tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 vs Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 — 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 + 7 road tests and 59 + 51 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 8 leads, 79–77 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2 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.

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Tire BHankook

Winter i*cept RS2

Winter

± 5

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 74 · 51 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (wet handling)

Category by category

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

  1. 78

    Dry

    UltraGrip 8 +4
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 74 (est.)75
    Reviews found online8372

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 74.1 (est.) + 40% × 82.9 = 78

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 75.2 + 40% × 72 = 74

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

  2. 85

    Wet

    Level
    85
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 81 (est.)89
    Reviews found online9078

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 81.2 (est.) + 40% × 89.9 = 85

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 89.4 + 40% × 78.4 = 85

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

  3. 75

    Snow

    Winter i*cept RS2 +2
    77
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 73 (est.)81
    Reviews found online7872

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.8 = 75

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 71.6 = 77

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

  4. 78

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 8 +8
    70
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 71 (est.)74
    Reviews found online8267

    UltraGrip 8: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.9 = 78

    Winter i*cept RS2: 40% × 74.4 + 60% × 66.6 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    60
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–56
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 56.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 60

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i*cept RS2. 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. 75

    Treadwear

    Level
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 72 (est.)75
    Reviews found online8175

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 81 = 75

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 74.6 + 40% × 74.9 = 75

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

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 8 +10
    73
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Reviews found online8373
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    42
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests–42
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip 8Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Relative Score 79 77
Dry 78 74
Wet 85 85
Snow 75 77
Comfort 78 70
Noise – 60
Treadwear 75 75
Handling (owners) 83 73
Efficiency – 42

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

UltraGrip 8

± 5

Winter i*cept RS2

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.

DisciplineCategoryUltraGrip 8Winter i*cept RS2ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #6/9 2013 ACE Winter Tyre Test #3/49 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview – 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 Winter i*cept RS2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and handling on wet and dry roads
  • Impressive resistance to aquaplaning in heavy rain or standing water
  • Strong value for money with a competitive price point

Cons

  • Higher than average road noise, especially at highway speeds
  • Firm, stiff sidewalls leading to a less comfortable or harsh ride
  • Subpar performance and unpredictable grip on ice and black ice
All owner themes in the Winter i*cept RS2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear UltraGrip 8 B · Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1437
Rim diameters13″ – 16″13″ – 17″
Sizes in common88

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2

Narrow edge: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — better handling, comfort and dry. Where the Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 83 vs 73 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 78 vs 70 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 78 vs 74 on dry.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Check price on Amazon

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

UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 85 vs 85 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 78 vs 74 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 77 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 78 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, UltraGrip 8 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 75 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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