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Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic vs Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — 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 + 27 road tests and 4 + 31 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 82–64

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Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Tire AGoodyear

UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Winter

± 6

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 56 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test (wet braking)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

± 4

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 81 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

Category by category

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

  1. 64

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 870 P +17
    81
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 22 tests7382
    Reviews found online5079

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 72.7 + 40% × 49.8 = 64

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 79 = 81

  2. 68

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +22
    90
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 27 tests7593
    Reviews found online5886

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 74.6 + 40% × 57.8 = 68

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 92.8 + 40% × 86.2 = 90

  3. 72

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +6
    78
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 26 tests7479
    Reviews found online6876

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 74.5 + 40% × 68.3 = 72

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.7 + 40% × 76.3 = 78

  4. 54

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +28
    82
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 65 (est.)84
    Reviews found online4781

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 40% × 65.1 (est.) + 60% × 47.1 = 54

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 83.9 + 60% × 81.2 = 82

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip Ice Arctic. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 19 tests–78
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 74

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P. 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. 56

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 P +18
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 60 (est.)71
    Reviews found online4980

    UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 49.2 = 56

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 79.9 = 74

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

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +28
    83
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Reviews found online5583
  8. 68

    Efficiency

    WinterContact TS 870 P +18
    86
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 21 tests6886
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip Ice ArcticContinental WinterContact TS 870 P
Relative Score 64 82
Dry 64 81
Wet 68 90
Snow 72 78
Comfort 54 82
Noise – 74
Treadwear 56 74
Handling (owners) 55 83
Efficiency 68 86

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

UltraGrip Ice Arctic

± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

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 Ice ArcticWinterContact TS 870 PΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 93% #3/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 80% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 98% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 97% #5/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 97% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 99% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 80% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 84% #27/31 · 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 93% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 97% #4/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 94% #7/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 98% #5/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 96% #4/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test 92% #6/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 94% #7/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 93% #2/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 #1/18 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Pros

  • Excellent traction and handling on packed snow
  • Strong performance on ice during the first two seasons
  • Reliable winter grip in extreme arctic conditions

Cons

  • Significant stud loss after two seasons of use
  • Abrupt and dangerous decline in grip performance by the third year
  • Poor longevity relative to competitors despite remaining tread depth
All owner themes in the UltraGrip Ice Arctic review

Tire B WinterContact TS 870 P

Pros

  • Exceptionally low noise levels and high ride comfort
  • Outstanding wet weather and slush performance, cutting through heavy rain effortlessly
  • Balanced dry and cold-weather handling with impressive cornering stability

Cons

  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • Steering response and initial stiffness are slightly softer and less sporty than dedicated summer tires or some rivals
  • Snow and ice traction can feel less exceptional or borderline inadequate for a small subset of users
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 P review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—121
Rim diameters—16″ – 23″

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better comfort, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 54 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 83 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 90 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 74 vs 56 on treadwear.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 90 vs 68 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 78 vs 72 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 56 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 86 vs 68 on our efficiency 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