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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SportSmart MK3 vs Continental SportContact 7 — Compared

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

SportContact 7 is ahead, 84–73

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Tire ADunlop

SportSmart MK3

Summer Ultra High Performance tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 3 reviews

Tire BContinental

SportContact 7

Summer

Tests 83 · 22 tests Owners 82 · 1,596 reviews

“Just took the factory SC7’s off my gfs puma ST, they are super grippy, they feel even stickier than the PS4S on my car but I’d say they are less predictable at the limits and I always felt like they tramlined a bit too much and they weren’t a very comfortable tyre. Fronts have just under half their tread left after 11000 miles. Swapped em out for conti all season contact 2’s as she needs to be able to go out during any conditions and she doesn’t want to have two sets.”

Category by category

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

  1. 73

    Dry

    SportContact 7 +22
    95
    Why this score
    SourceSportSmart MK3SportContact 7
    Professional tests (TWG score)–97
    Reviews found online7691
  2. 70

    Wet

    SportContact 7 +22
    92
    Why this score
    SourceSportSmart MK3SportContact 7
    Professional tests (TWG score)–94
    Reviews found online7088
  3. 74

    Comfort

    SportSmart MK3 +10
    64
    Why this score
    SourceSportSmart MK3SportContact 7
    Professional tests (TWG score)–56
    Reviews found online7976
  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    60
    Why this score
    SourceSportSmart MK3SportContact 7
    Professional tests (TWG score)–56
  5. 73

    Treadwear

    SportSmart MK3 +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSportSmart MK3SportContact 7
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online7866
  6. 77

    Handling

    SportContact 7 +12
    89
    Why this score
    SourceSportSmart MK3SportContact 7
    Reviews found online7789
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SportSmart MK3Continental SportContact 7
Relative Score 73 84
Dry 73 95
Wet 70 92
Comfort 74 64
Noise – 60
Treadwear 73 69
Handling 77 89

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

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

SportSmart MK3

SportContact 7

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 SportSmart MK3

Pros

  • Excellent grip levels when tires are at operating temperature
  • Impressive tread longevity for a sport-oriented tire
  • Highly capable performance for spirited road riding

Cons

  • Reduced traction in cold weather conditions
  • Noticeable loss of grip on dirty or compromised road surfaces
All owner themes in the SportSmart MK3 review

Tire B SportContact 7

Pros

  • Phenomenal wet and dry grip with high cornering limits
  • Precise steering response and excellent road feedback
  • Strong braking performance and high stability at speed

Cons

  • Faster-than-average tread wear, especially with spirited driving or track use
  • Stiff sidewalls can contribute to a harsher, bumpier ride
  • Elevated road noise reported on certain road surfaces
All owner themes in the SportContact 7 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Dunlop SportSmart MK3

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

Tire B

Continental SportContact 7

Positive

Community members widely praise the Continental SportContact 7 for outstanding dry and wet grip, sharp steering precision, and strong value compared to key rivals like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. However, users frequently highlight faster tread wear, reduced initial tread depth, and occasional issues with road noise and comfort as main drawbacks.

cliosport.net ·2024-02-09

“Can’t look past the sport contact 7s for me, both in terms of price and performance. I prefer them to the PS4S. The ride is better, they aren’t as loud, they are cheaper and wet grip is noticeable better. I’ve only used them on fairly big RWD stuff so can’t comment on how they’d be on something lighter and FWD. They are awesome on the 5 series and M3”
r/FiestaST ·5 upvotes ·2025-12-05

“Continental SportContact 7 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 I have a 2022 Mk 8.5 with the stock 18" wheels. The original Michelin PS4 need to be replaced. Unfortunately, I am not able to source new Michelins as they are not in stock anywhere convenient. I am able to get Conti SC7s in 205/40 R18. Never used a set. Always had Michelins on all my cars. Reviews tell me that they are at least as good and probably better than the Michelins (and perhaps better even than the Michelin PS4S I run on my other car), but has anyone tried them? My other options for decent tyres in the correct size are Bridgestone Potenza Sports. I can get Pirelli P Zeros but they are the previous generation and I don't like them (having had them on another car as OEM and replaced them with Michelins after 2000kms). I am in Australia so don't need all season tyres. Thanks in advance. Read more”
r/tires ·1 upvote ·2026-02-18

“US doesn't have the PS5 or PS5S yet but the 4s and 4 were top performing for years and still are. Sport contact 7 would be my 2nd choice.”
Top themes
#exceptional dry grip#wet weather performance#rapid tread wear#michelin ps4s comparison#value and pricing#steering precision feedback#road noise levels

Based on 114 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SportSmart MK3 B · Continental SportContact 7
CategorySummer Ultra High Performance tiresSummer
Vehicle typeMotorcyclePassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—123
Rim diameters—18″ – 24″
Tread depth—8 - 9/32″
UTQG—240 AA A
Sidewall—Black Side Wall
Max pressure—50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SportSmart MK3

Continental SportContact 7

Winner: Continental SportContact 7 — better dry, wet and handling. Pick the Dunlop SportSmart MK3 if comfort and treadwear matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental SportContact 7 scores 95 vs 73 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental SportContact 7 scores 92 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental SportContact 7 scores 89 vs 77 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SportSmart MK3 scores 74 vs 64 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SportSmart MK3
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Tire B · Continental SportContact 7
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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.

84

Leads

SportContact 7

Amazon