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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

Firestone WinterForce 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 0 + 3 road tests and 66 + 4 owner reviews. How we score

WinterForce leads, 64–62 Narrow edge

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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. 54

    Dry

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic +6
    60
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 59 (est.)73
    Reviews found online4742

    WinterForce: 60% × 59.3 (est.) + 40% × 46.9 = 54

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

    No road tests of dry for WinterForce. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 68

    Wet

    WinterForce +3
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 68 (est.)74
    Reviews found online6752

    WinterForce: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 66.7 = 68

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

    No road tests of wet for WinterForce. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 72

    Snow

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 71 (est.)74
    Reviews found online7468

    WinterForce: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 72

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

    No road tests of snow for WinterForce. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 64

    Comfort

    WinterForce +9
    55
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online5941

    WinterForce: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 64

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

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

  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online55–

    WinterForce: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.7 = 62

    No road tests of noise for WinterForce. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 63

    Treadwear

    WinterForce +9
    54
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 59 (est.)
    Reviews found online6145

    WinterForce: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 61.3 = 63

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

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterForce. 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. 59

    Handling (owners)

    WinterForce +10
    49
    Why this score
    SourceWinterForceUltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Reviews found online5949
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone WinterForceGoodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Relative Score 64 62
Dry 54 60
Wet 68 65
Snow 72 72
Comfort 64 55
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 63 54
Handling (owners) 59 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

WinterForce

UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterForce

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and heavy winter weather
  • Great value and affordable price point compared to other winter tires
  • Studdable design for enhanced ice and packed snow performance

Cons

  • Noticeable tire noise and whirring on dry roads due to the aggressive tread block design
  • Softer rubber compound leads to faster tread wear if used year-round or in warmer weather
  • Softer sidewalls can cause some drifting or vague handling feel on dry pavement
All owner themes in the WinterForce 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 · Firestone WinterForce B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
CategoryWinter Touring tiresWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone WinterForce

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Narrow edge: Firestone WinterForce — better handling, comfort and treadwear. Pick the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic if dry matters most to you.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Firestone WinterForce scores 59 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone WinterForce scores 64 vs 55 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Firestone WinterForce scores 63 vs 54 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic scores 60 vs 54 on dry.

Tire A · Firestone WinterForce
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
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WinterForce or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

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

Firestone WinterForce, 68 vs 65 on our wet score.

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

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic, 60 vs 54 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterForce or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, WinterForce or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Firestone WinterForce, 64 vs 55 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterForce or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Firestone WinterForce, 63 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