Tests – · 1 test Owners 56 · 42 reviews
Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Head-to-head
Updated
Sumitomo HTR Z III vs Toyo Proxes Sport — 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 1 + 20 road tests and 42 + 1,277 owner reviews. How we score
HTR Z III is ahead, 62–56
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Tests 58 · 20 tests Owners 53 · 1,277 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2018 AMS Summer UHP Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)
“Had the older version on an SRT8. Grip & performance were great. But wear was not. 10K miles(2 rotations) is all I got.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
67
Dry
HTR Z III +562Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 61 Reviews found online 67 64 HTR Z III: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 67
Proxes Sport: 60% × 60.6 + 40% × 63.7 = 62
No road tests of dry for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
63
Wet
Proxes Sport +669Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 65 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 60 59 HTR Z III: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 60.2 = 63
Proxes Sport: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 59 = 69
No road tests of wet for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
37
Snow
HTR Z III +235Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 53 (est.) ≈ 51 (est.) Reviews found online 14 10 HTR Z III: 60% × 52.7 (est.) + 40% × 14 = 37
Proxes Sport: 60% × 51.4 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 35
No road tests of snow for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
No road tests of snow for Proxes Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
-
66
Comfort
HTR Z III +1155Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 49 Reviews found online 64 59 HTR Z III: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 64.3 = 66
Proxes Sport: 40% × 49.3 + 60% × 58.7 = 55
No road tests of comfort for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
65
Noise
Proxes Sport +570Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 11 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 72 Reviews found online 62 68 HTR Z III: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
Proxes Sport: 60% × 72 + 40% × 68.1 = 70
No road tests of noise for HTR Z III. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
66
Treadwear
HTR Z III +2244Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests 70 37 Reviews found online 59 54 Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 62% 46% HTR Z III: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 59.1 = 66
Proxes Sport: 60% × 37.1 + 40% × 54.3 = 44
-
65
Handling (owners)
HTR Z III +1055Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Reviews found online 65 55 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison41Why this score
Source HTR Z III Proxes Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests – 41
Scores at a glance
| Category | Sumitomo HTR Z III | Toyo Proxes Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 62 | 56 |
| Dry | 67 | 62 |
| Wet | 63 | 69 |
| Snow | 37 | 35 |
| Comfort | 66 | 55 |
| Noise | 65 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 66 | 44 |
| Handling (owners) | 65 | 55 |
| Efficiency | – | 41 |
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.
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Neutral
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Important
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
62
/ 100
HTR Z III
56
/ 100
Proxes Sport
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Sumitomo HTR Z III finished ahead 0 times and Toyo Proxes Sport 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | HTR Z III | Proxes Sport | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 62% | 46% | +15.3 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires · 215/60R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #17/22 | #15/22 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires · 215/60R18 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A HTR Z III
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Strong dry handling and steering feedback
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Inconsistent wet-weather side grip during cornering
- Limited traction under heavy acceleration on high-horsepower vehicles
- Not suitable for winter or freezing conditions
Tire B Proxes Sport
Pros
- Significantly more affordable than premium tier summer tires while offering around 80-90% of the performance
- Commendable grip and handling in dry conditions with a progressive, predictable breakaway
- Low road noise and generally high ride comfort compared to factory run-flats or older performance tires
Cons
- Faster-than-expected tread wear, with multiple users reporting replacement necessary between 6,000 and 12,000 miles
- Inconsistent or slippery wet-weather traction and occasional tendency to hydroplane in heavy standing water
- Stiff sidewalls on certain sizes leading to a harsher ride quality or increased noise for some drivers
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Sumitomo HTR Z III
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Toyo Proxes Sport
Community sentiment toward the Toyo Proxes Sport family is generally positive, with users praising its value for money, comfortable ride quality, and capable daily street performance. While drivers note it lacks the sharp turn-in and grip of dedicated 200tw track tires, it is frequently highlighted as a cost-effective alternative to Michelin and Continental. Many prospective buyers note a relative scarcity of reviews, but those who run them report good traction, low noise, and appealing wide fitment options.
r/TyreReviews
·17 upvotes ·2026-08-27
“Toyo Proxes Sport 2 Really enjoyed these Proxes Sport 2s on my Alpina over the last year - in fact they’re so good I’ve put them on the B3 too! Great value for money. Read more”
r/tires
·2 upvotes ·2026-08-09
“I have real world experience with the Toyo Proxes Sport AS+. This may be the best all around tire on the planet IMO. I'm old and so I've tried multiple tires in real world conditions as a daily driver with performance in mind. I know every Michelin and Pirelli. I've become an expert on available tires in the USA.. What you will find with This tire: * They are immediately quiet *Resist hydroplaning in big water * Higher than expected dry performance in super hot weather for an AS * Maintain tread pattern to the death and remain quiet. These tires are next level.”
forum.miata.net
“I own both the Falken and Toyo Proxes Sport, both in 235/40-17. The Toyo rides better, the Falken goes faster through the turns, and turn-in response is much quicker. I have not bothered to take the Toyo to the track because around our fun canyon roads it is clearly slower and with less grip than the Falken. The Falken feels like a race tire, complete with stiff sidewall support for crisp turn-in, used those for track and autocross over the last few months, including two wins in class at autocross. The Toyo feels like a street tire, much like the Continental ECS, complete with much lower weight because sidewalls are comparatively soft and squishy next to the Falken. If you want a soft daily driver 235/40 and you accept it is a few clicks slower than the Falken, the Toyo is great as a daily driver. But if you expect that Toyo to keep up with the Falken on track days, you will be disappointed.”
Top themes
#value for money#street ride comfort#track performance comparison#wide sizing fitment#low user review availability#daily driving performance#wet and dry grip
Based on 32 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Sumitomo HTR Z III | B · Toyo Proxes Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 1 | 83 |
| Rim diameters | 19″ | 17″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 9 - 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 300 A A | 240 AA A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 25,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
62
/ 100
Sumitomo HTR Z III
56
/ 100
Toyo Proxes Sport
Winner: Sumitomo HTR Z III — better treadwear, comfort and handling. Pick the Toyo Proxes Sport if wet and noise matter most to you.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Sumitomo HTR Z III scores 66 vs 44 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Sumitomo HTR Z III scores 66 vs 55 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Sumitomo HTR Z III scores 65 vs 55 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Toyo Proxes Sport scores 69 vs 63 on wet.
Tire A · Sumitomo HTR Z III
Tire B · Toyo Proxes Sport
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HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Which is better in the wet, HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Toyo Proxes Sport, 69 vs 63 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Sumitomo HTR Z III, 67 vs 62 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Neither, by our numbers: 37 vs 35 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is quieter, HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Toyo Proxes Sport, 70 vs 65 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Sumitomo HTR Z III, 66 vs 55 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, HTR Z III or Proxes Sport?
Sumitomo HTR Z III, 66 vs 44 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