tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Firehawk SZ90 vs Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 2 + 19 road tests and 25 + 3,376 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus S1 evo3 is ahead, 70–55

Check price on Amazon · Ventus S1 evo3 or Firehawk SZ90 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Tire BHankook

Ventus S1 evo3

Summer

± 5

Tests 77 · 19 tests Owners 57 · 3,376 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?”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 55

    Dry

    Ventus S1 evo3 +20
    75
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 18 tests5886
    Reviews found online5160

    Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 57.9 + 40% × 51.3 = 55

    Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 85.6 + 40% × 59.8 = 75

  2. 53

    Wet

    Ventus S1 evo3 +28
    81
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 18 tests5190
    Reviews found online5668

    Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 50.8 + 40% × 56 = 53

    Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 89.6 + 40% × 68 = 81

  3. 52

    Comfort

    Ventus S1 evo3 +7
    59
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 64 (est.)64
    Reviews found online4556

    Firehawk SZ90: 40% × 63.8 (est.) + 60% × 44.7 = 52

    Ventus S1 evo3: 40% × 64.4 + 60% × 55.8 = 59

    No road tests of comfort for Firehawk SZ90. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 58

    Noise

    Ventus S1 evo3 +15
    73
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 14 tests5377
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)

    Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 52.8 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 58

    Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73

    No owner ratings of noise for Firehawk SZ90 or 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.

  5. 57

    Treadwear

    Firehawk SZ90 +4
    53
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 61 (est.)61
    Reviews found online5142

    Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 61 (est.) + 40% × 51.2 = 57

    Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 60.8 + 40% × 41.5 = 53

    No road tests of treadwear for Firehawk SZ90. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 53

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus S1 evo3 +6
    59
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Reviews found online5359
  7. 62

    Efficiency

    Ventus S1 evo3 +6
    68
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 15 tests6268
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Firehawk SZ90Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Relative Score 55 70
Dry 55 75
Wet 53 81
Comfort 52 59
Noise 58 73
Treadwear 57 53
Handling (owners) 53 59
Efficiency 62 68

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 9

Firehawk SZ90

± 5

Ventus S1 evo3

The professional test results behind the scores

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.

DisciplineCategoryFirehawk SZ90Ventus S1 evo3ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 91% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test 96% #7/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 97% #9/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test 98% #7/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 82% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test 94% #6/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 95% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test 100% #2/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Noise Noise 95% #9/9 · 2017 Auto Bild UHP Tyre Test 100% #1/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 85% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild UHP Tyre Test 97% #3/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #8/9 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test #6/8 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Firehawk SZ90

Pros

  • Strong dry and wet surface grip
  • Effective water displacement and braking performance
  • Competitive price point

Cons

  • Excessive road noise
  • Rapid or uneven tread wear
  • Unpredictable handling and stability issues
All owner themes in the Firehawk SZ90 review

Tire B Ventus S1 evo3

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and confidence in wet and dry conditions
  • Low road noise and high ride comfort
  • Competitive pricing compared to premium tier-one brands

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear, particularly on rear axles or heavy vehicles
  • Soft sidewalls leading to reduced steering feedback and precision
  • Vulnerability to sidewall damage or bubbling from potholes
All owner themes in the Ventus S1 evo3 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Firestone Firehawk SZ90

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3

Mixed

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.

r/Golf_R ·6 upvotes ·2026-04-29

“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?”
r/tires ·1 upvote ·2026-02-03

“Small tire size change having different ratings? (Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3) Hi all, I'm looking for a good all round tire for my MX5 (I'm in the non snowy regions of the UK so summer tires) and a pretty popular recommendation are the Ventus S1 Evo 3s. At the MX5's stock size of 205/45/R17 they are rated at A for fuel and wet performance, and 68db of noise, which is great! However I'd like to size up to 215/45/R17, and for whatever reason the ratings drop to B for fuel and wet performance, and most importantly to me, 71db of noise. I was just wondering how such a small difference in size changes things quite drastically? I know these ratings aren't that important, but it seems strange to me they'd change at all Thanks! Read more”
teslamotorsclub.com ·2023-01-26

“You will love the Ventus S1 EVO3's, I purchased a set back in May 2020 for $473 delivered. In your climate driving at Texas speeds (75-85) efficiency is gonna be about 270-295 Wh/m. I just ordered a set of the iON EVO AS to try out as I have a need for snow use but not bad enough for snow tires.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Value for money#Road noise levels#Tread wear and longevity#OEM fitments and EV variants#Run-flat identification confusion#Ride comfort

Based on 33 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Firehawk SZ90 B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—110
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″
UTQG—200 - 420 A - AA A

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Firehawk SZ90

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3

Winner: Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 — better wet, dry and noise. Pick the Firestone Firehawk SZ90 if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 81 vs 53 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 75 vs 55 on dry.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 73 vs 58 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 59 vs 52 on comfort.

Tire A · Firestone Firehawk SZ90
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Which is better in the wet, Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 81 vs 53 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 75 vs 55 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 73 vs 58 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 59 vs 52 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Firestone Firehawk SZ90, 57 vs 53 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Firehawk SZ90 or Ventus S1 evo3?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 68 vs 62 on our efficiency score.

How do we compare tires?

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