New Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT Summer Tires Land in America
July 14th, 2008Dunlop introduces its new premium, ultra-performance SP Sport Maxx GT summer tire. The tire is original equipment on the 354-horsepower Audi S5 and 670-hp Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, and is now available in several replacement sizes for owners of Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Carrera S, Audi S5, Audi A5, BMW M5 and M6.
Developed and manufactured in Germany, the SP Sport Maxx GT tire is a natural choice for supercars and pure sports cars. It helps deliver enhanced dry grip, responsive steering, cornering stability and handling, combined with excellent driver feedback, according to Matthew Neidert, brand manager for Dunlop performance tires.
The new tire features Touch Technology, a system of tire components that interact to offer faster driver feedback and more precise steering response. The Touch Technology package, Neidert said, includes a stiff sidewall to help reduce flex during cornering, rigid tread blocks and a lower tread profile for a larger road-tire contact patch. In addition, a Hybrid JointLess Band helps maintain tire shape at highway speeds. The innovative combination of aramid and nylon fibers in the Hybrid JointLess Band also helps prevent flatspotting when a vehicle is parked for extended periods.
The tire features an asymmetric tread pattern with a performance compound to help deliver outstanding traction through an enlarged contact patch for enhanced stability and cornering. This non-directional tread design also allows for tire rotation on high-performance applications with staggered fitments, which helps extend tread life.
Dunlop’s sophisticated Multi Radius Tread Technology permits the calculation of an exceptionally accurate tread surface with pressure distributed across the treadface. A larger dynamic contact patch enhances the tire’s dry-handling capabilities and smooth handling through all stages of cornering – from entry to the apex to exit.
The SP Sport Maxx GT is available in eight sizes, including: 235/40R18 95Y, 245/40R18 97Y, 255/35ZR18 94Y, 285/35R18 101Y, 235/35R19, 255/40R19, 285/35ZR19 and 295/30R19 100Y. Additional sizes in 18- through 23-inch rim diameters will be available in 2009.
The new supercar tire is also gaining interest among European tuner companies. The tire landed a fitment on a Cargraphic Porsche 997, winner of the Sport Auto Tuner Grand Prix in May 2007.
Outstanding tire tests in England and Germany on the Autodelta J4 2.2C, a specially tuned Alfa Romeo, led to a sophisticated construction for the discerning demands of Autodelta customers worldwide. A new tread compound in the SP Sport Maxx GT is derived from Dunlop’s German touring-car race tires.
