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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 vs Goodyear Vector 4Seasons — 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 3 + 0 road tests and 39 + 63 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 9 leads, 77–73 Narrow edge

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Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Tire AGoodyear

UltraGrip 9

Winter

± 5

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 79 · 39 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. 72

    Dry

    UltraGrip 9 +1
    71
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests70≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7573

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 74.8 = 72

    Vector 4Seasons: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.1 = 71

    No road tests of dry for Vector 4Seasons. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 84

    Wet

    UltraGrip 9 +7
    77
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests83≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online8679

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 83 + 40% × 85.7 = 84

    Vector 4Seasons: 60% × 75.1 (est.) + 40% × 78.7 = 77

    No road tests of wet for Vector 4Seasons. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).

  3. 75

    Snow

    UltraGrip 9 +6
    69
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests73≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7868

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 77.9 = 75

    Vector 4Seasons: 60% × 69.6 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 69

    No road tests of snow for Vector 4Seasons. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 78

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 9 +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8273

    UltraGrip 9: 40% × 71.4 (est.) + 60% × 82 = 78

    Vector 4Seasons: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 73.4 = 72

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 65

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests64–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (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 (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 75

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7876

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 72.6 + 40% × 77.7 = 75

    Vector 4Seasons: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 75.9 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for Vector 4Seasons. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 9 +5
    76
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Reviews found online8176
  8. 75

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9Vector 4Seasons
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests75–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip 9Goodyear Vector 4Seasons
Relative Score 77 73
Dry 72 71
Wet 84 77
Snow 75 69
Comfort 78 72
Noise 65 –
Treadwear 75 72
Handling (owners) 81 76
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
Neutral
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
± 5

UltraGrip 9

± 7

Vector 4Seasons

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.

In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Goodyear UltraGrip 9 finished ahead 1 times and Goodyear Vector 4Seasons 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryUltraGrip 9Vector 4SeasonsΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/51 #28/51 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 185/60R15

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B Vector 4Seasons

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and confidence in snow and icy conditions.
  • Strong performance in heavy rain and wet road environments.
  • High durability and tread life for many users.

Cons

  • Increased road noise, often described as a 'humming' or 'bearing-like' sound.
  • Softened handling and reduced precision during high-temperature summer months.
  • Reports of premature wear or tread chunking in specific high-performance or heavy-load applications.
All owner themes in the Vector 4Seasons review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9 B · Goodyear Vector 4Seasons
CategoryWinterAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available117
Rim diameters15″14″ – 19″
Tread depth—9/32″
UTQG—500 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9

Goodyear Vector 4Seasons

Narrow edge: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — better wet, snow and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 84 vs 77 on wet.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 75 vs 69 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 78 vs 72 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 75 vs 72 on treadwear.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
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Tire B · Goodyear Vector 4Seasons
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UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons?

Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 84 vs 77 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 71 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 75 vs 69 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 78 vs 72 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, UltraGrip 9 or Vector 4Seasons?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 75 vs 72 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