Dunlop SP9000 Sport Tire Review

Test background: I equipped a 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo with four Dunlop SP9000 Sport tires in 2003 and subjected them to normal city and highway driving conditions. The front tires were 195/55R15 and the rear 225/50R15 (standard stock size).

Type: High-Performance Summer Tire
UTQG Rating: 280-AA-A
Speed Rating: Z

Dunlop SP9000 Sport Dry Traction

The SP9000 Sport performed admirably on dry pavement, providing confidence inspiring grip and predictable handling in most conditions. That said, they had one identifiable weakness. Compared to the original stock Yokohama tires, I found the grip to be comparable, however, I must say that the Dunlops felt that they were going to break lose at lower cornering speeds. When gently pushed beyond the point at which they felt like they were going to break lose, they always stuck. Perhaps the sidewalls have a little more give and I was starting to just feel some extra body roll – they just left me with a little less hard cornering confidence than I felt I had with the stock Yokohama tires. Anyone who has driven a mid-engine turbocharged sports car knows that accelerating out of a corner is about the greatest feeling ever and the SP9000 Sport tires didn’t diminish this sensation at all. Dry Traction Rating: 8/10

Dunlop SP9000 Sport Wet Traction

Wet weather performance is where the Dunlop SP9000 Sports really shined. The tread pattern does a spectacular job of funneling water away from the tire, reducing hydroplaning, and allowing as much rubber as possible to maintain contact with the road during heavy rain. If you live in a region that suffers from frequent rain, the Dunlop SP9000 is an excellent choice. Wet Traction Rating: 9/10

Dunlop SP9000 Sport Snow Traction

If your precipitation comes in the form of snow, don’t even consider driving on your SP9000’s unless you have a death wish… these tires have no business being on the road in winter conditions. Snow Traction Rating: 0/10

Dunlop SP9000 Sport Noise and Comfort

The Dunlop SP9000 is a high performance tire – let’s face it, it is not designed to provide a comfortable ride. However, compared to other performance summer tires, the SP9000 delivered a reasonably comfortable ride even over bumpy surfaces. They are probably as forgiving as they could be without compromising performance. Road noise is low at speeds above 60 km/hr, however, one of the weakest ratings I will give this tire is the amount of road noise it produces at low speeds, especially as the tire starts reaching the end of its life. This level of road noise at low speeds is excessive and far worse than any tire I have ever used before on this car or any other for that matter. Noise Rating: 3/10; Comfort Rating: 7/10

Dunlop SP9000 Sport Treadwear

My Dunlop SP9000’s were subjected to everyday driving. I do NOT make a habit of spinning my tires when I launch from stoplights etc. I do, however, enjoy hitting the curved onramp to the freeway with a little extra acceleration and coming out of the odd hairpin corner with the accelerator planted on floor. Overall, I would not characterized my driving style as hard on tires, but not gentle either. I am now about to replace the rear tires which lasted for about 35,000 km. The fronts still have pretty good tread and should last another 10,000 km at least. The treadwear has been pretty even overall despite the fact that the different tire sizes on the front and rear on the MR2 Turbo and the uni-directional tread pattern of these tires prevent one from doing regular tire rotation. I generally have a 4-wheel alignment done annually. The tread life is comparable to the original stock Yokohama tires and slightly less than a set of much cheaper Firestone SVX tires I have also tried on this car. Treadwear Rating: 6/10

Dunlop SP9000 Sport Conclusion

Overall, I found the handling characteristics of this tire to be excellent in both dry and wet conditions. Don’t even consider driving on these tires if there is anything more than a skiff of snow on the road (of course, nobody should be buying this tire for this purpose anyway). I found the Dunlop SP9000 Sport to provide a generally comfortable ride considering it is a performance tire. Road noise was average at high speeds, but I found the road noise to be excessive at low speeds especially as the tires started to reach the end of their service life. Treadwear was generally on par with what one would expect with a tire with these performance characteristics. Overall Rating: 7/10

I am replacing my Dunlops with the BFGoodrich g-Force Sport, which are about CDN$100 cheaper, but with similar overall ratings from most users (although only V-rated). Stay tuned for a review shortly!