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Dunlop Q3 vs Michelin PP3

22K views 48 replies 29 participants last post by  mpusch 
#1 ·
Hey guys, just picked up my Daytona 675 and the PO obviously never went around a corner because the tires are pretty square...

On my last bike (SV650s), I had Michelin PP3s and LOVED them! I do 2 track days a year, and split my street time between commuting and twisties. That being said, I hear rave reviews about the Dunlop Q3s... I'm just afraid of them squaring off a bit from the highway commuting I have to do.

Does anyone have some first hand experience with these tires on our bikes that can push me one way or the other?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
I run the Q3s on my D675 and love them. I as well do commuting and some twisties. I really haven't noticed them squaring off to much. My last tire lasted me about 7500 miles. Even after a lot of commuting on them, they still where great in the canyon. As for the PP3s I have no idea.
 
#3 ·
just buy the American made tire... superior to that junk from france :whistle:

The Q3 is the best bang for the buck tire out there, mileage is subjective, but the performance will only be matched by other brands race/track tires... OK the Pirelli SuperCorsa SP's are grippier, but do not last as long, and god forbid you find yourself on wet roads or in the rain.
 
#5 ·
just buy the American made tire... superior to that junk from france :whistle:

The Q3 is the best bang for the buck tire out there, mileage is subjective, but the performance will only be matched by other brands race/track tires... OK the Pirelli SuperCorsa SP's are grippier, but do not last as long, and god forbid you find yourself on wet roads or in the rain.
I couldn't agree more!

'Murica
 
#6 ·
After 3 trackdays, my Q3's are toast. Not sure if that would factor into any decision.

First hand experience: Buy a second set of wheels. Keep some Pilot Road 4's on your street set, and get better rubber for the track set. That's the best way to do it. Anything I would run on the track, I wouldn't want to run on the street for commuting every day.

I have Road 4's on my street set and Q3's on my track set, though they will be replaced with something better next season.
 
#8 ·
I use the PP3, and they last forever. I did 8 days last year on them plus maybe 750-1000 miles on the street, and there was plenty of life left. I only changed them at the beginning of the year for fresh rubber, PP3s again. I've only had them slip on me, on the track, a couple times when I was definetly pushing it.

That seems to be consistent with what others have said too. The Q3 maybe a little grippier, but you aren't giving up much with the PP3. But the lifespan of the PP3 made it a winner in my book.
 
#9 ·
Several people at the track have passed along the PP3 as being one of the worst tires ever. The coach working with Soulpatch on Saturday said that they were slipping all over the place, and he didn't have enough confidence in a lot of the corners to try and push it.
 
#11 ·
Several people at the track have passed along the PP3 as being one of the worst tires ever. The coach working with Soulpatch on Saturday said that they were slipping all over the place, and he didn't have enough confidence in a lot of the corners to try and push it.
 
#21 ·
I can agree with this. In fact, the PP3's are worse than the PP2CT's they were meant to to replace.

If money is tight, get the Q3's and hope they don't delaminate on you.

If money is less of an issue, get the Pirelli Supercorsa SP V2. Good wear on the street with the harder center compound, and near race level stickiness on the edge compound.
 
#14 ·
The consensus I've seen here and on other forums is the Q3 is a beautiful tire. Though I've also seen a handful of people with Q3's that have the rear tire split in areas on the surface. I've been comparing the reviews of the Q3, S20 and PP3 but I can't make up my mind on any of them. I've used Q2's and never felt more confident in a tire, but the splitting issue with the Q3 is a drawback. I'm also not sure which tire of the 3 is best in rainy/wet roads.
 
#16 ·
I run the PP3's on the Streety, and only on the street. I personally love them and have nothing but confidence in them. I have about 4,000 miles on them and they still have at least another 1500-2000 to go. I obviously can't speak to the track, but I ride aggressively where I can safely do so on the street (subjective, I know) and they grip beautifully. I'm starting to see some serious center wear, but nothing concerning or unexpected since I live in lame-ass Illinois. For what it's worth, I'd buy them again if the price is right.
 
#17 ·
I use Q3's for trackdays and the street when I don't have my race take offs. They are incredible on the track and while they do wear somewhat quickly they are cheap to replace. Beats lugging around a generator, warmers, and additional gas for a trackday.

Also, I commute my bike to work 75 miles round-trip about 1-2 times a week.

This was my trackday on them earlier this month.
 

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#20 ·
Hmm, I have debated this all day. I'm getting close to the center wear bars on my PP2s. Don't get me wrong, I like twisties as much as the next guy, but I'm not hardcore. I hope to get into a track day when work eases up. Actually just got back from a 320 mile trip with my boss.

Anthony at Revzilla actually convinced me the Q3's weren't my cuppa, with the 50/50 street/track statement. And with 8k miles on my PP2s, I believe him.
 
#25 ·
sport tire comparison 2014

sorry no q3



The german magazine "Motorrad" tested the 2014 generation of sport tires.
The tested them on six identical BMW S 1000 RR.
Tested on race track, back roads and highways (new & after 4000 km), on a flooded test track, measured wear after 4000km.
The candidates were:
Bridgestone S20 Evo, Continental Sport Attack 2, Dunlop Sportsmart 2, Metzeler Sportec M7 RR, Michelin Pilot Power 3, Pirelli Diablo Rossa Corse

Race Track Alcarras, Spain:
Pirelli DRC 1:46,6, 97 of 100 Points
Metzeler M7RR 1:47,3, 94
Conti SA2 1:47,9, 91
Dunlop SS2 1:47,6, 86
Bridgestone S20 Evo, 1:48,7, 86
Michelin PP3 1:48,7, 80 Points

Wet Performance:
Michelin PP3 1:13,8, 92 Points
Bridgestone 1:14,3, 90
Dunlop SS2 1:15,0, 87
Metzeler M7RR 1:15,9, 86
Pirelli DRC 1:19,2, 78
Conti SA2 1:20,4, 77

Back Roads and Highway Performance
Metzeler and Michelin 93 of 100 points
Conti 92
Bridgestone 91
Pirelli 88
Dunlop 84

Back Roads and Highway after 4000km
Michelin 91
Metzeler 90
Conti 88
Bridgestone 85
Pirelli 83
Dunlop 82

Wear after 4000km, rest of tread
Michelin Front 58,3%, Rear 45,9%, 91 Points
Metzeler 53,8%, 33,3%, 84
Dunlop 45,8%, 39,0%, 83
Bridgestone 41,7%, 18,9%, 73
Pirelli 31,6%, 24,2, 71
Conti 30,6 %, 21,2%,

Summary:
Winner - Metzeler and Michelin
Michelin = 447 Points - If You don't trailer Your bike to the race tracks, the PP3 is the tire for all days.
Metzeler = 447 Points - Convincing on track and for all day, even under the stress of high power performance bikes.
Bridgestone = 425 Pints - Good for every day and in the rain, more stability on track but high on wear
Dunlop = 424 - Great wet performance and long lasting, but instability on track as lack of feedback on every days duty
Tied on 5th place - Conti and Pirelli
Conti = 417 - The tire in need for special lovers. Nothing for the cost calculating and all weather riders. Sporty back road surfers will be delighted with the Conti
Pirelli = 417 - Who is chasing with racy ambitions, on sunny days, with power bikes like the HP4, over race tracks and the home back road needs this tire.
 
#35 ·
sport tire comparison 2014

sorry no q3

The german magazine "Motorrad" tested the 2014 generation of sport tires.
The tested them on six identical BMW S 1000 RR.
Tested on race track, back roads and highways (new & after 4000 km), on a flooded test track, measured wear after 4000km.
The candidates were:
Bridgestone S20 Evo, Continental Sport Attack 2, Dunlop Sportsmart 2, Metzeler Sportec M7 RR, Michelin Pilot Power 3, Pirelli Diablo Rossa Corse

Race Track Alcarras, Spain:
Pirelli DRC 1:46,6, 97 of 100 Points
Metzeler M7RR 1:47,3, 94
Conti SA2 1:47,9, 91
Dunlop SS2 1:47,6, 86
Bridgestone S20 Evo, 1:48,7, 86
Michelin PP3 1:48,7, 80 Points

Wet Performance:
Michelin PP3 1:13,8, 92 Points
Bridgestone 1:14,3, 90
Dunlop SS2 1:15,0, 87
Metzeler M7RR 1:15,9, 86
Pirelli DRC 1:19,2, 78
Conti SA2 1:20,4, 77

Back Roads and Highway Performance
Metzeler and Michelin 93 of 100 points
Conti 92
Bridgestone 91
Pirelli 88
Dunlop 84

Back Roads and Highway after 4000km
Michelin 91
Metzeler 90
Conti 88
Bridgestone 85
Pirelli 83
Dunlop 82

Wear after 4000km, rest of tread
Michelin Front 58,3%, Rear 45,9%, 91 Points
Metzeler 53,8%, 33,3%, 84
Dunlop 45,8%, 39,0%, 83
Bridgestone 41,7%, 18,9%, 73
Pirelli 31,6%, 24,2, 71
Conti 30,6 %, 21,2%,

Summary:
Winner - Metzeler and Michelin
Michelin = 447 Points - If You don't trailer Your bike to the race tracks, the PP3 is the tire for all days.
Metzeler = 447 Points - Convincing on track and for all day, even under the stress of high power performance bikes.
Bridgestone = 425 Pints - Good for every day and in the rain, more stability on track but high on wear
Dunlop = 424 - Great wet performance and long lasting, but instability on track as lack of feedback on every days duty
Tied on 5th place - Conti and Pirelli
Conti = 417 - The tire in need for special lovers. Nothing for the cost calculating and all weather riders. Sporty back road surfers will be delighted with the Conti
Pirelli = 417 - Who is chasing with racy ambitions, on sunny days, with power bikes like the HP4, over race tracks and the home back road needs this tire.
Going to give the M7 RRs a try - thanks for the post!
 
#32 ·
32 - 34 psi is where I usually run the front. Not sure I'd want any more pressure than that. This tire is severely "v'd" making turn-in telepathic, though you can't tell from the pictures. Suspension is setup right, for sure.

I just chew thru these Q3 sides like mad. My centers are usually good for another 1000+ miles when I replace them.

A buddy of mine has the same peeling issue. Cords start showing within a couple hundred miles once they start looking like this.
 
#33 ·
Great experience so far with my PP3s. Don't have hard info on durability of my PP2CT (bought the bike with them, but fairly new), but it feels like the PP3 wear less quickly. Have about 3k street miles on mine, and two trackdays on them so far. Never had either tire slip once, on the track or the street. I'm also probably not the fastest guy in the world though (1:14s at Beaverun). Can hardly tell they're worn at all. Not much squaring off due to commuting.


 
#34 ·
Thanks for the info! Im starting to lean more towards the new S20 evo or the Michelin PP3 since they both have a harder center than the Q3 which should help stop the squaring off when I commute, but they still have soft enough shoulders to be a good track day tire.
 
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