Click here to get Tyroola's deal: Get 20% off Grandtrek AT20, AT222, and AT25
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 050 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (PS4) [2024]

Here are the key stats for the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 050 and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, at a glance.
SP Sport Maxx 050Pilot Sport 4
Vehicle SuitabilityPassengerPassenger
Driving StyleMax Performance SummerMax Performance Summer
SeasonSummerSummer
Release Date20102015
Run Flat?NoNo
Overall ScoreN/A77/100

Pricing

Enter your tyre size below to see the best prices for your specific size (if unsure, check placard on the driver's side door or your existing tyres).

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 050 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 in Australia

The SP Sport Maxx 050 has been around in Australia for about 14 years, whereas the Pilot Sport 4 has been on the market for about 9 years

Both tyres are rated for max performance summer action. Both tyres are designed for use with regular passenger (non-SUV) vehicles.

Both of these are considered summer tyres. Neither of them are runflat tyres. Both brands are considered to be in the premium part of the market.

Read on to see how each of these tyres stack up against each other!

How We Reviewed These Tyres

Unlike the Australian government, the European Union carries out standardised tests on all tyres sold in Europe. These tests are carried out in identical conditions, making them a reliable way to compare tyres.

For this review, we use averaged results from tests done on 138 sizes of these tyres by the European Union.

Fuel Efficiency

EU Grade
(A - E)
Compared to an A grade tyre?
SP Sport Maxx 050D0.3L/100km extra fuel consumption. ~$65 extra per year
Pilot Sport 4C0.2L/100km extra fuel consumption. ~$52 extra per year

The US Department of Energy estimates that around 25% of the fuel consumption of a vehicle is attributable to the tyres. That's a lot, and it means that choosing fuel efficient tyres can save you quite a bit of money.

The SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres rank a D on a scale of A to E in the official fuel efficiency tests carried out by the EU (they call these rolling resistance tests).

The Pilot Sport 4 tyres get a grade of C.

Expect the lower grade tyre to consume an extra 0.1L/100km. This works out to $13 extra spent on petrol per year, based on a typical 12,000 km driven per year.

Here's a graph comparing the SP Sport Maxx 050 and Pilot Sport 4 tyres for fuel efficiency (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Grip & Handling

EU Grade
(A - E)
Compared to an A grade tyre?
SP Sport Maxx 050B2.5 metre greater stopping distance when braking at 80km/h
Pilot Sport 4AThis is an A grade tyre for wet grip

We'll now take a look at how these tyres compare in terms of grip and handling.

A good measure of this is 'wet grip', which is an indication of how well the tyres will allow the vehicle to come to a stop in wet conditions.

The SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres rank a B on a scale of A to E in the official fuel tests carried out by the EU.

The Pilot Sport 4 tyres, on the other hand, get a grade of A.

Expect the lower graded tyres to require about an extra 3 metres to come to a complete stop when braking at 80km/h.

Here's a graph comparing the SP Sport Maxx 050 and Pilot Sport 4 tyres for wet grip (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Noise

EU Grade
(A - C)
Compared to an A grade tyre?
SP Sport Maxx 050A (68.6 dB)This is an A grade tyre for noise
Pilot Sport 4B (71.0 dB)2 times as noisy

Another key factor to consider when choosing a tyre is road noise. Once you're over about 40 km/h, the dominant source of noise you hear is from the contact of your tyres on the road.

There is a surprisingly wide variation in the amount of noise each tyre makes.

The SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres produce 68.6 dB of road noise, which corresponds to a rank of A on a scale of A to C in the standardised testing done by the EU.

On the other hand, the Pilot Sport 4 tyres produce 71.0 dB of road noise, which means a grade of B.

Expect the lower graded tyre to produce about 1.6 times as much noise as the higher grade tyre (the decibel scale is logarithmic).

Here's a visual representation of how the SP Sport Maxx 050 and Pilot Sport 4 tyres stack up for noise (1 = Grade C, 3 = Grade A).

Comfort

Based on the results of a number of tyre benchmarks, the Pilot Sport 4 scores 3 out of 5 for comfort. We don't have any comfort data for the SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres.

UTQG Data

Introduced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the USA, the Uniform Tire Grading System (UTQG), is a system for comparing one tyre product to another on the basis of some standardised tests.

SP Sport Maxx 050Pilot Sport 4
Treadwear280320
Traction
(AA - C)
AAA
Temperature Resistance
(A - C)
AA

Treadwear

As per the UTQG guidelines, the SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres have a treadwear rating of 280, whereas the Pilot Sport 4 tyres have a rating of 320. This means that the SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres will theoretically last only 88% as long as the Pilot Sport 4 tyres.

Traction

The UTQG system measures traction as straight-line braking in dry conditions. The scale is AA, A, B, C, with AA being the best grade, and C the worst.

As per the UTQG system, the SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres have a traction resistance grading of A, whereas the Pilot Sport 4 tyres have a grading of AA.

Temperature Resistance

The UTQG temperature resistance tests measure how well tyres can dissipate heat that builds up due to friction with the road. The scale is A, B, C, with A being the highest grade.

As per the UTQG system of tyre grading, the SP Sport Maxx 050 and Pilot Sport 4 tyres both have a temperature resistance grading of A.

Warranty

The Pilot Sport 4 tyres have a warranty of 6 years. There is no time-based warranty available for the SP Sport Maxx 050.

Comparisons With Similar Tyres

Still on the fence about these tyres? Check out how they compare to other similar tyres on the market in Australia!

Summary

Let's now take a look at the main differences between these two sets of tyres.

For fuel efficiency, SP Sport Maxx 050 score a grade of D, which is below average. Pilot Sport 4 end up with a grade of C, which is more or less average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, SP Sport Maxx 050 get a score of B, which is above average. Pilot Sport 4 end up with a grade of A, which is outstanding.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, SP Sport Maxx 050 get a score of A, which is excellent. Pilot Sport 4 end up with a grade of B, which is about typical.

The SP Sport Maxx 050 tyres have a UTQG treadwear rating of 280, whereas the Pilot Sport 4 tyres have a rating of 320.This means that you can expect the SP Sport Maxx 050 to last only 88% as long as the Pilot Sport 4 tyres.

The SP Sport Maxx 050 have a UTQG traction grading of A, while the Pilot Sport 4 tyres having a grading of AA.

The SP Sport Maxx 050 have a UTQG temperature grading of A, while the Pilot Sport 4 tyres having a grading of A.

Full Size List (click to show)

Below is a list of all 21 sizes of the SP Sport Maxx 050, and all 150 sizes of the Pilot Sport 4 tyres sold in Australia, sorted by tyre width.

SP Sport Maxx 050 Sizes

Size
215/55 R18 95H
225/45 R17 91W
225/55 R17 97V
225/35 R18 90Y
225/50 R18 95V
225/60 R18 100H
225/50 R18 95W
235/40 R19 96Y XL
235/45 R18 94Y
235/65 R18 106V
235/60 R18 103H
235/55 R20 102V
245/45 R19 98Y
245/45 R19 102Y
245/40 R19 94W
245/40 R21 96Y
255/35 R18 90Y
255/40 R19 96Y
265/35 R19 94W
265/35 R19 94Y
275/35 R21 99Y

Pilot Sport 4 Sizes

Size
195/45 R17 81W
205/40 R17 84Y XL
205/55 R16 91W
205/45 R17 88V XL
205/45 R17 88Y XL
205/45 R17 (88Y) XL
205/55 R16 (91Y)
205/40 R18 (86Y) XL
205/55 R16 94Y XL
205/40 R18 86Y XL
205/40 R18 86W XL
205/40 R17 (84Y) XL
205/50 R17 93Y XL
205/50 R17 (93Y) XL
205/55 R16 (94Y) XL
205/55 R16 91Y
205/45 R17 88W XL
215/45 R17 (91Y) XL
215/40 R18 85Y
215/45 R18 (93Y) XL
215/40 R18 89Y XL
215/40 R18 (89Y) XL
215/55 R17 (98Y) XL
215/50 R17 (95Y) XL
215/45 R18 89Y
215/55 R17 98Y XL
215/40 R17 87Y XL
215/50 R17 95Y XL
215/45 R18 93Y XL
215/40 R17 (87Y) XL
215/45 R17 91Y XL
215/60 R16 95V
225/55 R17 (101Y) XL
225/45 R17 94W XL
225/45 R18 95W XL
225/45 R18 (95Y) XL
225/50 R18 (99Y) XL
225/40 R19 93Y XL
225/50 R17 98W XL
225/55 R19 103Y XL
225/40 R18 (92Y) XL
225/45 R17 (91Y)
225/45 R17 91V
225/40 R18 92Y XL
225/45 R17 (94Y) XL
225/50 R16 92Y
225/50 R17 (98Y) XL
225/45 R19 96W XL
225/45 R17 94Y XL
225/40 R19 (93Y) XL
225/50 R16 (92Y)
225/50 R18 99Y XL
225/45 R18 91W
225/50 R17 98Y XL
225/45 R18 95Y XL
225/45 R17 91Y
225/55 R17 101Y XL
225/40 R18 92W XL
235/45 R18 98Y XL
235/40 R19 96Y XL
235/35 R19 87Y
235/45 R19 99Y XL
235/40 R18 95Y XL
235/50 R18 101Y XL
235/45 R19 (99Y) XL
235/40 R18 91W
235/50 R18 (101Y) XL
235/35 R19 (91Y) XL
235/35 R19 91Y XL
235/40 R18 (95Y) XL
235/45 R17 (97Y) XL
235/45 R18 (98Y) XL
235/35 R19 (87Y)
235/45 R17 97Y XL
235/40 R19 (96Y) XL
245/40 R19 98Y XL
245/40 R18 93Y
245/40 R18 97Y XL
245/45 R17 99Y XL
245/45 R19 102Y XL
245/35 R18 (92Y) XL
245/40 R19 101Y XL
245/35 R20 95Y XL
245/35 R18 92Y XL
245/50 R18 (100Y)
245/40 R17 (95Y) XL
245/45 R18 (100Y) XL
245/35 R20 95W XL
245/40 R18 (97Y) XL
245/40 R19 (98Y) XL
245/45 R17 (99Y) XL
245/40 R17 95Y XL
245/45 R20 103Y XL
245/50 R18 100Y
245/40 R18 (93Y)
245/45 R19 (102Y) XL
245/45 R18 100Y XL
255/40 R18 (99Y) XL
255/45 R18 103Y XL
255/35 R18 94Y XL
255/40 R19 100W XL
255/45 R19 (104Y) XL
255/35 R20 97W XL
255/35 R20 97Y XL
255/40 R19 (100Y) XL
255/40 R19 100Y XL
255/35 R19 96Y XL
255/40 R20 101Y XL
255/35 R19 (96Y) XL
255/40 R17 98Y XL
255/40 R18 99Y XL
255/45 R17 (98Y)
255/45 R18 (103Y) XL
255/35 R18 (94Y) XL
255/45 R17 98Y
255/45 R19 104Y XL
255/40 R17 (98Y) XL
265/35 R18 97Y XL
265/45 R19 105Y XL
265/45 R19 (105Y) XL
265/40 R18 (101Y) XL
265/35 R18 (97Y) XL
265/40 R18 101Y XL
275/35 R19 (100Y) XL
275/40 R20 (106Y) XL
275/45 R18 (107Y) XL
275/40 R20 106Y XL
275/35 R18 99Y XL
275/40 R18 (103Y) XL
275/35 R21 (103Y) XL
275/40 R19 105Y XL
275/35 R19 100Y XL
275/35 R21 103Y XL
275/40 R19 (105Y) XL
275/45 R18 107Y XL
275/40 R18 103Y XL
275/35 R18 (99Y) XL
275/45 R19 108Y XL
285/40 R19 (107Y) XL
285/40 R22 110Y XL
285/40 R19 107Y XL
285/40 R20 108Y XL
295/40 R19 108Y XL
295/40 R19 (108Y) XL
315/30 R21 105Y XL
315/35 R20 110Y XL
315/30 R21 (105Y) XL
315/35 R20 (110Y) XL
325/30 R21 (108Y) XL
325/30 R21 108Y XL
Louis from Tyre Geek

Louis

I'm Louis, an engineer passionate about helping Australians choose better tyres for their vehicles!