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Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli SOTTOZERO vs Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 — Compared

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

SOTTOZERO leads, 69–68 Narrow edge

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Tire APirelli

SOTTOZERO

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 9 reviews

Tire BHankook

Ventus S1 evo3

Summer

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

“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.”

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Ventus S1 evo3 +10
    76
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–84
    Reviews found online6563
  2. 73

    Wet

    Ventus S1 evo3 +8
    81
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–88
    Reviews found online7469
  3. 63

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Reviews found online59–
  4. 69

    Comfort

    SOTTOZERO +7
    62
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
    Reviews found online6859
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–74
  6. 66

    Treadwear

    SOTTOZERO +11
    55
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–61
    Reviews found online6646
  7. 70

    Handling

    SOTTOZERO +10
    60
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROVentus S1 evo3
    Reviews found online7060
Scores at a glance
CategoryPirelli SOTTOZEROHankook Ventus S1 evo3
Relative Score 69 68
Dry 66 76
Wet 73 81
Snow 63 –
Comfort 69 62
Noise – 71
Treadwear 66 55
Handling 70 60

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
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

SOTTOZERO

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 SOTTOZERO

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and low noise levels compared to standard winter tires.
  • Strong dry road handling with a progressive, communicative feel.
  • Impressive tread longevity, with some users reporting high mileage even in warmer conditions.

Cons

  • Inconsistent traction on ice and deep snow reported by some users.
  • Potential for rear-end instability or loss of grip in wet conditions on certain vehicles.
  • Accelerated tread wear noted by users who purchased used tires or drove aggressively.
All owner themes in the SOTTOZERO review

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
All owner themes in the Ventus S1 evo3 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Pirelli SOTTOZERO

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

Tire B

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?”
vwvortex.com ·1 upvote ·2025-09-20

“My thoughts with the Hankooks on my '25R vs the Bridgestones on my '23R. Hankooks WAY louder but better ride quality & traction. As far as rotating - I rotate at least every two weeks (off before AutoX and on immediately after - I have dedicated AutoX tires ). I don't even pay attention to what position they're in. Zero issues.”
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 SOTTOZERO B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
CategoryWinterSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—110
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli SOTTOZERO

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3

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

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Pirelli SOTTOZERO scores 66 vs 55 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli SOTTOZERO scores 70 vs 60 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 76 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 81 vs 73 on wet.

Tire A · Pirelli SOTTOZERO
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Tire B · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
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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

SOTTOZERO

Amazon