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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424 vs Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 — 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 0 + 14 road tests and 9 + 126 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus Prime 3 K125 is ahead, 77–57

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Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Tire BHankook

Ventus Prime 3 K125

Summer

± 5

Tests 77 · 14 tests Owners 75 · 126 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 53 in 2021 53 Summer Tyre Braking Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 60

    Dry

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +25
    85
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 63 (est.)89
    Reviews found online5579

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 62.6 (est.) + 40% × 54.9 = 60

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 88.6 + 40% × 78.8 = 85

    No road tests of dry for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 50

    Wet

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +30
    80
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 55 (est.)81
    Reviews found online4377

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 55.4 (est.) + 40% × 42.7 = 50

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 81.4 + 40% × 77 = 80

    No road tests of wet for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 59

    Comfort

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +14
    73
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 66 (est.)75
    Reviews found online5472

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 40% × 65.8 (est.) + 60% × 54.2 = 59

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 40% × 75 + 60% × 71.8 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 64

    Noise

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +10
    74
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 66 (est.)79
    Reviews found online61≈ 66 (est.)

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 61 = 64

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 79.4 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 74

    No road tests of noise for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Ventus Prime 3 K125. 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. 63

    Treadwear

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +2
    65
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 65 (est.)61
    Reviews found online6172

    OPTIMO ME02 K424: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 61.3 = 63

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 61 + 40% × 71.8 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for OPTIMO ME02 K424. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 51

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +24
    75
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Reviews found online5175
  7. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceOPTIMO ME02 K424Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–66
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook OPTIMO ME02 K424Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Relative Score 57 77
Dry 60 85
Wet 50 80
Comfort 59 73
Noise 64 74
Treadwear 63 65
Handling (owners) 51 75
Efficiency – 66

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

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

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

OPTIMO ME02 K424

± 5

Ventus Prime 3 K125

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 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″
UTQG—240 - 500 A - AA A - B
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. Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 80 vs 50 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 85 vs 60 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 75 vs 51 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 73 vs 59 on comfort.

Tire A · Hankook OPTIMO ME02 K424
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Tire B · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
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OPTIMO ME02 K424 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Which is better in the wet, OPTIMO ME02 K424 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 80 vs 50 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, OPTIMO ME02 K424 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 85 vs 60 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, OPTIMO ME02 K424 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 74 vs 64 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, OPTIMO ME02 K424 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 73 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, OPTIMO ME02 K424 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Neither, by our numbers: 63 vs 65 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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