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General Altimax Winter 3 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 5 + 5 road tests and 3 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 9+ is ahead, 76–71

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General Altimax Winter 3
Tire AGeneral

Altimax Winter 3

Winter

± 8

Tests 69 · 5 tests Owners 73 · 3 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 20 in 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)

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. 64

    Dry

    UltraGrip 9+ +3
    67
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests5960
    Reviews found online7279

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 58.7 + 40% × 71.5 = 64

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

  2. 71

    Wet

    UltraGrip 9+ +14
    85
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 5 tests6986
    Reviews found online7483
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–185%91%

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 69.4 + 40% × 74.4 = 71

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

  3. 78

    Snow

    UltraGrip 9+ +2
    80
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 5 tests7885
    Reviews found online7774
    Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–196%99%

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 77.7 + 40% × 77.3 = 78

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

  4. 69

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 9+ +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 69 (est.)76
    Reviews found online6974

    Altimax Winter 3: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 68.6 = 69

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

    No road tests of comfort for Altimax Winter 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 72

    Noise

    Altimax Winter 3 +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests7671
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 75.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 72

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

    No owner ratings of noise for Altimax Winter 3 or 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. 70

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9+ +6
    76
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests6972
    Reviews found online7182

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 68.9 + 40% × 70.6 = 70

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

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 9+ +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Reviews found online7274
  8. 65

    Efficiency

    UltraGrip 9+ +13
    78
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests6578
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Winter 3Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
Relative Score 71 76
Dry 64 67
Wet 71 85
Snow 78 80
Comfort 69 75
Noise 72 69
Treadwear 70 76
Handling (owners) 72 74
Efficiency 65 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Altimax Winter 3

± 6

UltraGrip 9+

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, General Altimax Winter 3 finished ahead 0 times and Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ 3 times.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Winter 3UltraGrip 9+ΔHead-to-head
Wet Braking Wet 85% 91% −6.1 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 205/55 R16
Snow Braking Snow 96% 99% −3.8 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 205/55 R16
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #14/16 #2/16 – 0–3 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 · 195/65R15

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Altimax Winter 3

Pros

  • Strong performance in snow and slush conditions
  • Effective resistance to aquaplaning
  • Competitive price-to-quality ratio

Cons

  • Increased road noise at highway speeds
  • Soft sidewalls resulting in vague handling and road feedback
  • Mediocre emergency wet braking performance
All owner themes in the Altimax Winter 3 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 · General Altimax Winter 3 B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available3819
Rim diameters13″ – 19″14″ – 16″
Sizes in common1616

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Winter 3

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+

Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ — better wet, efficiency and comfort. Pick the General Altimax Winter 3 if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ scores 85 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ scores 78 vs 65 on efficiency.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ scores 75 vs 69 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+ scores 76 vs 70 on treadwear.

Tire A · General Altimax Winter 3
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
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Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+, 85 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+, 67 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 80 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

General Altimax Winter 3, 72 vs 69 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+, 75 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+, 76 vs 70 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Altimax Winter 3 or UltraGrip 9+?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9+, 78 vs 65 on our efficiency 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