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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 WinterContact TS 870 P 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 27 + 3 road tests and 31 + 4 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 80–62

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Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 78 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

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. 80

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 870 P +20
    60
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / 3 tests8273
    Reviews found online7742

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 82 + 40% × 77.1 = 80

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

  2. 88

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +23
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / 3 tests9174
    Reviews found online8352

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 91.2 + 40% × 83.3 = 88

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

  3. 78

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / 3 tests7874
    Reviews found online7668

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.3 + 40% × 76.4 = 78

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

  4. 82

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +27
    55
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests84≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online8041

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 83.7 + 40% × 79.9 = 82

    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. 74

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 19 / – tests78–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 74

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 72

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 P +18
    54
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests70≈ 59 (est.)
    Reviews found online7545

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 74.9 = 72

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

    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. 80

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +31
    49
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Reviews found online8049
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 870 PGoodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Relative Score 80 62
Dry 80 60
Wet 88 65
Snow 78 72
Comfort 82 55
Noise 74 –
Treadwear 72 54
Handling (owners) 80 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

WinterContact TS 870 P

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 870 PUltraGrip Ice ArcticΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test 93% #3/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test 80% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 97% #5/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test 98% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 100% #2/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test 97% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 100% #2/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test 99% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 84% #27/31 · 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test 80% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #4/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test 93% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 98% #5/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test 94% #7/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 92% #6/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test 96% #4/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 93% #2/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test 94% #7/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #1/18 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test #4/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterContact TS 870 P

Pros

  • Exceptionally low noise levels and high ride comfort
  • Outstanding wet weather and slush performance, cutting through heavy rain effortlessly
  • Balanced dry and cold-weather handling with impressive cornering stability

Cons

  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • Steering response and initial stiffness are slightly softer and less sporty than dedicated summer tires or some rivals
  • Snow and ice traction can feel less exceptional or borderline inadequate for a small subset of users
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 P 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 WinterContact TS 870 P B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available121—
Rim diameters16″ – 23″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better handling, comfort and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 80 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 55 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 88 vs 65 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 80 vs 60 on dry.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
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WinterContact TS 870 P or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 P or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 88 vs 65 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 P or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 80 vs 60 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 P or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 78 vs 72 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 P or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 55 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 72 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