Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus R-S4 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 211 + 124 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus Prime 3 K125 is ahead, 78–72

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Hankook Ventus R-S4
Tire AHankook

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.”

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
± 5

Tests 77 · 14 tests Owners 75 · 124 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. 76

    Dry

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +9
    85
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 73 (est.)89
    Reviews found online8079

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

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 88.5 + 40% × 79.3 = 85

    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. 67

    Wet

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +13
    80
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 68 (est.)82
    Reviews found online6677

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

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 77.1 = 80

    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. 59

    Comfort

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +15
    74
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 66 (est.)76
    Reviews found online5572

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

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 40% × 75.9 + 60% × 72.4 = 74

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

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    75
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–80
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 80.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 75

    No owner ratings of noise for Ventus Prime 3 K125. 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. 73

    Treadwear

    Ventus R-S4 +8
    65
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 70 (est.)61
    Reviews found online7871

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

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 61 + 40% × 70.6 = 65

    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).

  6. 82

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus R-S4 +7
    75
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Reviews found online8275
  7. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ventus Prime 3 K125
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–66
Scores at a glance
Hankook Ventus R-S4 vs Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryHankook Ventus R-S4Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Relative Score 72 78
Dry 76 85
Wet 67 80
Comfort 59 74
Noise – 75
Treadwear 73 65
Handling (owners) 82 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

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
± 7

Ventus R-S4

± 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 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

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

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

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

Tire B

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus R-S4 B · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—60
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125

Winner: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 — better comfort, wet and dry. Pick the Hankook Ventus R-S4 if treadwear and handling matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 74 vs 59 on comfort.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 80 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 85 vs 76 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 73 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus R-S4
Tire B · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125

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Ventus R-S4 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Which is better in the wet, Ventus R-S4 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 80 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus R-S4 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 85 vs 76 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ventus R-S4 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 74 vs 59 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ventus R-S4 or Ventus Prime 3 K125?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 73 vs 65 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