Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Tire Rated Tops 'Down Under'

AKRON, Ohio, June 5 -- All-round ultra-performance by Dunlop's award-winning SP Sport Maxx tire has gotten noticed again. This time, accolades are rolling in from Down Under.

Wheels magazine, Australia's oldest and biggest-selling new-car bible, named the Dunlop ultra-performance tire as the "best all-rounder" among nine 17-inch candidates in the June issue. Tires in 235/45R17 size were installed on an Aussie-built Ford Falcon XR6 and tested in a slalom around traffic cones, in wet and dry braking and cornering and on hot laps around a racetrack.

Editors divided the tires into two camps -- all-rounders and specialists, tires that performed well in the dry but compromised their wet traction capabilities, for example.

Andy Traicoff, director of Dunlop Tires in North America, said the SP Sport Maxx minimizes those compromises with technology. "Multi-Radius Tread technology puts more tread rubber on the pavement for excellent dry handling and traction through all stages of cornering. Meanwhile, Twin Hydro-Paddle technology efficiently pumps water from under the tire for responsive handling on wet roads."

In addition, the summer tire tread contains higher levels of silica compounds and high-structured carbon blacks for excellent acceleration and braking performance, Traicoff added.

"We're proud that Wheels recognized the all-round performance capabilities of the SP Sport Maxx. It proved its superiority in all summer weather conditions," he said.

Wheels called it "another tire for all seasons, with good feel and grip in the wet cornering and braking. . . In the dry, it provided precise directional changes with excellent steering control. No significant rolling or squirming in the slalom."

Developed by Dunlop in Hanau, Germany, the SP Sport Maxx earned high marks when it was introduced in Europe. In its annual Autocar magazine tire test, the weekly British publication tested five leading tire brands on a Vauxhall Monaro and declared the new SP Sport Maxx the quickest in its handling test.

In another test, online tire retailer Tire Rack said the ultra-performance summer tire out-performed three leading tire brands on four identical BMW 330Ci sports sedans. The retailer said, "The Sport Maxx achieved the highest lateral g's, which aided driver confidence, and easily set the fastest average overall lap time in this test."

The tire also leads Tire Rack's consumer survey in the maximum performance summer category. See http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP for survey results.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original- equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring "tuner" tire sizes and race series sponsorships.

For more on Dunlop tire performance, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/.