Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 vs Continental Premium Contact 6: Both of these tires come in the category of high-performance tires, best suitable for summer use. These tires with 225/40 R18 size are compared thoroughly below in terms of their road grip, rolling resistance, wet handling, and comfortability levels. With the collection on data while comparing. We used the same tire size with the same car and weight distribution.
The world’s 7th largest tire manufacturer, Hankook, has rapidly made name for itself in the industry by providing high-quality tires at reasonable rates. Most of their tires are termed as one of the best in their respective categories. Hankook Ventus tires were launched in 1994 and their market has grown ever since.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
And among them Hankook Ventus S1 EVO3 is one of the most popular tires among the Hankook high-performing tires. But, to check if it is as good as its reputation, we reviewed the personally tested Hankook Ventus S1 to help you decide if it is worth your money or not.
On the other side, the Continental, a German parts manufacturing comparing since 1871 developed its flagship which is a very nice tire to have. But still, the results are going to surprise you a little bit today.
The PremiumContact 6, one might say is the baby of Premium Contact 5 and the SportContact 5. The performance is better than both of them. With lesser noise (10% less) and better road grip and attractions. Alot of sizes available with this update (16 to 21 inches) where PremiumContact 5 were available up to 19 inches, and EcoContact up to 16 inches. You get a better silica compound here which helps the tire in braking on wet and try asphalt. And the new tread pattern now allows this tire to be more efficient. Similarly the shoulder block design helps in cornering.
Let’s analyze these two cool tires in detail.
Table of Contents
Comparing Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 and Continental Premium Contact 6
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3
Simply put overall, the dry handling and the wet handling (measured by covering the lap on the clock) were better on the Continental PremiumContact 6. And looking at the tread pattern, it really makes sense. The outer shoulder area on the Continental has a better sipe design which cover more area of the shoulders. This makes the cornering of the tire better. Furthermore, heat also comes into play as more distance is traveled. Where heat causes the tire compound to soften a little bit which makes it loose grip slightly on corners. Looking at both tires Continental was able to manage heat more than the Hankook.
Speaking of dry braking or road grip of the tire. Hankook was better at Continental on the tests. The tread pattern design on the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 is responsible for more contact patch with the road, making it overall better in dry grip.
And as for the wet asphalt go, the grip of the Hankook was also better here by a LONG shot. Along with more contact patch with the road, the sipe design on the tire (responsible for wiping away the water in front) was simply awesome.
But still, wet handling was almost the same on both tires. Continental was better at aquaplaning or in other words was better able to exhaust water out of the tire. Continental also has wider grooves so that makes sense, as more water is able to flow out.
Furthermore, it was surprising to see that even with more grip the rolling resistance on Hankook was lower than the PremiumContact. And with these tires less noisy and less pricey. It suddenly becomes a better pick for some.
Dry Traction Comparison
When tested, the Hankook Ventus exhibited good overall dry traction with a decent dry grip and dry braking. We found the steering to be responsive due to its aramid hybrid reinforcement belt which improves high-speed stability too.
With the Hankook Ventus, we found the steering to be sharp and handling the vehicle to be safe. It is a balanced sports tire with an outside tread pattern that enhances steering grip and enriched silica compounds for increasing tire strength. All these features combined offer a comfortable and safe drive on dry surfaces.
On dry surfaces, the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 covered 33.5 meters to break from 100kph to 0kph. Where the Continental PremiumContact 6 covered 34m. This makes Hankook Evo 3 better at Dry Grip.
Continental PremiumContact 6, with its wider grooves left less contact patch with the road. This although making it better at Aquaplaning made it less performing on grip.
As for the handling time, the average time covered on laps for the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 was 96 seconds compared to PremiumContact 6 time of 95 seconds, making Continental slightly better in handling on dry surfaces.
Note that the time difference is just 1 second. Hankook with more contact patch with the road compared to the amazing sipes design on the PremiumContact cancel each other out on dry handling performance.
In other words, the Continental tire’s shoulder configuration and asymmetrical tread rib geometry basically adds additional grip, especially when cornering.
Overall PremiumContact is better at dry handling. Under dry traction testing, these tires perform remarkably well during the first lap. Afterward, however, as the heat builds up, it slows down a little. This proves that even though it is a summer tire, it may not be the best option under very high climate conditions.
Side Note: A better pick for Dry handling is still Michelin Pilot Sport 4.
Wet Traction Comparison
The Hankook Ventus S1 performed exceptionally well in wet conditions when tested.
Continental PremiumContact 6 took 35.8 in meters where Hankook Evo 3 took just 31 meters to go from 80 kph to 0 kph. This makes Hankook Evo 3 currently the best with wet grip.
As you can see above, the tread of the Hankook tire is embedded with interlocking grooves that improve overall road grip with a decent cornering performance, steering response, and handling in wet conditions. The nylon and aramid belt also contributes in driving on wet surfaces.
Hankook Evo 3 along with the more contact patch with the road are equipped with enriched silica compounds, they are designed for superior performance in dry and wet conditions.
Still, with such an amazing grip of wet asphalt, the overall handling time of the tire was below PremiumContact 6 with a difference of just 1 second.
The handling time for the Continental PremiumContact 6 and the Hankook Evo 3 were both same 95.5 seconds. So it’s a tie here.
The tire shoulder configuration and the asymmetrical tread rib geometry on the PremiumContact is simply amazing.
So, which is better when it comes to wet performance? Well, Hankook with its inside tread pattern and amazing sipe design makes it better on the wet grip. And PremiumContact with their shoulder design makes them a little better at handling on wet surfaces.
So it’s fair to say that Hankook Evo 3, looking at the asphalt grip margin, is better.
Rolling Resistance Comparison
The more the grip of the tire, the harder it is to roll. But with the Hankook, where it showed better grip than the PremiumContact 6, it gave lower rolling resistance. This was very amazing to see indeed.
For Continental PremiumContact 6 it is averaged around 8.8 kg/t where Hankook Evo 3 experiences a rolling resistance of 8.4 kg/t. Making Hankook better here.
The dual-layer fiber stiffener present in the Hankook Ventus ensures lower rolling resistance. That means that, you also get a better fuel economy along with better grip. In recent years, Hankook has been focusing more on energy efficiency and sustainability. Therefore, Ventus EVO3 is one of the tires that offer a good fuel economy.
On the other hand, the rolling resistance on the Continental Premium Contact 6is okay. This is an acceptable figure as UUHP tires tend of have higher rolling resistance in general and it gives the same performance with comparatively lesser rolling resistance, with some exceptions of UUHP tires with low rolling resistance.
A drawback one would consider before purchasing the Contact 6 tires is that this rolling resistance results in higher fueling bills. Those bills would, however, be a bargain, keeping in mind the remarkable performance of these tires. Such rolling resistance is accepted from tires that function well and offer stability even in conditions of high forces such as that when cornering.
Hydroplaning/Aquaplaning Comparison
As seen from the tread pattern of both tires, the grooves on the PremiumContact 6 have more depth. So they were better able to evacuate water while aquaplaning.
The float speed of Hankook Evo 3 averages arround 74 km/h. Compared to Continental PremiumContact 6’s float speed of 78 km/h. So aquaplaning is better on Continental tire here.
Hankook Ventus S1 on the other side was not too far behind. With their interlocking groove and inside tread pattern, they played a key role in enhancing its hydroplaning resistance. But since with wider grooves its no surprise that the PremiumContact 6 is better.
But again, with wider grooves, you get less contact patch so overall road grip is lessened.
The hydroplaning of the Continental Premium Contact 6 tires surpasses even that of UUHP tires. UUHP tires have a design that focuses entirely on dry and wet traction and handling and do not invest especially much in improving hydroplaning. These tires, however, are in a league of their own when it comes to hydroplaning resistance.
Noise and Comfort
Out of all the tires we compared, nothing beats Pirelli’s P Zero PZ4 in terms of road noise. You can check their number in the following links:
Generally, UUHP tires have noise levels are high and that of UHP tires of low.
In terms of numbers, the external noise of the Contact 6 tires in decibels is 73.5 dB. If a quiet and peaceful ride is a priority for you, these tires could possibly be an issue for you. The only good thing to be said about the noise level is that Continental has reduced it in the Contact 6 by 10% as compared to the older tires.
These tires do, however, provide a stable and comfortable ride for you. This is possible because of their enhanced footprint design.
Compare to the Hankook Evo 3 external noise of 71.4 dB on asphalt, the noise level of Continental PremiumContact 6 tires averages around 74 decibels or dBs.
The dual-pitch; inside and outside tread pattern present in the Hankook tires helps reduce noise. They are equipped with a high strength steel belt wire that absorbs shocks and prevents damage to the tire. For this reason, we found the Hankook Ventus to be one of the most comfortable tires on the market especially with its ability to drive on bumpy roads without causing discomfort.
When tested, an external noise of 71.1dB was recorded which is relatively quiet. So, if comfortable and quiet car rides are your priority, the Hankook Ventus S1 EVO3 is a great choice for you.
The Hankook Ventus has a stiff outside shoulder that makes it easier to handle the vehicle on dry surfaces. The nylon and aramid hybrid reinforcement belt improve stability and driving, simplifying handling.
With an average wet handling speed of 72.4km/h and a dry handling speed of 117km/h, the Hankook Ventus exhibited decent handling skills, even at a high speed. Improved wet and dry traction also provided for a safer and easier-to-handle ride. Conclusively, if you are looking for a tire that is easy to handle and will not cause you much trouble, the Hankook Ventus S1 is a good choice.
Treadwear
With a tread of 7.8 mm, the Continental Premium Contact 6 tires offer good tread wear resistance. This makes the tires durable and helps them perform well for a great number of miles and under all kinds of weather conditions, except snow since this is designed as a summer tire.
What makes these tires so durable is a polymer compound which is resistant to abrasion. Furthermore, it has a supple tread pattern, which makes it capable of enduring all kinds of roads, bumpy and straight, and continuing to perform well. This is an excellent quality to have in a summer tire, as it has to endure high temperatures.
On the other hand, Continental has improved from both its predecessors, the Conti Sport Contact 5 and the Conti Premium Contact 5 within a 15% improvement in mileage.
Despite their excellent performance on dry and wet surfaces, their relatively low tread life did not live up to our expectations. While the enriched silica compounds are featured in the tire to improve their tread life, the compounds were not as effective in this case.
We also noticed when the tread significantly wore out, the tires started underperforming, their grip reduced, and it began understeering. Consequently, if changing tires often frustrates you and it is difficult for you to keep up with the expense of replacing your tires, you might want to reconsider buying the Hankook Ventus S1 EVO3.
Side Note: If you are looking something in budget, do consider the Nokian Powerproof.
Conclusion
To summarize, dry handling was better on Continental PremiumContact 6 but then again dry braking was better on Hankook Evo 3. Similarly, wet handling was also slightly better on PremiumContact 6 where Hankook Evo 3 was better in wet braking by a long margin.
Overall we conclude the Hankook Evo 3 is a better tire here. As along with traction, it still has small rolling resistance and noise, and also a light on the wallet.
The Contact 6 tires provide excellent dry and wet handling, remarkably great hydroplaning, and have a long tread life. They do, however, lack in terms of rolling resistance and noise levels and is expensive as well.
The Hankook Ventus S1 EVO3 is a reputable summer Ultra High Performance (UHP) tire for passenger cars and SUVs for good reasons. With its enhanced dry and wet traction, it is a decent option for many of those who are looking for reasonable and high-performance sporty tires. However, they do have their downsides such as low tread life. While other features are just as important, a low tread life can significantly impact the safety and stability of the car ride. For this reason, we would recommend changing your tires at least once or twice a year to keep your car well-maintained. The Hankook also provide a comfortable and quiet ride, which is a very strong advantage that many tires do not offer.
