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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Winter Response 2 vs Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ — 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 2 + 5 road tests and 10 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

Winter Response 2 is ahead, 82–77

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Dunlop Winter Response 2
Tire ADunlop

Winter Response 2

Winter

± 6

Tests 89 · 2 tests Owners 84 · 10 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 51 in 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! (wet braking)

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
Tire BGoodyear

UltraGrip 9+

Winter

± 6

Tests 75 · 5 tests Owners 79 · 6 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test (ice braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 77

    Dry

    Winter Response 2 +10
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 74 (est.)60
    Reviews found online8379

    Winter Response 2: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 82.7 = 77

    UltraGrip 9+: 60% × 59.8 + 40% × 78.8 = 67

    No road tests of dry for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 91

    Wet

    Winter Response 2 +6
    85
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 5 tests9386
    Reviews found online8983

    Winter Response 2: 60% × 93 + 40% × 88.6 = 91

    UltraGrip 9+: 60% × 86.3 + 40% × 83.1 = 85

  3. 84

    Snow

    Winter Response 2 +4
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 5 tests8485
    Reviews found online8474

    Winter Response 2: 60% × 84 + 40% × 84.3 = 84

    UltraGrip 9+: 60% × 84.7 + 40% × 73.7 = 80

  4. 80

    Comfort

    Winter Response 2 +5
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 72 (est.)76
    Reviews found online8574

    Winter Response 2: 40% × 72 (est.) + 60% × 85.1 = 80

    UltraGrip 9+: 40% × 75.7 + 60% × 74.1 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–71
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    UltraGrip 9+: 60% × 70.5 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for UltraGrip 9+. 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. 75

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9+ +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 72 (est.)72
    Reviews found online8182

    Winter Response 2: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 80.8 = 75

    UltraGrip 9+: 60% × 71.5 + 40% × 81.6 = 76

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Response 2 +9
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Reviews found online8374
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–78
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Winter Response 2Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
Relative Score 82 77
Dry 77 67
Wet 91 85
Snow 84 80
Comfort 80 75
Noise – 69
Treadwear 75 76
Handling (owners) 83 74
Efficiency – 78

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
± 6

Winter Response 2

± 6

UltraGrip 9+

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, Dunlop Winter Response 2 finished ahead 2 times and Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ 1 times.

DisciplineCategoryWinter Response 2UltraGrip 9+ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #12/15 #2/15 – 2–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2022 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter Response 2

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and confidence in snow and ice
  • Excellent wet weather performance and braking
  • High level of cabin comfort and low noise levels

Cons

  • Faster tread wear reported by some users
  • Slightly noticeable tire roll in fast corners above 50 mph
All owner themes in the Winter Response 2 review

Tire B UltraGrip 9+

Pros

  • Strong cold-weather and wet grip, with one owner describing wet grip at 0–10°C as feeling as sure-footed as in the dry
  • Capable snow and ice performance in the conditions reported, including hill climbs past stranded vehicles and handling of icy rural roads
  • Comfortable and quiet on the road, with some noise noted only on concrete surfaces; one reviewer found it quieter than a Nokian WRD4

Cons

  • Long-term durability is largely unproven, as reviewers had covered only about 1,000 to 8,000 km and several said it was too early to judge wear
  • Snow and ice performance was not tested extensively, since mild winters or limited exposure meant some owners could not comment on severe conditions
  • Snow traction was reported as not matching a Nokian WRD4 in one second-hand comparison
All owner themes in the UltraGrip 9+ review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Winter Response 2 B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1519
Rim diameters14″ – 16″14″ – 16″
Sizes in common1313

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Winter Response 2

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+

Winner: Dunlop Winter Response 2 — better dry, handling and wet. Where the Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop Winter Response 2 scores 77 vs 67 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop Winter Response 2 scores 83 vs 74 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop Winter Response 2 scores 91 vs 85 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop Winter Response 2 scores 80 vs 75 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop Winter Response 2
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
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Winter Response 2 or UltraGrip 9+?

Which is better in the wet, Winter Response 2 or UltraGrip 9+?

Dunlop Winter Response 2, 91 vs 85 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Response 2 or UltraGrip 9+?

Dunlop Winter Response 2, 77 vs 67 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter Response 2 or UltraGrip 9+?

Dunlop Winter Response 2, 84 vs 80 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter Response 2 or UltraGrip 9+?

Dunlop Winter Response 2, 80 vs 75 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter Response 2 or UltraGrip 9+?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 76 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