This all season tire is designed for dry and wet traction, as well as light snow. If you don't encounter snow and ice during the winter go with a summer tire which provides better traction in both wet and dry conditions than an all season tire. Click on the picture of the SP Sport Signature to the left to get a glimpse of the tire's asymmetric tread pattern, which is designed by Dunlop with many special new features to give ultimate traction. Hydro Paddle Technology improves wet traction and prevents hydroplaning when driving in the rain. You can see that the tire's chutes are designed to funnel water from from the middle of the tire all the way to the left side of the tire. Which brings up another point - you can only rotate these tires from front to back and not side to side.
Throughout the tire you can also see skinny lines that cross the tread pattern which are called sipes. These smallest of grooves help with winter traction when you hit any snow or ice - if you don't have any chains on your tires. The Dunlop SP Sport Signature comes in variety of speed versions depending on your fancy - H rated (130 mph), V rated (149 mph), W rated (168 mph), and Y rated (186 mph). The H rated and Y rated options are very limited though when it comes to different sizing options. Tested: This tire is a beast and really sticks to the road, even when pushed to the limit. Accelerating off the line the tires grip the road amazingly well and keep their traction throughout the course, especially when cornering. When taken on the same track after sprinklers soaked it, the tires still provided excellent traction and crisp steering. Road noise was about average when going at high speeds on the freeway. When encountering potholes and bumps on some typical side roads the tires were a bit more firm than similar tires tested. Here is the side by side comparison of pros and cons:
Conclusion:
The Dunlop SP Sport Signature is a fantastic high performance tire that is a lot of fun to drive. It performs very well in all conditions, and provides great traction whether on dry roads or in the rain. The tires can be a bit stiff when encountering imperfections in the road, but this is what gives it such precise steering and handling. Prices for this tire range from about $100 to $210 depending on the size, which is a very good value for this tire. Similar High Performance All Season Tires Kumho Ecsta PA31 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid Video
Here is a separate review from the guys at Tire Rack who compared the SP Sport Signature to the following tires: Firehawk Wide Oval AS Goodyear Eagle GT Yokohama Avid Envigor |
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All Season Performance Tires
Excellent response and handling in wet and dry conditions, as well as light snow.
Excellent response and handling in wet and dry conditions, as well as light snow.
Performance Summer Tires
Low profile tires provide great handling and traction for both dry and wet conditions
Low profile tires provide great handling and traction for both dry and wet conditions