tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Michelin City Grip 2 vs Pirelli Diablo Rosso III — 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 8 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

City Grip 2 is ahead, 80–73

Check price on Amazon · City Grip 2 or Diablo Rosso III 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.

Michelin City Grip 2
Tire AMichelin

City Grip 2

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 84 · 8 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 80

    Dry

    City Grip 2 +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Diablo Rosso III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 76 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8777

    City Grip 2: 60% × 75.7 (est.) + 40% × 86.8 = 80

    Diablo Rosso III: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 77.1 = 74

    No road tests of dry for City Grip 2. 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 Diablo Rosso III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 84

    Wet

    City Grip 2 +10
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Diablo Rosso III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 81 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online8975

    City Grip 2: 60% × 80.8 (est.) + 40% × 89.2 = 84

    Diablo Rosso III: 60% × 73 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 74

    No road tests of wet for City Grip 2. 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 Diablo Rosso III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 75

    Comfort

    City Grip 2 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Diablo Rosso III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7975

    City Grip 2: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 78.6 = 75

    Diablo Rosso III: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 75 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for City Grip 2. 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 Diablo Rosso III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 74

    Treadwear

    City Grip 2 +7
    67
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Diablo Rosso III
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7867

    City Grip 2: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 77.9 = 74

    Diablo Rosso III: 60% × 66.7 (est.) + 40% × 67 = 67

    No road tests of treadwear for City Grip 2. 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 Diablo Rosso III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  5. 86

    Handling (owners)

    City Grip 2 +7
    79
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Diablo Rosso III
    Reviews found online8679
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin City Grip 2Pirelli Diablo Rosso III
Relative Score 80 73
Dry 80 74
Wet 84 74
Comfort 75 73
Treadwear 74 67
Handling (owners) 86 79

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

City Grip 2

± 8

Diablo Rosso III

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A City Grip 2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions
  • Improved confidence and stability when cornering and leaning
  • Solid mileage and tread longevity

Cons

  • Slightly stiffer construction can reduce impact absorption or comfort on rough roads for certain riders
  • Transmits noticeable road feedback and creases
  • Requires a brief warm-up period of around 5 minutes to reach maximum stickiness
All owner themes in the City Grip 2 review

Tire B Diablo Rosso III

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and predictable handling at various lean angles
  • Improved wet-weather performance compared to more aggressive track-oriented tires
  • Fast warm-up times providing immediate confidence

Cons

  • Inconsistent tread life, with some users reporting premature rear tire wear
  • Potential for rapid degradation under aggressive riding styles
  • Isolated reports of structural issues such as delamination
All owner themes in the Diablo Rosso III review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin City Grip 2 B · Pirelli Diablo Rosso III
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeMotorcycleMotorcycle

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin City Grip 2

Pirelli Diablo Rosso III

Winner: Michelin City Grip 2 — better wet, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin City Grip 2 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Pirelli Diablo Rosso III rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin City Grip 2 scores 84 vs 74 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin City Grip 2 scores 74 vs 67 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin City Grip 2 scores 86 vs 79 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin City Grip 2 scores 80 vs 74 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin City Grip 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Pirelli Diablo Rosso III
Check price on Amazon

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

City Grip 2 or Diablo Rosso III?

Which is better in the wet, City Grip 2 or Diablo Rosso III?

Michelin City Grip 2, 84 vs 74 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, City Grip 2 or Diablo Rosso III?

Michelin City Grip 2, 80 vs 74 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, City Grip 2 or Diablo Rosso III?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 73 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, City Grip 2 or Diablo Rosso III?

Michelin City Grip 2, 74 vs 67 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