Dunlop Sport Maxxes

[Amchlolor]

Had four of them fitted yesterday ( £104 each incl VAT + fitting )
Brief rundown,bearing in mind it's been lovely weather up here so I haven't used them in the wet.

1/ Ride quality - much better than the F1's.Much less harsh and buttock clenching over rough surfaces.Leads to more confidence to push it over crap roads.
2/ Road noise - less than the F1's,without a doubt.
3/ Braking - very good,no squirming around.No better/worse than F1's.
4/ Traction - MUCH better than the F1's. I've always complained of a lack of acceleration traction with the F1's,leading to wheelspin away from junctions and axle tramp (wheels bouncing). None of that with the Dunlops. Just grip and off you go.
5/Handling (the important bit) - The initial turn in is a bit more vague than the F1's,which I can only assume is down to less stiff sidewalls (along with the improved ride),or perhaps tread movement.Once settled into the corner though,I would say the grip is on a par with the F1's.Ultimate grip levels are maybe slightly less,but it could just be the sidewalls/tread flexing more.There is definitely more 'feel' though,which I like. The bit I really,really like is the fact that the back end of the car seems to play a more active part now.When you chuck it in to a corner,the back seems to give a certain amount of oversteer now.Not full on slides/oversteer,just a feeling that the back end is now helping the car round the corner,rather than just sitting there.
I like that !

In short,these tyres really brought a grin to my face over my usual 'test route' last night (fastest straight 110mph+,fastest corner 90mph+,slowest corner 30mph).
The flexier sidewalls/tread has,IMO,improved the car.

Wet weather remains to be seen,but if they're anywhere near as good as the F1's in that department,then I'll be chuffed.

 

[arthurfuxake]

Apologies mate, but I'm praying for rain over your way soon. I'd be very interested in the wet performance as I'm in the market for new tyres, and had just about settled on the F1's. I've heard bad things about dunlop and rain, so I'm really keen to hear from you.

 

[Amchlolor]

I don't think rain's forecast until about Tuesday at the earliest and I'm on holiday next week,so I won't be posting (work PC).

Scotland ?
Rain ?
It's a myth mate. ;-)

All I can say is that I would rate them as very good,but not quite as 'hardcore' as the F1's.
A track would probably have the F1's edging it,but not the road.
Considering I only went for the Dunlops coz they were the cheapest in stock,I'm chuffed.

 

[mjepson]

What size are the tyres?

 

[Amchlolor]

S-line 225/40 18's

 

[DIABLO636]

youve thrown a spanner in the works now - i too had set my mind of F1's after all the recommendations from others. Found them for a decent price too. I would also be very interestedt o hear how they perform in the wet.
Might hold off buying any til we get your next report....

 

[Amchlolor]

Here's a picture of the tread pattern,coz I know that's important to some.
I'll report back when it rains.

 

[Cupramax]

I've got Sport Maxx's on my Cab (factory fit), they do seem very good.

 

[emzino]

youve thrown a spanner in the works now - i too had set my mind of F1's after all the recommendations from others. Found them for a decent price too. I would also be very interestedt o hear how they perform in the wet.
Might hold off buying any til we get your next report....

Same here. I'm planning to get F1's with my RS6 18's but these might be another contender.

Are they much better for everyday driving with abit of grunt?

 

[DIABLO636]

Same here. I'm planning to get F1's with my RS4 18's

Quite a few people on here have recommended againt the 18" RS4 reps as they dont quite work as well as the 19". As they are smaller there isnt as much curve to the face of the weels. might be worth keeping some other options in mind.

Advise on here is normally pretty good form all the regulars.

 

[JamS3]

Even the 19in don't have as much as a curve as the Audi OEM ones, for some resons the reps never have the "dish" to them that the originals have. Was the same for the 18in RSTT alloys.

 

[Amchlolor]

Same here. I'm planning to get F1's with my RS4 18's but these might be another contender.

Are they much better for everyday driving with abit of grunt?

They definitely give better standing-start acceleration grip than the F1's.
I used to be able to get the F1's spinning away from dry and wet junctions frustratingly easy,although they were great once rolling.
This was the only problem I had with F1's though,I'm not slagging them off.
Once rolling,their dry and wet grip was superb.
Just that initial standing-start,whoosh of torque used to overpower the F1's.
They did that from new,not just when they were shagged.
Two junctions that got the F1's spinning were completely different this morning though.The dunlops just gripped,no fuss,no drama.

 

[arthurfuxake]

Hey Bowfer, any sign of that rain I've been wishing upon you? I'm really looking forward to the rain performance report for these Dunlops.

 

[Dandle]

Heres an old american tyre test review that includes the Dunlop Sportmaxx and the Goodyear Eagle F1. Click here

 

[emzino]

They definitely give better standing-start acceleration grip than the F1's.
I used to be able to get the F1's spinning away from dry and wet junctions frustratingly easy,although they were great once rolling.
This was the only problem I had with F1's though,I'm not slagging them off.
Once rolling,their dry and wet grip was superb.
Just that initial standing-start,whoosh of torque used to overpower the F1's.
They did that from new,not just when they were shagged.
Two junctions that got the F1's spinning were completely different this morning though.The dunlops just gripped,no fuss,no drama.

Hmm I see. I'm gonna read up on them abit more but will keep all this in mind. Thanks Bowfer

P.S.: I meant RS6 rims not RS4 =/ I think the RS4's don't suit the 8P AT ALL! The RS6's look great though.

 

[arthurfuxake]

C'mon Bowfer, I've heard that it's raining up there, get that car out on the twisties and put the report up. You've got about a dozen very interested people waiting on you now. :icon_thumright:

 

[coupe-se]

C'mon Bowfer, I've heard that it's raining up there, get that car out on the twisties and put the report up. You've got about a dozen very interested people waiting on you now. :icon_thumright:

Make that a dozen +1!!

My Conti's are now on the wear markers at a little over 11k and need changing in the next week or so. Contis are about £140 fitted so the price of the Dunlops are looking attractive.

C'mon Bowfer ......... do tell ....... unless your'e busy topping up the engine with oil again!!

 

[IN-A3]

I spoke to one of the guys from dunlop at the Autosport show about the Maxx tyre. I noticed it had quite a large radius on the edges of the tread. He said that was right because it leaves a smaller footprint on the road when the car is travelling in a straight line to reduce rolling resistence/noise and aquaplainning. When the tyre is cornering the large radius comes in to contact with the ground increasing the size of the contact patch. He did say this style of tyre is not really suitable for the track, but is a good real world tyre for the road.

 

[Amchlolor]

Well it's taken until today to rain up here.
Given that the roads must have been leaking all sorts of diesel/oil/gunge from the weeks of dry weather we've had,the wet grip of the sportmaxxes has been great.
I guarantee the F1's would have been wheelspinning away from junctions,but the Dunlops just gripped.
When I did get some wheelspin,it was less dramatic than the F1's.
None of the BANG BANG BANG axle-tramp.
Just smooth wheelspin.

 

[Amchlolor]

I spoke to one of the guys from dunlop at the Autosport show about the Maxx tyre. I noticed it had quite a large radius on the edges of the tread. He said that was right because it leaves a smaller footprint on the road when the car is travelling in a straight line to reduce rolling resistence/noise and aquaplainning. When the tyre is cornering the large radius comes in to contact with the ground increasing the size of the contact patch. He did say this style of tyre is not really suitable for the track, but is a good real world tyre for the road.

That radius on the edge must be that slight vague feeling I reported when you first turn into a corner.
The tyre 'rolling' onto the larger footprint.
Not a problem,just noticeable straight after the F1's.
I barely notice it now though.

 

[Dandle]

Just seen that Goodyear have brought out a new Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyre. Which they seem to think has even better wet grip and comfort than the F1 GSD3. Cant find any other info on it apart from the price of £113.70.

 

[roadrunner]

I've got Sport Maxx's on my Cab (factory fit), they do seem very good.

Mine also came with them fitted from the factory. Only done a few thousand on them so obviously I can't compare them with anything else. We had a very wet winter and I was super super impressed with the handling of the car in some horrible conditions. I thought the grip was solely due to the Quattro but maybe the tyres have been a factor too.

Not especially helpful except to say that I never found a fault with them.