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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 Performance 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 0 + 3 road tests and 14 + 40 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 9 is ahead, 77–66

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Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Tire BGoodyear

UltraGrip 9

Winter

± 5

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 79 · 40 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    UltraGrip 9 +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 66 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6475

    Ultra Grip 8 Performance: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 66

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 74.6 = 72

    No road tests of dry for Ultra Grip 8 Performance. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 71

    Wet

    UltraGrip 9 +13
    84
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 71 (est.)83
    Reviews found online7186

    Ultra Grip 8 Performance: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 71.3 = 71

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 83 + 40% × 85.8 = 84

    No road tests of wet for Ultra Grip 8 Performance. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 62

    Snow

    UltraGrip 9 +13
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 66 (est.)73
    Reviews found online5679

    Ultra Grip 8 Performance: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 55.5 = 62

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 78.7 = 75

    No road tests of snow for Ultra Grip 8 Performance. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 66

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 9 +11
    77
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6482

    Ultra Grip 8 Performance: 40% × 67.8 (est.) + 60% × 64.1 = 66

    UltraGrip 9: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 81.6 = 77

    No road tests of comfort for Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–64
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 63.7 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 65

    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. 68

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9 +7
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)73
    Reviews found online6877

    Ultra Grip 8 Performance: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 68.3 = 68

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 72.6 + 40% × 77.4 = 75

    No road tests of treadwear for Ultra Grip 8 Performance. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 9 +17
    81
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Reviews found online6481
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–75
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear Ultra Grip 8 PerformanceGoodyear UltraGrip 9
Relative Score 66 77
Dry 66 72
Wet 71 84
Snow 62 75
Comfort 66 77
Noise – 65
Treadwear 68 75
Handling (owners) 64 81
Efficiency – 75

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
± 8

Ultra Grip 8 Performance

± 5

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.

DisciplineCategoryUltra Grip 8 PerformanceUltraGrip 9ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/48 2014 50 Winter Tyre Braking Overview #2/8 2020 Wybór Kierowców Winter Tire Test R16 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Ultra Grip 8 Performance

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance and aquaplaning resistance
  • Low road noise levels compared to competitors
  • Strong dry road stability and handling

Cons

  • Inconsistent snow and ice traction reported by some users
  • Potential for grip degradation as the tire ages
  • Reports of increased fuel consumption
All owner themes in the Ultra Grip 8 Performance review

Tire B UltraGrip 9

Pros

  • Exceptional snow and ice traction
  • High level of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Excellent wet and dry weather performance in cold temperatures

Cons

  • Reduced performance on dry, warm asphalt (above 12°C)
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a less sporty or 'wallowy' handling feel
  • Reports of premature tread wear or chunking in specific heavy-use cases
All owner themes in the UltraGrip 9 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 Performance B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available141
Rim diameters16″ – 18″15″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallRaised Black Lettering—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 Performance

Goodyear UltraGrip 9

Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — better handling, wet and snow. It leads or ties in every category we score. Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 Performance rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 81 vs 64 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 84 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 75 vs 62 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 77 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Goodyear Ultra Grip 8 Performance
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
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Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9?

Which is better in the wet, Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 84 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 72 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 75 vs 62 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 77 vs 66 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ultra Grip 8 Performance or UltraGrip 9?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 75 vs 68 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