Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 19 + 0 road tests and 3,382 + 13 owner reviews. How we score
Ventus S1 evo3 is ahead, 70–53
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Tests 77 · 19 tests Owners 57 · 3,382 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (wet braking)
“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?”
Tests – · none yet Owners 43 · 13 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / – tests | 86 | ≈ 59 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 47 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 85.6 + 40% × 59.9 = 75
NT555: 60% × 59.3 (est.) + 40% × 47.1 = 54
No road tests of dry for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / – tests | 90 | ≈ 56 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 44 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 89.7 + 40% × 68.1 = 81
NT555: 60% × 56.3 (est.) + 40% × 44.4 = 52
No road tests of wet for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | ≈ 55 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | – | 23 |
NT555: 60% × 55.5 (est.) + 40% × 22.8 = 42
No road tests of snow for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests | 64 | ≈ 64 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 56 | 43 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 40% × 64.3 + 60% × 55.8 = 59
NT555: 40% × 63.6 (est.) + 60% × 43.2 = 51
No road tests of comfort for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests | 77 | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 66 (est.) | 49 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 76.7 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 73
NT555: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 48.9 = 59
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus S1 evo3. 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.
No road tests of noise for NT555. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests | 61 | ≈ 58 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 41 | 44 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 60.8 + 40% × 41.4 = 53
NT555: 60% × 58.3 (est.) + 40% × 43.6 = 52
No road tests of treadwear for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 59 | 49 |
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / – tests | 68 | – |
| Category | Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 | Nitto NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 70 | 53 |
| Dry | 75 | 54 |
| Wet | 81 | 52 |
| Snow | – | 42 |
| Comfort | 59 | 51 |
| Noise | 73 | 59 |
| Treadwear | 53 | 52 |
| Handling (owners) | 59 | 49 |
| Efficiency | 68 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Ventus S1 evo3
NT555
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“That would tally with what this person found with the 127 variant that preceded it “Hi just for information,I asked Hankook what tread depth when new was on their Ventus S1 Evo 3 K127 tyre, the reply was 6.6 mm””
“You will love the Ventus S1 EVO3's, I purchased a set back in May 2020 for $473 delivered. In your climate driving at Texas speeds (75-85) efficiency is gonna be about 270-295 Wh/m. I just ordered a set of the iON EVO AS to try out as I have a need for snow use but not bad enough for snow tires.”
“For BMW-approved run flat tires, you should see a symbol that has the letters "RSC" in a circle next to the star symbol. (The "RSC" stands for "Run-flat System Component".) I don't see that symbol on the tire pictured, so it isn't a run flat. Hankook's model number for non-run flat S1 evo 3 tires is K127 whereas the run flat variant is K127B, sometimes referred to as the "SUV version". I only know this because of my quest earlier this year for efficient (yet still sporty) 225/45 R17 summer tires for my aftermarket wheels. In this size, the run flat variant actually has a better rating (B) for rolling resistance than the non-run flat (C) per the Euro tyre labels. This is a rare exception, as run flats are usually less efficient. Note that the non-run flat 205/45 R17 S1 evo 3 has an A rating, which is the most efficient. I haven't seen Euro tyre labels for the run flat variant in that size, but it seems unlikely to me they would have an A rating. As such, I would be surprised if MINI installed them at the factory due to the impact to range--unless they had no other option available due to supply chain constraints.”
Based on 33 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 | B · Nitto NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 110 | 53 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | 15″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10.3/32″ |
| UTQG | 200 - 420 A - AA A | 300 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 39 | 39 |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Nitto NT555
Winner: Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 — better wet, dry and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score. Nitto NT555 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 81 vs 52 on wet.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 75 vs 54 on dry.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 73 vs 59 on noise.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 59 vs 49 on handling.
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Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 81 vs 52 on our wet score.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 75 vs 54 on our dry score.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 73 vs 59 on our noise score.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 59 vs 51 on our comfort score.
Neither, by our numbers: 53 vs 52 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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
