Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 vs Firestone Firehawk Sport
In this article we will be looking at independent tyre test data, and real world driver reviews of the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 and the Firestone Firehawk Sport to find out which tyre is best for your own driving.
There are a few basic differences between the two tyres. The Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 is an Max-Performance Summer tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger-Cars, and the Firestone Firehawk Sport is an Ultra-High-Performance Summer tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger-Cars
Test Results
Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been three tests which compare both tyres directly!
| Tyre | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 | one | |
| Firestone Firehawk Sport | two |
While it might look like the Firestone Firehawk Sport is better than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.
Dry Braking
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during three dry braking tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport stopped the vehicle in 2.42% less distance than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Dry Braking: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during one dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was 1.1% faster around a lap than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during three wet braking tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport stopped the vehicle in 1.26% less distance than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Wet Braking: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking - Concrete
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one wet braking - concrete tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport stopped the vehicle in 0.26% less distance than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Wet Braking - Concrete: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Wet Braking - Concrete winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during one wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was 0.56% faster around a wet lap than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was 0.66% faster around a wet circle than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wet Circle: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during two straight aqua tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 floated at a 3.14% higher speed than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Straight Aqua: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Curved Aquaplaning
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during two curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 slipped out at a 15.23% higher speed than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Curved Aquaplaning winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 scored 14% more points than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one noise tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport measured 0.34% quieter than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Noise: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Wear
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during two wear tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 is predicted to cover 22.06% miles before reaching 1.6mm than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wear: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Wear winner was calculated >>
Value
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 was better during two value tests. On average the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 proved to have a 14.75% better value based on price/1000km than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Value: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
See how the Value winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one rolling resistance tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport had a 19.02% lower rolling resistance than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport used 1.79% less fuel than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Abrasion
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one abrasion tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport emitted 10.88% less particle wear matter than the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Best In Abrasion: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Abrasion winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 and Firestone Firehawk Sport.
In total the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 has been reviewed 92 times and drivers have given the tyre 77% overall.
The Firestone Firehawk Sport has been reviewed 6 times and drivers have given the tyre 76% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2.
Conclusion
In conclusion the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 performed better in dry handling [km/h], wet handling [km/h], wet circle, straight aqua, curved aquaplaning, subj. comfort, wear and value, while the Firestone Firehawk Sport performed better in dry braking, wet braking, wet braking - concrete, noise, rolling resistance, fuel consumption and abrasion.
Interestingly, both tyres performed equally well in dry handling and wet handling, showing that they are closely matched in these areas.
Which tyre is best for you depends a lot on your driving style and situation, plus what you want from the tyre. Comparing all the data in the tyre reviews database, on balance Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 seems to be the best tyre overall.
However, it's important to note that both tyres have their strengths.
Remember, the best tyre for you might depend on which of these factors are most important for your specific driving needs and conditions.
Overall Winner: Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2
Based on the tyre test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tyre has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tyre buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tyre comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tyres:
Footnote
This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.
Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.