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Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 vs Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 — Compared

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

Ventus S1 evo3 leads, 69–68 Narrow edge

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Tire AHankook

Ventus S1 evo3

Summer

Tests 76 · 19 tests Owners 59 · 3,355 reviews

Best test result: #7 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (dry braking)

“Small tire size change having different ratings? (Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3) Hi all, I'm looking for a good all round tire for my MX5 (I'm in the non snowy regions of the UK so summer tires) and a pretty popular recommendation are the Ventus S1 Evo 3s. At the MX5's stock size of 205/45/R17 they are rated at A for fuel and wet performance, and 68db of noise, which is great! However I'd like to size up to 215/45/R17, and for whatever reason the ratings drop to B for fuel and wet performance, and most importantly to me, 71db of noise. I was just wondering how such a small difference in size changes things quite drastically? I know these ratings aren't that important, but it seems strange to me they'd change at all Thanks! Read more”

Tire BHankook

Ventus V12 evo2

Summer

Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 68 · 93 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 5 in 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test (noise)

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 S1 evo3 +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)8471
    Reviews found online6371
    Dry Braking (% of best)97%97%
    Dry Handling (% of best)99%97%
  2. 81

    Wet

    Ventus S1 evo3 +11
    70
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)8869
    Reviews found online6972
    Wet Braking (% of best)93%88%
    Wet Handling (% of best)92%95%
  3. 62

    Comfort

    Ventus V12 evo2 +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)65–
    Reviews found online5966
  4. 71

    Noise

    Ventus V12 evo2 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7477
  5. 55

    Treadwear

    Ventus V12 evo2 +7
    62
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)61–
    Reviews found online4660
  6. 60

    Handling

    Ventus V12 evo2 +9
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2
    Reviews found online6069
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Ventus S1 evo3Hankook Ventus V12 evo2
Relative Score 69 68
Dry 76 71
Wet 81 70
Comfort 62 67
Noise 71 73
Treadwear 55 62
Handling 60 69

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.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
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Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
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Important
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Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Ventus S1 evo3

Ventus V12 evo2

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryVentus S1 evo3Ventus V12 evo2ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 97% #7/45 · 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout 97% #4/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #5/13 · 2023 AutoBild Sports Car Summer Tyre Test 97% #4/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test +1.7 Different tests
Noise Other 99% #6/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −0.7 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 17% #6/13 · 2023 AutoBild Sports Car Summer Tyre Test 25% #4/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −8.3 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 93% #4/9 · 2021 Auto Bild UUHP Summer Tyre Test 88% #4/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test +4.4 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 92% #6/9 · 2021 Auto Bild UUHP Summer Tyre Test 95% #4/5 · 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test −3.1 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Ventus S1 evo3

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and confidence in wet and dry conditions
  • Low road noise and high ride comfort
  • Competitive pricing compared to premium tier-one brands

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear, particularly on rear axles or heavy vehicles
  • Soft sidewalls leading to reduced steering feedback and precision
  • Vulnerability to sidewall damage or bubbling from potholes
All owner themes in the Ventus S1 evo3 review

Tire B Ventus V12 evo2

Pros

  • Excellent value and cost-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
  • Strong, reliable grip in both dry and wet conditions with good aquaplaning resistance
  • Comfortable ride with low initial road noise

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can cause a floaty feel or roll during aggressive cornering and track use
  • Road noise increases noticeably as the tires wear down
  • Treadwear is relatively fast, leading to shorter overall mileage
All owner themes in the Ventus V12 evo2 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3

Mixed

Community sentiment toward the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 is mixed, with users frequently praising its strong dry and wet grip, comfort, and competitive pricing. However, notable drawbacks include relatively fast tread wear, reports of increasing road noise over time, and mixed experiences with OEM specs versus premium competitors like Michelin.

r/Golf_R ·6 upvotes ·2026-04-29

“Tire preferences? My MK8 has a little over 18,000 miles now and the stock tires look like they’ve already gone to sh*t? Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 aren’t as good as they advertise? What do you recommend for tires?”
teslamotorsclub.com ·1 upvote ·2023-01-26

“Nice. I'm in Texas, so I'm not sure if those (as all seasons) would be the best choice for me. I will never drive in snow/ice, and have been leaning towards the Hankook Ventus S1 EVO3 for my Model 3 AWD with 19" wheels. Those are the only Tesla OEM (I prefer the Tesla specs like acoustic lining, tread width, extra sidewall stability, etc.) summer tires in the 19" size.”
jaguarforums.com

“I had Hankook tires on my XKR, and thought they were the noisiest tires I had ever heard on a car, and I had to get rid of them as I couldn't stand it.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Value for money#Road noise levels#Tread wear and longevity#OEM fitments and EV variants#Run-flat identification confusion#Ride comfort

Based on 33 community posts

Tire B

Hankook Ventus V12 evo2

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 B · Hankook Ventus V12 evo2
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available11038
Rim diameters17″ – 22″15″ – 21″

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3

Hankook Ventus V12 evo2

Too close to call: Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 and Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 are within 2 points overall. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 is stronger on wet and dry. Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 is stronger on handling, treadwear and comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 81 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 scores 69 vs 60 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 scores 62 vs 55 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 76 vs 71 on dry.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
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Tire B · Hankook Ventus V12 evo2
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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.

69

Narrow edge

Ventus S1 evo3

Amazon