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Lexani LX-Nine vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires

Last updated 7/09/2024 - Originally published 7/09/2024
Written by SimpleTire

Lexani Tires was founded in 2001 with a desire to disrupt the tire business by providing high-performance tires with unmatched quality and craftsmanship. Dunlop Tires was founded in 1890 by pneumatic tire pioneer John Boyd Dunlop in Dublin, Ireland, and is known for making performance tires. While Lexani tires are developed for superior traction, handling, and road etiquette, making them ideal for the performance driver, the Dunlop combines its racing knowledge and cutting-edge technology to build passenger and light truck tires.

Designed for performance cars, the Lexani LX-Nine is an ultra-high-performance summer tire that offers drivers great all-season traction, reliable handling, and a quiet drive.

The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx is an ultra-high-performance summer tire that offers driver superb handling, excellent acceleration, and braking performance for your luxury vehicles.

Are there any differences in the ways the two tires perform, or do they both function similarly? To help you decide which tire is best for you, let's compare the Lexani LX-Nine vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires using SimpleScore.

Lexani LX-Nine tires

For usage on sports cars and performance-oriented vehicles in milder climates, Lexani offers the LX-Nine, a high-performance tire. Even at greater speeds, the tire's practical combination of robust shoulders and unidirectional tread patterns improves stability and cornering performance. While its unidirectional tread design offers traction and enhanced performance in dry and wet conditions, its wide and solid shoulder provides great handling and cornering performance. Additionally, its tread block pattern minimizes tread noise, and its wide and circumferential grooves remove water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning.

On average, the Lexani LX-Nine has an overall SimpleScore of 7.7 out of 10 thanks to its decent traction, reliable handling, and good longevity.

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires

Dunlop's max performance summer tire, the SP Sport Maxx, is designed for powerful sports vehicles, sporty coupes, and high-end performance sedans. The SP Sport Maxx is designed with a directed tread pattern that includes big, independent shoulder blocks, Hydro-Paddle intermediate ribs, and a stable, continuous center rib. The rubber compound is a high-structured carbon black blend, refined by Dunlop. Together, these characteristics improve water drainage and sustain continuous road contact, which results in more responsive handling, wet driving control, and high-speed stability. Within the tire, twin steel belts are reinforced with spirally wrapped nylon from Dunlop's Jointless Band (JLB) to minimize weight and offer high-speed durability. The tires' rayon cord casing and multi-radius design provide for a smooth ride at high speeds.

On average, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx scores an overall SimpleScore of 8.3 thanks to its great traction, superb handling, and good longevity.

Lexani LX-Nine vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires on traction

UHP summer tires feature a softer rubber compound and are designed to function at faster speeds while providing optimal traction on the road. UHP summer tires, the LX-Nine and SP Sport Maxx tires offer great traction, and let’s see their scores.

The Lexani LX-Nine features a unidirectional tread design that offers great traction and enhanced performance in wet and dry conditions. In addition, its wide, circumferential grooves remove water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning to boost wet traction. As a result, the Lexani LX-Nine gets a great traction score of 8.2.

On the other hand, the SP Sport Maxx sports a great traction score of 8.9 thanks to its independent shoulder blocks, intermediate ribs, and solid continuous center rib. All these features combine and remove water from the tread minimizing the risk of hydroplaning to boost wet traction.

In terms of traction, the SP Sport Maxx gets a superior score than the LX-Nine (8.9 vs 8.2)

ADVANTAGE: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Lexani LX-Nine vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires on handling

Along with great traction, a solid UHP summer tire provides reliable handling, cornering capability, braking distance, and sharp steering response. Let's explore how the Lexani LX-Nine and Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires compare in this regard.

The Lexani LX-Nine features a wide and solid shoulder that offers improved cornering and handling performance. As a result, the LX-Nine gets a great handling score of 8.6.

The SP Sport Maxx has an Integral Rubber Matrix in its tread, which delivers great acceleration and braking performance, as well as high stability due to the continuous center rib. As a result, the SP Sport Maxx receives a great handling score of 8.9.

When it comes to handling, the SP Sport Maxx outperforms the LX-Nine (8.9 vs 8.6).

ADVANTAGE: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Lexani LX-Nine vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires on longevity

Because UHP summer tires are designed primarily for performance, with a low profile and a rapid steering reaction, they wear out quickly. It stands true even with the Lexani LX-Nine and SP Sport Maxx tires; let’s see their longevity scores on SimpleScore.

The Lexani LX-Nine gets a good longevity score of 7.3 thanks to a wider footprint that puts more rubber on the road, reducing uneven wear.

The Dunlop SP Sport Maxx gets a good longevity score of 7.9 thanks to its internal structure which consists of twin steel belts reinforced with Dunlop's Jointless Band (JLB) spirally wrapped nylon to ensure high-speed durability.

In terms of longevity, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx outlives the Lexani LX-Nine (7.9 vs 7.3).

ADVANTAGE: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

When to use each

UHP summer tires are ideal for highway drivers on dry and damp roads, as these are designed to perform at higher speeds while gripping the road and delivering improved handling. The Lexani LX-Nine and Dunlop SP Sport Maxx offer great handling and traction in dry and wet conditions. However, summer tires should not be used under 45 degrees as it can be hazardous.

Which one should you choose?

Which of these UHP summer tires best suits your needs? According to SimpleScore, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx outperforms the Lexani LX-Nine (8.3 vs 7.7). In terms of handling, traction, and longevity, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx performs better than the Lexani LX-Nine. To help you make a better decision, let's look at their rates.

Price-wise, the Lexani LX-Nine will cost you around $103 per tire, while the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx costs around $141 per tire. This means, a set of four Lexani LX-Nine tires will cost you around $412, while four Dunlop SP Sport Maxx will cost you around $564.

Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Lexani LX-Nine if you:

  • Drive a full-size luxury SUV like the Cadillac Escalade or a 4-door hatchback like the Hyundai Veloster
  • Are looking for a less expensive tire that can offer great performance

On the other hand, you should purchase the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx if you:

  • Drive a luxury crossover SUV like the Audi Q7, a luxury sports sedan like the Jaguar XFR, or an SUV like the Mercedes G65 AMG
  • Prefer better longevity (7.9 vs 7.3)
  • Prefer better traction (8.9 vs 8.2) and handling (8.9 vs 8.6)

The Lexani LX-Nine and Dunlop SP Sport Maxx are two UHP summer tires that excel in different aspects. Your vehicle and the factors that are most important to you—such as pricing, traction, handling, and longevity—will impact the option you choose.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.

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