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Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424 vs Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Ventus Prime 3 K125 is ahead, 75–60

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Category by category

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

  1. 61

    Dry

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +22
    83
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score)–87
    Reviews found online5776
  2. 54

    Wet

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +24
    78
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score)–81
    Reviews found online4875
  3. 64

    Comfort

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +10
    74
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online5870
  4. 65

    Noise

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +10
    75
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score)–81
    Reviews found online64–
  5. 63

    Treadwear

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +1
    64
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score)–61
    Reviews found online6268
  6. 56

    Handling

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +17
    73
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Reviews found online5673
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook OPTIMO ME02 K424Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Relative Score 60 75
Dry 61 83
Wet 54 78
Comfort 64 74
Noise 65 75
Treadwear 63 64
Handling 56 73

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

OPTIMO ME02 K424

Ventus Prime 3 K125

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A OPTIMO ME02 K424

Pros

  • Available in hard-to-find niche sizes such as for the Geo Metro
  • Long-lasting tread life due to a harder rubber compound
  • Affordable pricing and accessible delivery

Cons

  • Alarmingly poor wet grip leading to frequent skidding and loss of control
  • Extended stopping distances in rainy conditions despite vehicle safety systems like ABS and traction control
  • Noticeable squealing during dry cornering due to hard compound
All owner themes in the OPTIMO ME02 K424 review

Tire B Ventus Prime 3 K125

Pros

  • Excellent dry road grip and braking performance
  • High value-for-money ratio compared to premium competitors
  • Comfortable ride quality with effective vibration absorption

Cons

  • Increased risk of hydroplaning as tread depth decreases
  • Accelerated tread wear on heavier vehicles or under high-torque conditions
  • Noise levels can increase noticeably after several thousand miles
All owner themes in the Ventus Prime 3 K125 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424 B · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—60
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125

Winner: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 78 vs 54 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 83 vs 61 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 73 vs 56 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 74 vs 64 on comfort.

Tire A · Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Check price on Amazon

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

75

Leads

Ventus Prime 3 K125

Amazon