Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 

Absolutely love these tires. My Subaru STI came stock from factory with Dunlop sport maxx tires that handled phenomenally and when I purchased a set of new rims that were bigger than the stock set up I had to of course get new tires. So I went with Dunlop again as I was so impressed with the stock Dunlop sport maxx but I upgraded to these SP sport maxx GT tires. Only difference is the sidewall stiffness on these tires. Subarus stock Dunlop tire was softer for corning but I could care less about corning as I only drive city and not track so the increase stiffness of the sp sport maxx gt tires didn't bother me.

These tires in rain are like claws gripping into the ground. Yes my sti is all wheel drive and has settings for wet or loose gravel but the tires also play a huge role. I've launched my sti at a dig in heavy rain and these tires gripped the wet road so well there was 0 and I mean 0 loss of traction, it hooked like it was dry and I said good bye to all the cars at the stop light. Didn't skid, didn't have any wheel spin, they just clawed the wet ground. Wow just WOW is all I can say with these tires. Dry or wet, these tires are a beast! No wonder a set of 4 cost $1500. I love these tires so much and I will certainly buy again despite the price.

This is my 3rd set of Sport Maxx GT's in the last ~60k miles on my 2015 Audi S8. The grip and feel on dry and wet is amazing, and the cabin is whisper quiet, even when the tread is running low. This is probably the best tires I have ever had in any car, BUT tread life is horrendous. Considering that every time I have to replace tires I also have to pay for 4-wheel alignment at close to $800, the total cost of owning these tires is pretty hefty since I am doing this pretty much every year. I am considering changing for a set of Michelins that others users have reported to have about double the tread life for about $60 more each... The investment should pay for itself by the long-run savings in what is supposedly a better rated tire. We shall see!

Oh, and I know these tires are not supposed to be rated in snow, but since I drove in the WV mountains in heavy snow conditions, I will give my 2 cents: don't. They are slippery as soap and I felt like I would be likely to get in an accident in a mountainous winding snowy road if I did more than 30 mph. Lots of unhappy SUVs behind my high performance Audi LOL. I passed them all easily once we were in flat dry terrain ;).

The tire lives up to its category as a great Summer performance tire. I have put around 10K miles on these and they grip very, very well when cornering and also have great manners in the wet.

Don't expect to get more than 12K-18K miles out of a set if you do any type of spirited driving. The tread compound that makes them great for cornering and steering does so at the cost of very low tread life. I have a set of snows i use in the winter, but may consider the Michelin Pilot PS A/3 all season on my next purchase.

You shouldnt have to replace tire every year, but if you choose the Dunlops, you will.

Great traction & grip. Grabs & rides great, no road noise. Love them!

For those who care let me explain my experience. If you own an early SC430 you know the car was designed for run flat tires or stiff walled Dunlops (Dunlop SP Sport 2030 was oem option in 2002). Either way, the operative words are "stiff walled". A tire with a soft sidewall will be comfortable but will not handle well. On my car a soft sidewall will tram line, not track straight on the highway, feels unsafe going around high speed corners, and generally feels like it should not be driven fast. But they are comfortable around town.

On a scale of one to ten, one being the softest sidewall, this is what I have tried:

Nitto 555's - harsh, noisy, Sidewall 7,

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S plus ZP - Worst tire I have ever driven on, feels like round concrete, noisy. Handles OK. Sidewall 10,

Michelin Pilot Super Sport - 245/40/18 37/25 (F/R), smooth comfortable and sticks like glue. But tramlines and would not hold a straight. At 37 lbs in front they were harsh but light steering. Took bumps harshly at that pressure. Stopped hard fast and straight. I would use them again on the rears but not on the front. At 33 lbs of air the steering was slow and heavy. Sidewall 5,

Michelin MXM4 - 225/45/18 35lbs front. Quite comfortable tire around town, does not feel safe on highway because it does not respond fast enough. Goes straight and will not tramline. Does not stop hard enough and does not feel planted in high speed corners. OK if you are not going to push them. Very sluggish at 33 lbs of air. Sidewall 1,

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 235/40/18 33/24 (F/R). These tires are perfect for this car. They do not tramline, steer with precision, feel planted in corners, are athletic, agile, quiet smooth and comfortable (quieter than the Pilot Super Sport). The cars steers straight, goes around corners like it is on rails. The sidewall is firmer than the PSS. If you want precision use the GT in the rear, if more comfort, use the PSS in the rear. Love the GT for the front. Sidewall 8.

These came on my S5. When they wore out, I decided to try the Conti Extreme DW. Aside from a slightly embarassing name, the Contis are just like the reviews by TR & C&D. They give a bit on dry versus these to do better in the wet and have a bit longer treadwear. The Dunlops are clearly better feel both in terms of how crisp steering response feels, how communicative they are cornering at the limit, how well they grip at the limit (dry road conditions), and how smooth they ride. The Dunlops are less likely to develop flat spots in my experience and even after the flat spots are gone (few miles) there is still a slight vibration that a road-force balancer can't take out with the Contis. With the Dunlops, the ride was always like glass on highways. The way I look at it, tire companies work hand-in-glove with the car companies to achieve certain performance targets. With most cars, that means better mileage with less road noise, no matter what else is sacrificed. With high performance cars, they don't sell enough of them to hurt their Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) so they focus on performance, not mileage. In the case of the S5, the car felt better in all conditions except steady rain and even then, the advantage the Contis have over the Dunlops is slight. Yes the Dunlops cost several hundred more for a set (in this size, at this time) but compared to what I spent for this car, the savings feel like a Pyrrhic victory. I will be going back to these Dunlops when it comes time to replace the tires again.

Quite and smooth, Makes a big difference over the OEM Goodyear tires, they just feel good. I'm no expert but I know what works!

I love these Sport Maxx GT Dunlops. They have been on my Audi S4 since new and now have 26000 miles on these tires. There has never been an issue with the tires, and I am extremely watchful regarding tire quality and the ability to run true over time. These are still perfectly round and without vibrations. The treadwear is excellent for a tire rated at 240 treadware and because I do not drive that heavily I will be ready to replace them based on age as well as tread life. They have performed well and perfectly fit the character of the S4 - very sporty and responsive but quiet and comfortable. I plan to buy these again as soon as I am ready to buy.

These tires are very quiet and produces a smooth quiet ride,

These tires came with my car when I bought it new 2 1/2 years ago. I put about 30,000 mostly highway miles on them and they probably would have gone another 5,000 before becoming unserviceable. I was very happy with the tread wear because I do sometimes like to drive aggressively, accelerating and braking hard as well as having fun with the occasional on/off ramp and twisty back road. Here my simple summary:

The good: absolutely phenomenal warm weather traction, especially in dry conditions.

The neutral: good, not great ride (mostly due to the sports suspension and 19" rims, I know...). a little louder than I'd like

The bad: a little pricier than I'd prefer. Also, I had a bit of bad luck with durability which may or may not be indicative of the brand at large (for the sake of the review I won't count it against them). Although I don't remember hitting any especially rough bumps I did have an incident where both right side tires developed outside sidewall blisters at the same time. I was informed by the dealership service department that there was no warranty on such damage, even though I had recently replaced one due to a complete sidewall failure (after catching a nail on the highway). The dealer wanted $430 a pop to replace them and that was simply the final straw for me. Being November I threw my winter set on and never looked back. I sold my tires and rims on craiglist and will be running set from now on.

The ugly: not a surprise given the fact they are clearly summer tires, but these tires do NOT handle on snow or slush - at all. You will be a public hazard if you try to run them in the cold wet stuff.

Overall, a great tire. For the price and convenience I have decided, as mentioned above, to switch to a Bridgestone Pole Position all season once I pull my winters off. For those who have the scratch and want a high performance summer tire these are a good choice.

I still have the original tires on my Audi A5 after four summer seasons of driving. I have a winter wheel set so the summer Dunlops have approximately half of my car's miles on them since I put winter tires on from Nov. 1st to approx. April 15th (Chicago). Using my odometer reading of just over 53,000 miles, that would put my summer miles at about 26,000 plus. I don't know what people do to require new tires at much less mileage, but I drive somewhat aggressive, but no autocross or such. I have a 2013 Audi RS5 for that.

These were the OEM tires on my car on the 19" wheels. I am shocked at how well they've worn. Outstanding grip, especially when warm. I wish they were a little less but for the money I have to admit they're darn good. I got 30000 miles of usage out them which includes commuting, blasting up and down the freeway, plenty of hard cornering, and some serious mountain road driving.