VOLUME 59 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 6, 2022 P99
their track-oriented Q series tires. This
time around it has combined the best
of its previous Q4 design with lessons
learned over the last four years of rac-
ing to develop the all-new Q5 Sportmax
tire. The new Q5s are fine examples of
how racing development influences the
production of road-going tires. Every
aspect of the tire has been enhanced to
maximize track performance, improve
warm-up time and increase wet-weath-
er capabilities.
Buttonwillow racetrack in California
was chosen for the introduction to
the new Q5s. With plenty of different
scenarios to really explore the pros and
cons of a tire, this track is well-suited
for such an event. I started on a Honda
600 with the Q5S tires. The Dunlop
crew set the cold pressure at 34 psi
front and 32 psi rear (the same for
either the Q5 or Q5S).
It was still pretty cold out, which
gave me a good chance to evaluate the
claimed quicker warm-up time. Sure
enough after a lap and a half, I was
up to speed. The first thing you will
notice with the either the Q5S or Q5
is the very similar feel and response to
a proper Dunlop racing slick if you're
familiar with them.
The new tire profiles provided a
nimble but still stable feel at corner
entry and exit. Next, I tried the Q5 on a
similar size bike—a Kawasaki ZX-636R.
At first, I didn't notice much differ-
ence between the Q5 and the Q5S.
However, as I really started attacking
the corners, the Q5 had a slightly
smoother feel transitioning from
straight-up to tip-in at entry and stand-
ing it up at exit. I figured the harder
middle compound was the culprit and
after further investigation with the
Dunlop folks, my observations were
justified. Each of the two versions of
the Q5 felt planted, gave excellent
S TANDOUT FEATURE
No need for tire warmers, just get out
there and go.
RIDER AN ALYSIS
My first introduction to the Q series
was back in 2013 at the launch of
the Dunlop Q3 Sportmax. "That is a
great tire," I said in my review, but
since then, Dunlop has delivered the
Q3 Plus and the Q4, each of which
has been a further advancement of
LOWDOWN
SPORTMAX Q5
List Price: Q5: Fronts start at $250.22. Rears start at $278.66
Q5S: Fronts start at $219.45. Rears start at $280.62
Website: https://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com
The Q5's impressed
across a wide
variety of bikes.
of changing tires every time
they go to the track.
The new Q5 Sportmax
and Q5S Sportmax feature a
variety of important changes.
Tire construction, profiles,
compounds and tread pat-
terns have all been enhanced
to put the Q5 at the top of the
heap when it comes to track-
day tire performance. Dunlop
also managed to make the Q5
and Q5S more accessible by
improving dry- and wet-weath-
er grip, tire compliance and
warm-up time.
The Q5S rear differs slightly
from the Q5 by incorporating
a harder center compound for
longer tire life. As an added bo-
nus the new Q5 rears are now
one pound lighter due to the
use of Dunlop's (JLT) construc-
tion protocols. There are five
additional new sizes to choose
from: 110/70ZR17, 140/70ZR17,
150/60ZR17,160/60ZR17 and a
200/60ZR17.
