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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

General Altimax Arctic 12 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 1 + 3 road tests and 31 + 4 owner reviews. How we score

Altimax Arctic 12 is ahead, 67–62

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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. 52

    Dry

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic +8
    60
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests4873
    Reviews found online5842

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 47.8 + 40% × 58.3 = 52

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

  2. 69

    Wet

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    65
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests6574
    Reviews found online7552

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 75 = 69

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

  3. 76

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests7474
    Reviews found online7968

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 79.4 = 76

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

  4. 68

    Comfort

    Altimax Arctic 12 +13
    55
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests68≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online6741

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 68.5 + 40% × 66.6 = 68

    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. 70

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72–
    Reviews found online66–

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 65.6 = 70

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +16
    54
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 59 (est.)
    Reviews found online7245

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 72.3 = 70

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic 12. 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. 69

    Handling (owners)

    Altimax Arctic 12 +20
    49
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice Arctic
    Reviews found online6949
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Relative Score 67 62
Dry 52 60
Wet 69 65
Snow 76 72
Comfort 68 55
Noise 70 –
Treadwear 70 54
Handling (owners) 69 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

Altimax Arctic 12

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.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Arctic 12UltraGrip Ice ArcticΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 81% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 93% #3/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 76% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 97% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 84% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 80% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 91% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 82% #6/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 75% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 93% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 90% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 94% #7/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs 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 Altimax Arctic 12

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in heavy snow, slush, and ice
  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Impressive tread life and long-term durability across multiple winter seasons

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise, which can increase as the tires wear
  • Slightly soft, squishy, or vague handling characteristics on dry pavement
  • Higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor decrease in fuel economy
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic 12 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 · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available38—
Rim diameters15″ – 19″—
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Winner: General Altimax Arctic 12 — better handling, treadwear and comfort. Pick the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic if dry matters most to you.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 70 vs 54 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 68 vs 55 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic scores 60 vs 52 on dry.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
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Altimax Arctic 12 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic 12 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 69 vs 65 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic 12 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic, 60 vs 52 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 76 vs 72 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 68 vs 55 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or UltraGrip Ice Arctic?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 70 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