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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 vs Michelin X-Ice Xi3 — 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 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 9 is ahead, 77–66

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Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Tire AGoodyear

UltraGrip 9

Winter

± 5

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 80 · 39 reviews

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

Michelin X-Ice Xi3
Tire BMichelin

X-Ice Xi3

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 14 reviews

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 +7
    65
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests70≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7563

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 75.1 = 72

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 62.6 = 65

    No road tests of dry for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 84

    Wet

    UltraGrip 9 +17
    67
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests83≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8666

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 83.3 + 40% × 85.9 = 84

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 68.2 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 67

    No road tests of wet for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 75

    Snow

    UltraGrip 9 +6
    69
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests73≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7968

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 78.6 = 75

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 69.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 69

    No road tests of snow for X-Ice Xi3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 78

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 9 +12
    66
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8264

    UltraGrip 9: 40% × 71.5 (est.) + 60% × 82.1 = 78

    X-Ice Xi3: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.4 = 66

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3. 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 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests64–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 63.7 + 40% × 66.6 (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. 74

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9 +8
    66
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7766

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 72.6 + 40% × 77.3 = 74

    X-Ice Xi3: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 65.5 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for X-Ice Xi3. 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 +24
    57
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Reviews found online8157
  8. 75

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9X-Ice Xi3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests75–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip 9Michelin X-Ice Xi3
Relative Score 77 66
Dry 72 65
Wet 84 67
Snow 75 69
Comfort 78 66
Noise 65 –
Treadwear 74 66
Handling (owners) 81 57
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
± 5

UltraGrip 9

± 8

X-Ice Xi3

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 9X-Ice Xi3ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/8 2020 Wybór Kierowców Winter Tire Test R16 #5/17 2020 Consumer Reports North America Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

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 X-Ice Xi3

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Long-lasting treadwear and durability over multiple seasons
  • Good stability and grip on dry pavement and cold winter roads

Cons

  • Squirmy feel and delayed, sluggish steering response on dry and wet roads
  • Lacks cornering grip and confidence during sharp turns
  • Performs poorly in heavy mountain snow, wet ice, and milder above-freezing temperatures
All owner themes in the X-Ice Xi3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9 B · Michelin X-Ice Xi3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available137
Rim diameters15″14″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9

Michelin X-Ice Xi3

Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — better handling, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin X-Ice Xi3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 81 vs 57 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 84 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 78 vs 66 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 74 vs 66 on treadwear.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
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Tire B · Michelin X-Ice Xi3
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UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3?

Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 84 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 72 vs 65 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3?

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

Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 78 vs 66 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, UltraGrip 9 or X-Ice Xi3?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 74 vs 66 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