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Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 vs Yokohama AVID Ascend — 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 40 + 81 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 9 is ahead, 76–70

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Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Tire AGoodyear

UltraGrip 9

Winter

± 6

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 79 · 40 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 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests70≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7573

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 74.6 = 72

    AVID Ascend: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 71

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

  2. 84

    Wet

    UltraGrip 9 +9
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests83≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8677

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

    AVID Ascend: 60% × 73.9 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 75

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

  3. 75

    Snow

    UltraGrip 9 +12
    63
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests73≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7958

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 78.7 = 75

    AVID Ascend: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 58.1 = 63

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

  4. 78

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 9 +7
    71
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online8273

    UltraGrip 9: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.7 = 78

    AVID Ascend: 40% × 69.4 (est.) + 60% × 72.5 = 71

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip 9. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

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

  5. 65

    Noise

    AVID Ascend +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests64≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)74

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 63.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 65

    AVID Ascend: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 74.4 = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for UltraGrip 9. 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.

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

  6. 75

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 9 +7
    68
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7868

    UltraGrip 9: 60% × 72.6 + 40% × 77.5 = 75

    AVID Ascend: 60% × 67.1 (est.) + 40% × 68.2 = 68

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

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 9 +9
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Reviews found online8172
  8. 75

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip 9AVID Ascend
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests75–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip 9Yokohama AVID Ascend
Relative Score 76 70
Dry 72 71
Wet 84 75
Snow 75 63
Comfort 78 71
Noise 65 70
Treadwear 75 68
Handling (owners) 81 72
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
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
± 6

UltraGrip 9

± 7

AVID Ascend

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 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 AVID Ascend

Pros

  • Exceptionally low road noise and quiet ride
  • High level of ride comfort and shock absorption
  • Strong wet and dry traction, inspiring confidence in heavy rain

Cons

  • Isolated reports of premature tread wear or not meeting expected mileage
  • Slightly spongy initial feel requiring a brief break-in period
  • Occasional minor wheel slip during hard acceleration in wet or dry conditions
All owner themes in the AVID Ascend review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9 B · Yokohama AVID Ascend
CategoryWinterAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth—12/32″
UTQG—740 A A
Treadwear warranty—75,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9

Yokohama AVID Ascend

Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — better snow, wet and handling. Pick the Yokohama AVID Ascend if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 75 vs 63 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 84 vs 75 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 81 vs 72 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 78 vs 71 on comfort.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
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Tire B · Yokohama AVID Ascend
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UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 84 vs 75 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

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

Which is better in snow, UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 75 vs 63 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

Yokohama AVID Ascend, 70 vs 65 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 78 vs 71 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, UltraGrip 9 or AVID Ascend?

Goodyear UltraGrip 9, 75 vs 68 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