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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 850 vs Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 — 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 + 4 road tests and 57 + 32 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: WinterContact TS 850 76, Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 77.

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Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
Tire BGoodyear

Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Winter

± 7

Tests 72 · 4 tests Owners 81 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Auto Bild SUV 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. 75

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 850 +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 73 (est.)69
    Reviews found online7980

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 79.1 = 75

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1: 60% × 69.5 + 40% × 80.4 = 74

    No road tests of dry for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 81

    Wet

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +2
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 78 (est.)82
    Reviews found online8486

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 78.1 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 81

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1: 60% × 81.9 + 40% × 85.7 = 83

    No road tests of wet for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 71

    Snow

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +6
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 71 (est.)76
    Reviews found online7278

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 72.1 = 71

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 77.5 = 77

    No road tests of snow for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 76

    Comfort

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +1
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online8080

    WinterContact TS 850: 40% × 70.8 (est.) + 60% × 79.6 = 76

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1: 40% × 71 (est.) + 60% × 80.3 = 77

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–68
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1: 60% × 67.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67

    No owner ratings of noise for Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 850 +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 71 (est.)63
    Reviews found online7882

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 77.7 = 73

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1: 60% × 63.4 + 40% × 81.6 = 71

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +2
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Reviews found online8183
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–72
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 850Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
Relative Score 76 77
Dry 75 74
Wet 81 83
Snow 71 77
Comfort 76 77
Noise – 67
Treadwear 73 71
Handling (owners) 81 83
Efficiency – 72

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
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
± 8

WinterContact TS 850

± 7

Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

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 3 tests that ran both, Continental WinterContact TS 850 finished ahead 1 times and Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 2 times.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/8 #1/8 – 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2015 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterContact TS 850

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow and icy conditions
  • Outstanding performance in wet weather with strong resistance to aquaplaning
  • High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can result in a 'floating' or vague steering feel during cornering
  • Performance degrades noticeably in temperatures above 10-15°C
  • Reports of accelerated shoulder wear, particularly on heavier or RWD vehicles
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 850 review

Tire B Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather and slush performance
  • Strong traction and braking capabilities in snow
  • High durability and long tread life

Cons

  • Increased road noise reported by some users at higher speeds
  • Vague steering feedback and sidewall flex during spirited dry-road driving
  • Occasional loss of grip in dry conditions or when temperatures exceed 7°C
All owner themes in the Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available517
Rim diameters14″ – 16″16″ – 20″
Tread depth—9 - 11/32″
Sidewall—Raised Black Lettering
Max pressure—50 psi
Sizes in common11

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 850 and Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 are within 2 points overall. Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 is stronger on snow.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 scores 77 vs 71 on snow.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 850
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Tire B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
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WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1?

Neither, by our numbers: 81 vs 83 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 74 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1?

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1, 77 vs 71 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 77 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 850 or Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 71 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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