Head-to-head Updated

General G-MAX RS vs Hankook Ventus R-S4 — 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 1 + 0 road tests and 567 + 211 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus R-S4 leads, 72–70 Narrow edge

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General G-MAX RS
Tire AGeneral

G-MAX RS

Summer tire

± 7

Tests – · 1 test Owners 61 · 567 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“G-max rs I put 7k miles on these tires and this is the front how many miles would you say I have before problems occur I plan on replacing in a few weeks Read more”

Hankook Ventus R-S4
Tire BHankook

Ventus R-S4

Summer

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 74 · 211 reviews

“I had the DW's on my Porsche 911 last year and really liked them. I liked them so much, I just installed a set on my C6 base. I waiting for the 3' of snow to melt before I try them out.”

Category by category

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

  1. 70

    Dry

    Ventus R-S4 +6
    76
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7180

    G-MAX RS: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 71.2 = 70

    Ventus R-S4: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 80.1 = 76

    No road tests of dry for G-MAX RS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Ventus R-S4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 72

    Wet

    G-MAX RS +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7366

    G-MAX RS: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 72

    Ventus R-S4: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 67

    No road tests of wet for G-MAX RS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Ventus R-S4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 33

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 48 (est.)–
    Reviews found online10–

    G-MAX RS: 60% × 48 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 33

    No road tests of snow for G-MAX RS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 66

    Comfort

    G-MAX RS +7
    59
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6455

    G-MAX RS: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 64.2 = 66

    Ventus R-S4: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 54.7 = 59

    No road tests of comfort for G-MAX RS or Ventus R-S4. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online56–

    G-MAX RS: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 56.2 = 62

    No road tests of noise for G-MAX RS. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Ventus R-S4 +3
    73
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6678

    G-MAX RS: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 65.6 = 70

    Ventus R-S4: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 78.1 = 73

    No road tests of treadwear for Ventus R-S4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus R-S4 +17
    82
    Why this score
    SourceG-MAX RSVentus R-S4
    Reviews found online6582
Scores at a glance
General G-MAX RS vs Hankook Ventus R-S4: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryGeneral G-MAX RSHankook Ventus R-S4
Relative Score 70 72
Dry 70 76
Wet 72 67
Snow 33 –
Comfort 66 59
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 70 73
Handling (owners) 65 82

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
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Neutral
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

G-MAX RS

± 7

Ventus R-S4

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A G-MAX RS

Pros

  • Outstanding price-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
  • Strong dry and wet weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality for a performance tire

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls can lead to some squirm or less crisp steering response during hard cornering
  • Prone to temporary flat-spotting or vibration when sitting overnight in cooler weather
  • Unpredictable or slippery performance if driven in cold temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit
All owner themes in the G-MAX RS review

Tire B Ventus R-S4

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and wear resistance ("wears like iron")
  • Highly consistent performance and resistance to overheating or getting greasy during long sessions
  • Stiff sidewalls providing precise steering response and excellent feedback

Cons

  • Slow to come up to optimal operating temperature, especially in cooler weather or for autocross
  • Slightly lower ultimate dry grip compared to top-tier rivals like the Bridgestone RE-71R/RE-71RS
  • High road noise and a harsh ride due to stiff sidewalls
All owner themes in the Ventus R-S4 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

General G-MAX RS

Positive

Community sentiment toward the General G-MAX RS is broadly positive, with users frequently praising its exceptional value and strong dry and wet traction as a budget-friendly ultra-high-performance summer tire. While often favorably compared against premium alternatives like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or Firestone Indy 500, some owners note compromises including elevated road noise and occasional handling inconsistencies on specific sports car platforms.

grassrootsmotorsports.com

“Darn, no 255/45R18, so I won't get to try these on the E38 for my next set of summers (it'll probably be the Kumho Ecsta Sport or Bridgestone Potenza Sport instead, but Tire Rack no longer has the Bridgestones in 255/45 even though they're still listed on the Bridgestone site). It seems like tire availability in that size is dropping way off. Conti dropped it in the ECS02 and discontinued the General G-Max RS in that size, now it's gone in the Indy 500 V2. So to run either of those tires I'd have to buy different front wheels and move to square 275s instead of the 255/275 stagger I'm running now. PS4S comes in a 255/45, but I'd have to move up to 285/40 in the rear (from 275/40) and they're rather expensive.”

forum.miata.net

“I'm going to get the Firestones or General G-MAX RS tires when the previous owners Michelin all-season tires wear out. I want a summer performance tire. Leaning towards the Firestone since they have better dry performance than the Generals. The Generals do better in the wet according to the performance test they both were in.”

rennlist.com

“I, too, read the comments here about the G-Max being a favorable option, and got the G-Max tires for my stock 996tt wheels and they lasted on my car for 1 or 2 days since they handled so poorly, and PSM didn't like them. There's a fun set of turns on my way to work that I can do up to 65mph with no PSM intervention on Yoko AD08R tires. The G-Max tires could hardly go 45 without PSM getting upset, and the car felt very nervous/unsteady. Maybe they need a long break-in period? I don't know, but boy they transformed my FEAL suspensioned 996tt into what felt like I was driving a VW Thing. Thankfully Discount Tire has a guarantee so I had them removed and replaced with the AD08R tires, which are fantastic (albeit more expensive).”

Top themes
#value and pricing#dry and wet grip#comparison to Michelin PS4S#comparison to Indy 500#road noise levels#treadwear and longevity#Porsche and Corvette fitment

Based on 53 community posts

Tire B

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Positive

The community holds a very positive view of the Hankook Ventus R-S4, praising its exceptional grip, excellent treadwear, and durability on the track. Users also note that it provides a surprisingly smooth and quiet ride for street use, though some mention it requires heat cycling management as it ages.

r/CarTrackDays ·11 upvotes ·2026-09-15

“Super happy w Hankook Ventus R-S4s. Follow-up question. I'm 10 track days into owning my first set of Hankook Ventus R-S4s. Thanks for the recommendation. I rotate them after every 2 days on my ND miata. I'm noticing the forewarned heat cycling now. TBH - I like them more now. Car moves around more and i have to modulate brakes myself. When they were new I couldn't get the abs engaged - there was just too much grip for the stock equipment. Anyway, my question is - my research says that with this Tire the grip can drop off quickly. Is that accurate? now that I'm getting into this gray area where they are definitely starting to heat cycle out am I going to leave an event Sunday with 80% new level grip and show up to my next track day two Weeks later at 30%? Edit. I’m working with some assumptions here that might not be valid. I’m assuming I’m getting heat cycling performance drop because I was warned I would heat cycle them out before I wore them down to chords. I am definitely experiencing a noticeable drop in mechanical grip during breaking. I am much more capable of getting into the ABS now than I was on the first days on these tires. My last track weekend was also on a set of pads that are near life end so I think that variable is accounted for. That same weekend was cooler than normal and I noticed the performance drop the entire day not, for example, on cold tires or late in a heavy session.”

corvetteforum.com

“I had the DW's on my Porsche 911 last year and really liked them. I liked them so much, I just installed a set on my C6 base. I waiting for the 3' of snow to melt before I try them out.”

Top themes
#exceptional track grip#long treadwear life#heat cycling behavior#smooth and quiet ride#hpde and track day use

Based on 10 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General G-MAX RS B · Hankook Ventus R-S4
CategorySummer tireSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available48—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG360 - 700 A - AA A—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

General G-MAX RS

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Narrow edge: Hankook Ventus R-S4 — better handling, dry and treadwear. Pick the General G-MAX RS if comfort and wet matter most to you.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 82 vs 65 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

General G-MAX RS scores 66 vs 59 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 76 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

General G-MAX RS scores 72 vs 67 on wet.

Tire A · General G-MAX RS
Tire B · Hankook Ventus R-S4

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G-MAX RS or Ventus R-S4?

Which is better in the wet, G-MAX RS or Ventus R-S4?

General G-MAX RS, 72 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, G-MAX RS or Ventus R-S4?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 76 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, G-MAX RS or Ventus R-S4?

General G-MAX RS, 66 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, G-MAX RS or Ventus R-S4?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 73 vs 70 on our treadwear 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