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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 vs Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Too close to call: UltraGrip 8 and UltraGrip 9 are level at 75.

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Tire AGoodyear

UltraGrip 8

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 78 · 59 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 14 in 2011 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Tire BGoodyear

UltraGrip 9

Winter

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 76 · 39 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 9 in 2017 ADAC Winter Tire Test R16 (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 74

    Dry

    UltraGrip 8 +3
    71
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score)–70
    Reviews found online7872
  2. 80

    Wet

    UltraGrip 9 +2
    82
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score)–82
    Reviews found online8481
  3. 73

    Snow

    UltraGrip 9 +2
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online7577
  4. 74

    Comfort

    Level
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Reviews found online7879
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
  6. 71

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9 +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online7472
  7. 79

    Handling

    UltraGrip 8 +2
    77
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9
    Reviews found online7977
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip 8Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Relative Score 75 75
Dry 74 71
Wet 80 82
Snow 73 75
Comfort 74 74
Noise – 65
Treadwear 71 72
Handling 79 77

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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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

UltraGrip 8

UltraGrip 9

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryUltraGrip 8UltraGrip 9ΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/14 · 2011 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 67% #4/9 · 2017 ADAC Winter Tire Test R16 +33.3 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A UltraGrip 8

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in wet, slushy, and snowy conditions
  • High level of ride comfort and refinement
  • Low road noise compared to many winter tire competitors

Cons

  • Reports of excessive road noise for some specific vehicle applications
  • Tread wear can be faster than average under heavy usage or high-speed driving
  • Occasional reports of 'snappy' handling characteristics when pushed to the absolute limit
All owner themes in the UltraGrip 8 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 UltraGrip 8 B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available141
Rim diameters13″ – 16″15″

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8

Goodyear UltraGrip 9

Too close to call: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 and Goodyear UltraGrip 9 are within 2 points overall. Goodyear UltraGrip 8 is stronger on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 74 vs 71 on dry.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

75

Too close to call

UltraGrip 8

Amazon