tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — 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 + 10 road tests and 9 + 69 owner reviews. How we score

Winter Sottozero 3 is ahead, 73–62

Check price on Amazon · Winter Sottozero 3 or Ultra Grip Ice WRT on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Tire BPirelli

Winter Sottozero 3

Winter

± 6

Tests 67 · 10 tests Owners 80 · 69 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 59

    Dry

    Winter Sottozero 3 +17
    76
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 62 (est.)73
    Reviews found online5581

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT: 60% × 62.4 (est.) + 40% × 54.6 = 59

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 80.7 = 76

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

  2. 66

    Wet

    Winter Sottozero 3 +17
    83
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 67 (est.)80
    Reviews found online6587

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 66

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 86.5 = 83

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

  3. 68

    Snow

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT +3
    65
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 69 (est.)56
    Reviews found online6779

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 66.7 = 68

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 56.4 + 40% × 78.9 = 65

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

  4. 57

    Comfort

    Winter Sottozero 3 +16
    73
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 65 (est.)72
    Reviews found online5174

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT: 40% × 65.1 (est.) + 60% × 51 = 57

    Winter Sottozero 3: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 74.4 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for Ultra Grip Ice WRT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 61

    Noise

    Winter Sottozero 3 +10
    71
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 66 (est.)64
    Reviews found online5481

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 53.8 = 61

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 64.3 + 40% × 81.3 = 71

    No road tests of noise for Ultra Grip Ice WRT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 52

    Treadwear

    Winter Sottozero 3 +12
    64
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 58 (est.)57
    Reviews found online4275

    Ultra Grip Ice WRT: 60% × 57.9 (est.) + 40% × 42.3 = 52

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 57.1 + 40% × 74.6 = 64

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

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    82
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Reviews found online–82
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    76
    Why this score
    SourceUltra Grip Ice WRTWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests–76
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRTPirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Relative Score 62 73
Dry 59 76
Wet 66 83
Snow 68 65
Comfort 57 73
Noise 61 71
Treadwear 52 64
Handling (owners) – 82
Efficiency – 76

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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 Ice WRT

± 6

Winter Sottozero 3

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 Ultra Grip Ice WRT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Winter Sottozero 3

Pros

  • Excellent wet and slush performance, with strong resistance to aquaplaning and confident, stable braking
  • Very good snow traction, with several owners saying it beat previous winter tires such as Nokian, Michelin and Sottozero 2, including on rear-wheel-drive and performance cars
  • Sharp, precise steering and dry grip that feels close to a summer tire in cold conditions, which fits its UHP character

Cons

  • Tread wear can be fast, especially when the tires are used in warm weather or all year. Some reported 3 mm left after about 27k km, and others reported wear near the indicator after 30,000 km
  • Road noise is higher than on summer tires, particularly on the highway, and a few said it increased as the tires wore. Others reported feedback becoming vague and the tires getting louder above about 15°C
  • Sidewalls can be vulnerable. Reviewers reported cuts from curb contact, tires that broke on rough roads, and bulges in the sidewall
All owner themes in the Winter Sottozero 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
CategoryWinter tireWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—98
Rim diameters—16″ – 21″
Tread depth13/32″10/32″
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 80 psi50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Winner: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — better dry, wet and comfort. Pick the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT if snow matters most to you. Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 76 vs 59 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 83 vs 66 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 73 vs 57 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 64 vs 52 on treadwear.

Tire A · Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Which is better in the wet, Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 83 vs 66 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 76 vs 59 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT, 68 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 71 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 73 vs 57 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ultra Grip Ice WRT or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 64 vs 52 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