发表于 2009-02-27 21:16 IP属地:未知
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
The demanding German DTM series is considered to be the pinnacle of Touring Car Racing. Beginning with the 2004 season, the race tires for the DTM cars proudly wear the "*****" name on their flanks to identify their close relationship to Dunlop's Max Performance Summer street tires developed for sports cars, coupes and sedans.
On the outside, SP Sport Maxx tires feature Dunlop's Integral Rubber Matrix tread compound molded into a multi-radius directional tread that features large, independent shoulder blocks, twin Hydro-Paddle intermediate ribs and a stable continuous center rib. These features work together to keep more of the tire on more of the road more of the time, provide turbulence-free water drainage and maintain constant road contact to impart more responsive handling, wet driving control and high-speed stability.
On the inside, SP Sport Maxx tires feature twin steel belts reinforced by Dunlop's Jointless Band (JLB) spiral-wrapped nylon to provide high-speed durability while minimizing weight. The tires feature a rayon cord casing for high-speed capability and ride quality.
During the road ride portion of our evaluation, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx provided a good blend of sporty handling along with appropriate ride and noise comfort. The SP Sport Maxx seemed to envelope the bumps and those annoying little impacts better than the other two Max Performance tires tested, but did produce more booming noise with each impact. Tread noise levels were found to be appropriate for the category. Road handling scored well, with steering inputs feeling responsive and connected.
The SP Sport Maxx felt at home on our dry handling course. Steering response was very linear, with each change in steering input resulting in an equal change in turning force. There was no significant over- or understeer, providing balanced overall handling and producing the fastest average overall lap time of the test.
In wet conditions on the test track, the SP Sport Maxx also performed well. As in the dry, overall handling balance was good, without the terminal understeer or snap oversteer often found in the wet. The Sport Maxx achieved the highest lateral g's, which aided driver confidence, and easily set the fastest average overall lap time in this test.