Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate 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 13 + 211 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus R-S4 leads, 72–68 Narrow edge

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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. 68

    Dry

    Ventus R-S4 +8
    76
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online6980

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 68.5 = 68

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

    No road tests of dry for Eagle Exhilarate. 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. 71

    Wet

    Eagle Exhilarate +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7266

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 71.5 = 71

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

    No road tests of wet for Eagle Exhilarate. 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. 60

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)–
    Reviews found online54–

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 64.4 (est.) + 40% × 53.7 = 60

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

  4. 66

    Comfort

    Eagle Exhilarate +7
    59
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6455

    Eagle Exhilarate: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.4 = 66

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

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

  5. 68

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online69–

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 68.9 = 68

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

  6. 64

    Treadwear

    Ventus R-S4 +9
    73
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests62≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6778

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 66.8 = 64

    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. 69

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus R-S4 +13
    82
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateVentus R-S4
    Reviews found online6982
Scores at a glance
Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate vs Hankook Ventus R-S4: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryGoodyear Eagle ExhilarateHankook Ventus R-S4
Relative Score 68 72
Dry 68 76
Wet 71 67
Snow 60 –
Comfort 66 59
Noise 68 –
Treadwear 64 73
Handling (owners) 69 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
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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
± 9

Eagle Exhilarate

± 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 Eagle Exhilarate

Pros

  • Strong dry pavement handling and sporty steering response
  • High level of ride comfort and bump absorption
  • Reliable wet-weather grip and hydroplaning resistance for many users

Cons

  • Reports of significant road noise, described by some as intrusive
  • Inconsistent tread life and potential for uneven wear
  • Polarizing performance in snow and ice conditions
All owner themes in the Eagle Exhilarate 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

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate

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

Tire B

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Positive

Community sentiment regarding the Hankook Ventus R-S4 is predominantly positive, with drivers praising its high initial dry grip, track performance, and smooth, quiet street ride. Users frequently note its durability over multiple heat cycles and track days, though questions remain concerning daily driving longevity and sudden grip fall-off later in life. Comparisons to other tires highlight its superior traction compared to all-season alternatives.

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
#track day durability#dry grip performance#heat cycling behavior#daily driving longevity#quiet ride quality

Based on 9 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate B · Hankook Ventus R-S4
CategoryAll SeasonSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available37—
Rim diameters17″ – 22″—
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
UTQG500 AA A—
Treadwear warranty45,000 mi—
SidewallVertical Serrated Band—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Narrow edge: Hankook Ventus R-S4 — better handling, treadwear and dry. Pick the Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate if comfort and wet matter most to you. Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 82 vs 69 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 73 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 76 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate scores 66 vs 59 on comfort.

Tire A · Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate
Tire B · Hankook Ventus R-S4

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Eagle Exhilarate or Ventus R-S4?

Which is better in the wet, Eagle Exhilarate or Ventus R-S4?

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate, 71 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Eagle Exhilarate or Ventus R-S4?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 76 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Eagle Exhilarate or Ventus R-S4?

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate, 66 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Eagle Exhilarate or Ventus R-S4?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 73 vs 64 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