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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST — 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 9 + 0 road tests and 1,371 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 4 SUV is ahead, 83–39

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Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport 4 SUV

Summer

± 5

Tests 80 · 9 tests Owners 79 · 1,371 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 12 in 2023 Best SUV Tyres Tested (wet braking)

“Loving my new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tires and Enkei Raijin wheels”

Category by category

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

  1. 86

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV +47
    39
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests86≈ 49 (est.)
    Reviews found online8624

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV: 60% × 86 + 40% × 86.4 = 86

    SP Sport Maxx GT DSST: 60% × 49.4 (est.) + 40% × 23.7 = 39

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport Maxx GT DSST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 91

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV +49
    42
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests94≈ 49 (est.)
    Reviews found online8732

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV: 60% × 94 + 40% × 86.7 = 91

    SP Sport Maxx GT DSST: 60% × 49.3 (est.) + 40% × 32 = 42

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport Maxx GT DSST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 64

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV +35
    29
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests54≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online7110

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV: 40% × 54.2 + 60% × 71.2 = 64

    SP Sport Maxx GT DSST: 40% × 58.3 (est.) + 60% × 10 = 29

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport Maxx GT DSST. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 58

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests53–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV: 60% × 52.5 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 58

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 SUV. 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. 72

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV +35
    37
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests77≈ 49 (est.)
    Reviews found online6518

    Pilot Sport 4 SUV: 60% × 77.1 + 40% × 65.3 = 72

    SP Sport Maxx GT DSST: 60% × 49.5 (est.) + 40% × 18.3 = 37

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport Maxx GT DSST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  6. 83

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Reviews found online83–
  7. 64

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport 4 SUVSP Sport Maxx GT DSST
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests64–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport 4 SUVDunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST
Relative Score 83 39
Dry 86 39
Wet 91 42
Comfort 64 29
Noise 58 –
Treadwear 72 37
Handling (owners) 83 –
Efficiency 64 –

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

Pilot Sport 4 SUV

± 8

SP Sport Maxx GT DSST

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 Pilot Sport 4 SUV

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and safety in both wet and dry conditions
  • Precise steering response and enhanced cornering stability for heavy SUVs
  • Noticeable improvement in ride comfort and overall handling

Cons

  • Higher-than-average purchase price
  • Increased road noise reported by some users as the tread wears down
  • Faster tread wear and shorter mileage lifespan under aggressive driving or heavy vehicle loads
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 4 SUV review

Tire B SP Sport Maxx GT DSST

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV

Positive

Community sentiment toward the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV is generally very positive, with owners highlighting its strong grip, handling precision, and suitability for heavy performance SUVs. Users frequently compare it favorably to older Latitude Sport 3 and standard passenger tires, though they emphasize its summer-only limitation below 40°F and note trade-offs in price and tread life.

subaruoutback.org ·1 upvote ·2021-10-17

“The CrossClimate2 is supposed to be better in every way compared to the prior generations, including less rolling resistance (better fuel economy). Most Tire Rack reviews are from people who have only driven on tires for a short time so when there are tread life ratings from consumers I don't know how accurate it is. My Michelin Pilot Sport4SUV summer tires have 1500 miles on them and started at 9/32nds and are still 9/32nds (all 4 corners) with some very aggressive driving (testing rear sway bars) and only have 200 treadwear rating.”
r/Audi ·1 upvote ·2026-07-09

“Nope nope nope. I live in the SE and my RWD sports car get squirrelly with normal driving when it drops below 40 on my PS4Ss. You’d be in a ditch first bit of snow.”
r/PorscheMacan ·1 upvote ·2026-04-04

“I'm leaning towards the Pilot Sport 4 SUV over the LS3. I'd really like to see how much better these tires grip. Although it sounds like I'll be sacrificing a little comfort, but with air suspension I'm not too worried.”
Top themes
#Summer temperature limitations#Grip and handling performance#Tread life and wear#Comparison with Latitude Sport 3#Ride comfort and firmness#SUV-specific load design

Based on 37 community posts

Tire B

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST
CategorySummerSummer tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4—
Sizes available65—
Rim diameters17″ – 23″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV scores 91 vs 42 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV scores 86 vs 39 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV scores 64 vs 29 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV scores 72 vs 37 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST
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Pilot Sport 4 SUV or SP Sport Maxx GT DSST?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport 4 SUV or SP Sport Maxx GT DSST?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, 91 vs 42 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport 4 SUV or SP Sport Maxx GT DSST?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, 86 vs 39 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport 4 SUV or SP Sport Maxx GT DSST?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, 64 vs 29 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport 4 SUV or SP Sport Maxx GT DSST?

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, 72 vs 37 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