Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 32 + 19 road tests and 3,524 + 3,382 owner reviews. How we score
Sport Maxx RT2 is ahead, 73–68
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 76 · 32 tests Owners 71 · 3,524 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test (comfort (tester's mark))
“Everybody is right. The tyre is available in both a RF and a non-RF versions - so it will simply depend on what you buy. e.g. the rears for my F31 are not RF”
Tests 77 · 19 tests Owners 57 · 3,382 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (wet braking)
“Tire preferences? My MK8 has a little over 18,000 miles now and the stock tires look like they’ve already gone to sh*t? Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 aren’t as good as they advertise? What do you recommend for tires?”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 30 / 18 tests | 79 | 86 |
| Reviews found online | 71 | 60 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) · 9 shared tests · wins 2–7 | 95% | 96% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 1–5 | 98% | 99% |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–1 | 64% | 78% |
Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 79.2 + 40% × 70.6 = 76
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 85.6 + 40% × 59.8 = 75
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / 18 tests | 84 | 90 |
| Reviews found online | 73 | 68 |
| Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 100% | 90% |
| Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 4–2 | 97% | 95% |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–0 | 78% | 74% |
| Wet Braking (% of best) · 9 shared tests · wins 1–8 | 89% | 95% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 2–3 | 96% | 97% |
Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 83.7 + 40% × 72.6 = 79
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 89.6 + 40% × 67.9 = 81
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 4 tests | 70 | 64 |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 56 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–1 | 56% | 67% |
Sport Maxx RT2: 40% × 70.5 + 60% × 70.1 = 70
Ventus S1 evo3: 40% × 64.3 + 60% × 55.6 = 59
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / 14 tests | 64 | 77 |
| Reviews found online | 73 | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Noise (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 2–3 | 99% | 99% |
Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 63.5 + 40% × 73.1 = 67
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 76.7 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 73
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus S1 evo3. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / 4 tests | 70 | 61 |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 42 |
| Wear (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0 | 70% | 63% |
Sport Maxx RT2: 60% × 70.1 + 40% × 68.3 = 69
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 60.8 + 40% × 41.5 = 53
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 70 | 59 |
| Source | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / 15 tests | 64 | 68 |
| Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 4–2 | 91% | 91% |
| Category | Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 | Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 68 |
| Dry | 76 | 75 |
| Wet | 79 | 81 |
| Comfort | 70 | 59 |
| Noise | 67 | 73 |
| Treadwear | 69 | 53 |
| Handling (owners) | 70 | 59 |
| Efficiency | 64 | 68 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Sport Maxx RT2
Ventus S1 evo3
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 10 tests that ran both, Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 finished ahead 3 times and Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 7 times.
| Discipline | Category | Sport Maxx RT2 | Ventus S1 evo3 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 95% | 96% | −1.4 | 2–7 in 9 shared tests Newest: 2023 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 225/45 R18 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 98% | 99% | −0.5 | 1–5 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 64% | 78% | −13.6 | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 100% | 90% | +9.7 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 97% | 95% | +2.8 | 4–2 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 89% | 95% | −5.8 | 1–8 in 9 shared tests Newest: 2023 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 97% #13/20 · 2025 Auto Bild Summer Performance Tyre Test | 98% #5/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 96% | 97% | −0.9 | 2–3 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 78% | 74% | +3.3 | 1–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 56% | 67% | −11.1 | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Noise | Noise | 99% | 99% | −0.1 | 2–3 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 70% | 63% | +6.3 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 91% | 91% | 0.0 | 4–2 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 68% | 74% | −5.8 | 0–4 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #13/20 | #14/20 | – | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Value | Cost | 68% | 66% | +2.0 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #13/48 | #1/48 | – | 3–7 in 10 shared tests Newest: 2023 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 225/45 R18 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community opinion portrays the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 2 as a solid, quiet, and good-value performance tire that performs well in all weather conditions. While some drivers note it is an older design compared to newer flagship releases and point out its 'B' wet rating in certain sizes, it is generally considered capable and competitively priced. There is also frequent discussion clarifying the availability of both run-flat and non-run-flat variants across different dimensions.
“Dunlop sportmaxx RT2 in XL are only 'B' for rain though :thumbsdown:”
“I have Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2's on my Audi A3 2.0TDI (buckets of torques) and they work incredibly well in all weather conditions. Granted a different proposition with FWD Audi, but for the price it was a no brainer to stick with them when I needed the fronts replacing.”
“For what it's worth, I put a full new set of 18inch Sport Maxx RT2's on my E85 a couple of years ago and found them more than adequate/good when your a looking for a value/capability compromise. Like B21 mentions, if you want a really upto date tyre, you pick a newer release from the manufacturer provided that pushing on a couple of hundred quid extra can be justified. (When you don't need to tell the wife) I just put a set of 19inch Continental Conti Sport 7's on my E89 but wouldn't have had an issue fitting 19inch Sport Maxx RT2's.”
Based on 19 community posts
Community sentiment toward the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 is mixed, with users frequently praising its strong dry and wet grip, comfort, and competitive pricing. However, notable drawbacks include relatively fast tread wear, reports of increasing road noise over time, and mixed experiences with OEM specs versus premium competitors like Michelin.
“My thoughts with the Hankooks on my '25R vs the Bridgestones on my '23R. Hankooks WAY louder but better ride quality & traction. As far as rotating - I rotate at least every two weeks (off before AutoX and on immediately after - I have dedicated AutoX tires ). I don't even pay attention to what position they're in. Zero issues.”
“That would tally with what this person found with the 127 variant that preceded it “Hi just for information,I asked Hankook what tread depth when new was on their Ventus S1 Evo 3 K127 tyre, the reply was 6.6 mm””
“Tire preferences? My MK8 has a little over 18,000 miles now and the stock tires look like they’ve already gone to sh*t? Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 aren’t as good as they advertise? What do you recommend for tires?”
Based on 33 community posts
| Attribute | A · Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 | B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 56 | 110 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 21″ | 17″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 300 A A | 200 - 420 A - AA A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 44 | 44 |
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Winner: Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 — better treadwear, comfort and handling. Pick the Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 if noise and efficiency matter most to you.
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 scores 69 vs 53 on treadwear.
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 scores 70 vs 59 on comfort.
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 scores 70 vs 59 on handling.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 73 vs 67 on noise.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Neither, by our numbers: 79 vs 81 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 75 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 73 vs 67 on our noise score.
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2, 70 vs 59 on our comfort score.
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2, 69 vs 53 on our treadwear score.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 68 vs 64 on our efficiency score.
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology
