Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 17 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Pirelli Dragon Sport vs Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 — 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 + 19 road tests and 17 + 3,359 owner reviews. How we score
Ventus S1 evo3 leads, 70–66 Narrow edge
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Tests 78 · 19 tests Owners 56 · 3,359 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?”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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65
Dry
Ventus S1 evo3 +1075Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 86 Reviews found online 64 60 Dragon Sport: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.1 = 65
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 85.5 + 40% × 60 = 75
No road tests of dry for Dragon Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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70
Wet
Ventus S1 evo3 +1181Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 90 Reviews found online 70 68 Dragon Sport: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 69.9 = 70
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 90.2 + 40% × 67.5 = 81
No road tests of wet for Dragon Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
63
Comfort
Dragon Sport +459Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 65 Reviews found online 59 55 Dragon Sport: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 59.4 = 63
Ventus S1 evo3: 40% × 64.7 + 60% × 55.4 = 59
No road tests of comfort for Dragon Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison73Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 14 tests – 77 Reviews found online – ≈ 67 (est.) Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 77.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 73
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus S1 evo3. 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.
-
62
Treadwear
Dragon Sport +953Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests ≈ 64 (est.) 61 Reviews found online 59 40 Dragon Sport: 60% × 63.8 (est.) + 40% × 59.4 = 62
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 60.7 + 40% × 40.4 = 53
No road tests of treadwear for Dragon Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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66
Handling (owners)
Dragon Sport +858Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Reviews found online 66 58 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison68Why this score
Source Dragon Sport Ventus S1 evo3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 15 tests – 68
Scores at a glance
| Category | Pirelli Dragon Sport | Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 66 | 70 |
| Dry | 65 | 75 |
| Wet | 70 | 81 |
| Comfort | 63 | 59 |
| Noise | – | 73 |
| Treadwear | 62 | 53 |
| Handling (owners) | 66 | 58 |
| Efficiency | – | 68 |
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
66
/ 100
Dragon Sport
70
/ 100
Ventus S1 evo3
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 Dragon Sport
Pros
- Excellent tread life and durability for the price point
- High value-for-money compared to premium performance tires
- Strong dry grip and reliable wet weather performance for daily driving
Cons
- Soft sidewalls leading to vague steering feedback and understeer
- Susceptibility to sidewall damage and punctures from road hazards
- Performance limits fall short of true enthusiast-grade tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport series
Tire B 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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Pirelli Dragon Sport
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
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/TyreReviews
·2 upvotes ·2026-01-04
“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””
vwvortex.com
·2025-09-26
“My Hankook only lasted 15,000km. no drift or track and only 5-10 launch control. Noise was a bit high compared to my DWS06 +, but they had really good grip.”
r/tires
·1 upvote ·2026-02-03
“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”
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
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Pirelli Dragon Sport | B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Motorcycle | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 22 | 110 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 20″ | 17″ – 22″ |
| Sizes in common | 21 | 21 |
Which one should you actually buy?
66
/ 100
Pirelli Dragon Sport
70
/ 100
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Narrow edge: Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 — better wet and dry. Pick the Pirelli Dragon Sport if treadwear, handling and comfort matter most to you. Pirelli Dragon Sport rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 17 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 81 vs 70 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 75 vs 65 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Pirelli Dragon Sport scores 62 vs 53 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Pirelli Dragon Sport scores 66 vs 58 on handling.
Tire A · Pirelli Dragon Sport
Tire B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
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Dragon Sport or Ventus S1 evo3?
Which is better in the wet, Dragon Sport or Ventus S1 evo3?
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 81 vs 70 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Dragon Sport or Ventus S1 evo3?
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 75 vs 65 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Dragon Sport or Ventus S1 evo3?
Pirelli Dragon Sport, 63 vs 59 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Dragon Sport or Ventus S1 evo3?
Pirelli Dragon Sport, 62 vs 53 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