DUNLOP SPORTSMART 2 MAX
A hypersport tyre for everyday use... is it possible?
With 128 years of racing experience and 16 endurance championships to their name, Dunlop know a thing or two about rubber – which trickled down to the third incarnation of their SportSmart model – the SportSmart 2 Max (SS2M).
It’s not just a rebranding, they’ve really gone to town on improving the tyre, meaning aside from the tread, everything’s changed radically. The most dramatic improvement comes in the form of an all-new front construction of Rayon Ply casing and Aramid JLB, coupled with an optimised Tri-polymer blend and high dispersion silica compound.
Sounds a mouthful, but it basically means the SS2M has considerably quicker warm up times plus an improved feeling on start up, alongside a bigger contact patch for iffy conditions.
For me the most enticing aspect of these hoops is the brand new profile; being softer, it makes the front end lighter and has a ‘reduced stand-up tendency’ – traditionally a pain when trail braking hard. Dunlop also revised the sidewall with a shaped edge, meaning in a corner you’re unlikely to roll off the edge without any warning. That’s no fun for anyone! Thanks to the new multi-tread pattern, the spankability now lasts 10% longer, too. Dunlop used their Endurance racing expertise to design a stiffer compound in the middle, getting you your money’s worth of miles. But enough of the chat! The focus is on the riding, so off we went...
GRIPPING!
The first stint of the day is on Yamaha’s wee MT-07, attacking a rather challenging road ride. Although the French mountainside is beautiful, it’s also demanding due to its unpredictability, from fast sweeping bends to incredibly thin roads, bumpy to smooth surfaces and the odd swathe of grit and mud thrown in for good measure. Even so, Dunlop’s test riders didn’t mess about.
As we got through town, the pin was pulled. There was literally every corner you could ever think of. We hit everything and hit it hard. Yet whatever we threw at the tyres they didn’t falter – the SS2M oozes confidence, no matter how much you trail brake, slam it in, then fire out the other end. They just dip in and grip, even over dust. You really can go into corners hot and anchor up (a true testament to the new compound), while the purchase given actually exceeds what the MT-07’s budget suspension is capable of. There were sections so bumpy you could actually get airtime, and yet the SS2M didn’t give any indications that it was going to throw me off. I really must try harder!
This meant switching to a Kawasaki Z900 for more oomph in the final leg. Even with the
extra power (and no TC) the Dunlops held up incredibly well, offering palpable levels of squidge but with enough support to be comparable to a sports tyre. This complemented the slightly harder chassis on the Kawasaki better. Even so, the amount of feedback outdid the Z900’ s capabilities – especially when considering the mileage you can get out of a set. Although we only got a little bit of a thrash, the SS2M shone under the beaming French sunshine.
AND ON TRACK?
We had an afternoon at the Dunlop test track in Mireval to
find out. Given fresh rubber and fresher bikes, I opted for the Kawasaki ZX-6R, before moving up the performance scale. The track is absolutely mega, like a sexual French Snetterton, but tilted vertically with a massive variety of curves. It had everything you could want.
This meant learning the place before being able to properly gas it. A noticeable asset was quick tyre warm up. I still didn’t really know where I was going, but within a couple of laps I was knee-down without any poo-your-pants moments.
Hopping on a Yamaha MT-10, those 150 horses soon had it squirming in second and third gear. Even so, at full lean angle the SS2M rubber held up well and really dug in, while leaving monstrous darkies in third and fourth gear with minimal effort – win! So they can handle Supersport and big nakeds, but what about 1,000cc? First
impressions – awful, but for good reason! On Kawasaki’s ZX-10R with a standard setup, the front was impressively planted, whether anchoring up hard in a straight line, or trail braking and banging down the box. On the other hand the rear seemed to struggle to give any positive feeling on the power besides bucking and weaving. Even through the fast corners the big Kawasaki was sliding its nuts off, and it made you feel like you were absolutely on the pipe, even though lap times really weren’t that quick. Considering the earlier performance of the SS2M on everything else I was a bit baffled, meaning a bike change was in order.
On a Yamaha R1 though, the SS2M instantly redeemed itself. It felt like a completely different tyre and honestly it offered everything I hoped for, and more. With the traction control on its lowest setting the rear seemed to dig in and grip almost like you’d expect from a race tyre, while still being soft enough to feel the movement under power.
They were terrific, especially considering they have the longevity of a touring tyre. You could really rely on them and even without warmers they worked impeccably after just a few laps. It made the ZX-10R feel flimsy, but it was down to the bike not the tyre, and that’s a whole different story for another day to be honest.
As confidence increased their limits slowly made themselves known, but that was only when pushing pretty hard. Think decent pace in a fast group on a trackday. Oh, and they are really easy to back into corners and drift out, so if you fancy looking like a boss, they are a bloody easy and forgiving tyre for showing off on.
So is it possible to have a hypersport tyre for everyday use? Yes, as long as you’re not trying to set lap records!
The truth is that if you liked the Sportsmart 2, you’ll love the SS2M. It’s not a tyre you can throw on a litre sportsbike and go rule the fast group on a trackday – Dunlop have other tyres for that. But, it will do just about everything up to that rather excellently.
And the best part? After six 15-minute sessions on track, they were still in impeccably good nick. They’re pretty special...