DUNLOP SPORTMAX Q4
PRODUCT TEST
P106
"JBT is the same technology
used in our race tires for the
past three years," says Robin-
son. "It's applied by a gear pump
process. We spiral on the tread
bit by bit, and this allows the
compound to be a touch softer
than if you had a traditional
tread and it's also a very pre-
cise application. It allows us
to put gauge exactly as we
need in the tire so you have
what (characteristic) you
want for all drive conditions."
The Q4 is constructed
using a monopoly nylon
"We were shooting for ulti-
mate performance with this tire,"
says the Q4's lead engineer,
John Robinson. "We have a
new compound with the Q4 and
we are not using an extruded
tread (cut tread) like we used to.
Now, we are essentially using
a 3D printer for the tire. It's a
robot that hovers over the tire
as it rotates around and places
rubber exactly where you need
it, so you get everything laid out
absolutely perfectly."
Dunlop uses the Jointless
Band Technology (JBT) that was
first developed for their car tire
line in the rear Q4, although this
is not used in the front construc-
tion due to the smaller dimen-
sions of a front tire.
(Right) Here you can see the
massive difference Dunlop
claims for tire footprint
between the Q4 in orange and
the blue of the Q3+.
The Jointless
Band Technology
allows Dunlop to
independently vary
tensions across
the tire during
construction.
Rear tire cutaway: The Jointless Band
Technology (JBT) in yellow can be easily
seen over the top of the Kevlar belt (in
brown). The tread design is vastly different
to the Q3+ with no side grooves.
