377
    Reviews found online74≈ 67 (est.)
    Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–198%99%

    Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 63.5 + 40% × 73.5 = 67

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 76.7 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 73

    No owner ratings of noise for Primacy 4+. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 69

    Treadwear

    Primacy 4+ +16
    85
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / 4 tests7095
    Reviews found online6869
    Abrasion (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–160%100%
    Wear (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–163%87%

    Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 68.1 = 69

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 95.3 + 40% × 68.9 = 85

  6. 71

    Handling (owners)

    Sport Maxx RT2 +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Reviews found online7165
  7. 64

    Efficiency

    Primacy 4+ +14
    78
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / 8 tests6478
    Fuel Consumption (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–197%98%
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Sport Maxx RT2Michelin Primacy 4+
Relative Score 74 78
Dry 76 78
Wet 80 79
Comfort 70 71
Noise 67 73
Treadwear 69 85
Handling (owners) 71 65
Efficiency 64 78

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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Recomputed
Headline score
± 4

Sport Maxx RT2

± 4

Primacy 4+

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 finished ahead 0 times and Michelin Primacy 4+ 1 times.

DisciplineCategorySport Maxx RT2Primacy 4+ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 94% 95% −0.5 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Curved Aquaplaning Wet 100% 83% +17.1 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 99% 96% +3.2 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Wet Braking Wet 83% 92% −8.8 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Wet Braking (concrete) Wet 84% 86% −2.5 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Noise Noise 98% 99% −1.5 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Abrasion Treadwear 60% 100% −39.7 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Wear Treadwear 63% 87% −23.9 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Fuel Consumption Efficiency 97% 98% −1.7 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 61% 52% +8.7 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Value Cost 50% 59% −9.0 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Overall Ranking Overall #5/16 #2/16 – 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test · 215/55 R17

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Sport Maxx RT2

Pros

  • Excellent grip and stability in both wet and dry conditions
  • Significantly lower road noise and high ride comfort compared to competitors
  • Competitive pricing offering great value for a premium-tier brand

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can cause a spongy feel and lack of precision during fast cornering
  • Some reports of premature cracking in the tread valleys or sidewalls
  • Performance and noise levels can degrade noticeably as the tread wears down
All owner themes in the Sport Maxx RT2 review

Tire B Primacy 4+

Pros

  • Excellent ride comfort and a smooth, compliant 'limousine-like' feel over bumps
  • Strong and reliable grip in both wet and dry conditions, inspiring confidence
  • Noticeable improvement in quietness and traction compared to predecessor tires or factory options

Cons

  • Loud road noise and a harsh drone on rough or coarse asphalt surfaces
  • Soft sidewalls can reduce steering agility and initial responsiveness compared to dedicated sport tires
  • High premium price point relative to competitors
All owner themes in the Primacy 4+ review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2

Positive

Community opinion portrays the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2 as a solid, quiet, and good-value performance tire that performs well in all weather conditions. While some drivers note it is an older design compared to newer flagship releases and point out its 'B' wet rating in certain sizes, it is generally considered capable and competitively priced. There is also frequent discussion clarifying the availability of both run-flat and non-run-flat variants across different dimensions.

forums.m3cutters.co.uk ·2 upvotes ·2021-01-21

“Everybody is right. The tyre is available in both a RF and a non-RF versions - so it will simply depend on what you buy. e.g. the rears for my F31 are not RF”
zroadster.org ·1 upvote ·2018-11-27

“I have Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2's on my Audi A3 2.0TDI (buckets of torques) and they work incredibly well in all weather conditions. Granted a different proposition with FWD Audi, but for the price it was a no brainer to stick with them when I needed the fronts replacing.”
forums.m3cutters.co.uk ·2021-01-21

“Thanks everyone! I knew this forum would have the answer I think in this case what the tyre fitter might have meant was "there are no Dunlop run-flats for e46 M3s" (he did ask what car it was for) as this size based search does not bring up tyres with the run flat feature. Which I presume means the ones I ordered previously were not run-flats (it certainly looked properly flat, would not want to drive on it let alone at the claimed 50mph) and thence the new one I've ordered is also a not a run-flat. Garage should be able to fit them. Bloody confusing of the Dunlop website.”
Top themes
#Run-flat availability confusion#Low road noise#Value for money#All-weather grip#Older tire generation#Wet performance rating

Based on 19 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Primacy 4+

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 B · Michelin Primacy 4+
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available5666
Rim diameters17″ – 21″16″ – 21″
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG300 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—
Sizes in common2424

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2

Michelin Primacy 4+

Narrow edge: Michelin Primacy 4+ — better treadwear, efficiency and noise. Pick the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 if handling matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 85 vs 69 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 78 vs 64 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 scores 71 vs 65 on handling.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 73 vs 67 on noise.

Tire A · Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2
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Tire B · Michelin Primacy 4+
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Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Which is better in the wet, Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 79 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 78 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 73 vs 67 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 71 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 85 vs 69 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Sport Maxx RT2 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 78 vs 64 on our efficiency 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