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Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental VikingContact 7 vs Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 8 + 3 road tests and 32 + 4 owner reviews. How we score

VikingContact 7 is ahead, 67–62

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Continental VikingContact 7
Tire AContinental

VikingContact 7

Winter

Tests 75 · 8 tests Owners 60 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Tire BGoodyear

UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Winter

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 51 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test (wet braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    VikingContact 7 +6
    60
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests7673
    Reviews found online4942
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%93%
    Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–140%80%

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 49.4 = 66

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 72.6 + 40% × 42.2 = 60

  2. 66

    Wet

    VikingContact 7 +1
    65
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests6874
    Reviews found online6252
    Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–192%98%
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–193%97%
    Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–195%99%

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 68.4 + 40% × 62.1 = 66

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 52.1 = 65

  3. 75

    Snow

    VikingContact 7 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests7974
    Reviews found online7068
    Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–082%80%
    Ice Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%91%
    Ice Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–180%82%
    Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%93%
    Snow Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–098%94%
    Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%96%

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 78.6 + 40% × 70.1 = 75

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 67.9 = 72

  4. 70

    Comfort

    VikingContact 7 +15
    55
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7141

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 70 + 40% × 71 = 70

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.2 = 55

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip Ice Arctic. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 80

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests88–
    Reviews found online68–

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 88.1 + 40% × 68.1 = 80

  6. 59

    Treadwear

    VikingContact 7 +5
    54
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 59 (est.)
    Reviews found online5445

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 62 (est.) + 40% × 54 = 59

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 59.3 (est.) + 40% × 45.1 = 54

    No road tests of treadwear for VikingContact 7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for UltraGrip Ice Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 60

    Handling (owners)

    VikingContact 7 +11
    49
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Reviews found online6049
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VikingContact 7Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Relative Score 67 62
Dry 66 60
Wet 66 65
Snow 75 72
Comfort 70 55
Noise 80 –
Treadwear 59 54
Handling (owners) 60 49

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
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
Recomputed
Headline score

VikingContact 7

UltraGrip Ice Arctic

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 2 tests that ran both, Continental VikingContact 7 finished ahead 2 times and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryVikingContact 7UltraGrip Ice ArcticΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% 93% +6.9 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 40% 80% −40.0 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 92% 98% −6.3 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Wet Braking Wet 93% 97% −3.7 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Wet Handling Wet 95% 99% −4.5 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Ice Braking Snow 82% 80% +1.7 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Ice Handling Snow 100% 91% +9.3 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Ice Traction Snow 80% 82% −2.1 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Snow Braking Snow 100% 93% +7.2 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Snow Handling Snow 98% 94% +4.0 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Snow Traction Snow 100% 96% +3.6 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test · 225/50 R17
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/16 #3/16 – 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2019 Teknikens Värld Large Winter Tire Test R17 · 225/50R17

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A VikingContact 7

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong performance in slush and deep snow
  • Stable and predictable handling at highway speeds

Cons

  • Mixed reports regarding tread life and longevity
  • Noticeable decline in ice-braking performance compared to top-tier ice specialists
  • Compound may harden or performance may degrade after multiple seasons
All owner themes in the VikingContact 7 review

Tire B UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Pros

  • Excellent traction and handling on packed snow
  • Strong performance on ice during the first two seasons
  • Reliable winter grip in extreme arctic conditions

Cons

  • Significant stud loss after two seasons of use
  • Abrupt and dangerous decline in grip performance by the third year
  • Poor longevity relative to competitors despite remaining tread depth
All owner themes in the UltraGrip Ice Arctic review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VikingContact 7 B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available134—
Rim diameters14″ – 22″—
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VikingContact 7

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Winner: Continental VikingContact 7 — better comfort, handling and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 70 vs 55 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 60 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 66 vs 60 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 59 vs 54 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
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VikingContact 7 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Which is better in the wet, VikingContact 7 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 65 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, VikingContact 7 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental VikingContact 7, 66 vs 60 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, VikingContact 7 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental VikingContact 7, 75 vs 72 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, VikingContact 7 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental VikingContact 7, 70 vs 55 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, VikingContact 7 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental VikingContact 7, 59 vs 54 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