tirewheelguide

Hankook Ventus ME01 K144 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus ME01 K144 vs Hankook Ventus Prime 4 — 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 + 13 road tests and 9 + 2,509 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus Prime 4 is ahead, 77–47

Check price on Amazon · Ventus Prime 4 or Ventus ME01 K144 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 Prime 4
Tire BHankook

Ventus Prime 4

Summer

± 4

Tests 78 · 13 tests Owners 71 · 2,509 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 21 in 2022 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (dry handling)

“Simbolul cu mașina și fulgerul de pe Hankook Ventus Prime 4 arată că anvelopa e compatibilă și cu mașini electrice (EV), nu că e destinată exclusiv lor. Poate fi folosită fără probleme și pe mașini cu motor termic.”

Category by category

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

  1. 46

    Dry

    Ventus Prime 4 +34
    80
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 11 tests≈ 54 (est.)84
    Reviews found online3573

    Ventus ME01 K144: 60% × 54.1 (est.) + 40% × 34.7 = 46

    Ventus Prime 4: 60% × 84.2 + 40% × 73.4 = 80

    No road tests of dry for Ventus ME01 K144. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 47

    Wet

    Ventus Prime 4 +31
    78
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 53 (est.)81
    Reviews found online3875

    Ventus ME01 K144: 60% × 52.9 (est.) + 40% × 38.4 = 47

    Ventus Prime 4: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 74.6 = 78

    No road tests of wet for Ventus ME01 K144. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 52

    Comfort

    Ventus Prime 4 +17
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 65 (est.)70
    Reviews found online4468

    Ventus ME01 K144: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 43.9 = 52

    Ventus Prime 4: 40% × 70.3 + 60% × 67.9 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for Ventus ME01 K144. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    61
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–58
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Ventus Prime 4: 60% × 57.6 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 61

    No owner ratings of noise for Ventus Prime 4. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 51

    Treadwear

    Ventus Prime 4 +23
    74
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 57 (est.)78
    Reviews found online4167

    Ventus ME01 K144: 60% × 57.3 (est.) + 40% × 40.9 = 51

    Ventus Prime 4: 60% × 78.2 + 40% × 66.7 = 74

    No road tests of treadwear for Ventus ME01 K144. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  6. 41

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus Prime 4 +31
    72
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Reviews found online4172
  7. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    83
    Why this score
    SourceVentus ME01 K144Ventus Prime 4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–83
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Ventus ME01 K144Hankook Ventus Prime 4
Relative Score 47 77
Dry 46 80
Wet 47 78
Comfort 52 69
Noise – 61
Treadwear 51 74
Handling (owners) 41 72
Efficiency – 83

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

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
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

Ventus ME01 K144

± 4

Ventus Prime 4

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 Ventus ME01 K144

Pros

  • High levels of cabin comfort
  • Extremely quiet operation

Cons

  • Poor traction on both wet and dry surfaces
  • Increased braking distances required
  • Weak sidewall construction prone to damage
All owner themes in the Ventus ME01 K144 review

Tire B Ventus Prime 4

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry grip providing high confidence
  • Significantly reduced road noise and smooth, quiet ride quality
  • Competitively priced offering great value compared to top-tier premium brands

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear reported by some users, leading to shorter overall tire life
  • Noticeable decrease in wet traction and grip as the tread wears down past the halfway mark
  • Stiffer sidewalls can translate to a firmer ride or reduced comfort on rough surfaces
All owner themes in the Ventus Prime 4 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Hankook Ventus ME01 K144

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

Tire B

Hankook Ventus Prime 4

Positive

Community opinion on the Hankook Ventus Prime 4 is largely positive, with drivers viewing it as a comfortable, quiet, and capable touring tire. Users frequently praise its strong dry and wet performance alongside its compelling price-to-performance ratio compared to premium alternatives like Michelin. Some uncertainties exist regarding long-term tread wear and slight fuel economy impacts, but owners generally report satisfactory everyday reliability.

forums.hardwarezone.com.sg ·2024-11-12

“Ya. I read that review too. If I up the psi to 3, or 4 would result in hard and harsh bumps and much less comfy ride which I don't like. Therefore, I settle for 34 front and 32 back and started back to use Eco mode. I don't carry heavy loads and many pax in my car. I restricted it to 4 adult pax including myself as a driver, with or without loads at the boot.”
r/tires ·3 upvotes ·2026-10-09

“Found a cut on one of my tires, is it 100% cooked? Three month old Hankook Ventus Prime 4, covered less than 600miles. Found a small cut on the front right one. It is holding air fine. I will go to a tire shop to get checked asap, but chances that it’s ok? And what could have caused it? Hitting a curb? Thank you in advance!”
r/TireQuestions ·1 upvote ·2026-10-09

“Found a cut on one of my tires, is it 100% cooked? Three month old Hankook Ventus Prime 4 and I found a cut/split. It’s holding air fine but it is cooked?”
Top themes
#value for money#comfort and low noise#wet and dry grip#comparison with premium brands#tread longevity questions#touring versus sports handling

Based on 41 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus ME01 K144 B · Hankook Ventus Prime 4
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available—66
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus ME01 K144

Hankook Ventus Prime 4

Winner: Hankook Ventus Prime 4 — better dry, wet and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Hankook Ventus ME01 K144 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus Prime 4 scores 80 vs 46 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus Prime 4 scores 78 vs 47 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus Prime 4 scores 72 vs 41 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Hankook Ventus Prime 4 scores 74 vs 51 on treadwear.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus ME01 K144
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Ventus Prime 4
Check price on Amazon

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

Ventus ME01 K144 or Ventus Prime 4?

Which is better in the wet, Ventus ME01 K144 or Ventus Prime 4?

Hankook Ventus Prime 4, 78 vs 47 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus ME01 K144 or Ventus Prime 4?

Hankook Ventus Prime 4, 80 vs 46 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ventus ME01 K144 or Ventus Prime 4?

Hankook Ventus Prime 4, 69 vs 52 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ventus ME01 K144 or Ventus Prime 4?

Hankook Ventus Prime 4, 74 vs 51 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