Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 51 · 4 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test (wet braking)
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 Michelin Alpin 5 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 3 + 3 road tests and 4 + 31 owner reviews. How we score
Alpin 5 is ahead, 75–62
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
60
Dry
Alpin 5 +1272Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 3 tests 73 70 Reviews found online 42 74 UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 72.6 + 40% × 42.2 = 60
Alpin 5: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 74.2 = 72
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65
Wet
Alpin 5 +1580Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 3 tests 74 79 Reviews found online 52 83 UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 52.1 = 65
Alpin 5: 60% × 79 + 40% × 82.5 = 80
-
72
Snow
Level72Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 3 tests 74 69 Reviews found online 68 77 UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 67.9 = 72
Alpin 5: 60% × 68.8 + 40% × 77.2 = 72
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55
Comfort
Alpin 5 +1873Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 41 77 UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.2 = 55
Alpin 5: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 73
No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison63Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests – 60 Reviews found online – ≈ 67 (est.) Alpin 5: 60% × 59.7 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 63
No owner ratings of noise for Alpin 5. 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.
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54
Treadwear
Alpin 5 +2579Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 59 (est.) 80 Reviews found online 45 76 UltraGrip Ice Arctic: 60% × 59.3 (est.) + 40% × 45.1 = 54
Alpin 5: 60% × 80.2 + 40% × 76.2 = 79
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 0.31).
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49
Handling (owners)
Alpin 5 +2776Why this score
Source UltraGrip Ice Arctic Alpin 5 Reviews found online 49 76
Scores at a glance
| Category | Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic | Michelin Alpin 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 62 | 75 |
| Dry | 60 | 72 |
| Wet | 65 | 80 |
| Snow | 72 | 72 |
| Comfort | 55 | 73 |
| Noise | – | 63 |
| Treadwear | 54 | 79 |
| Handling (owners) | 49 | 76 |
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
Recomputed
Headline score
62
/ 100
UltraGrip Ice Arctic
75
/ 100
Alpin 5
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.
| Discipline | Category | UltraGrip Ice Arctic | Alpin 5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 93% #3/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 96% #7/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 95% #4/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 97% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 92% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% #2/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 98% #8/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 93% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 95% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 94% #7/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 96% #18/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 94% #7/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test | 76% #20/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #4/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 | #2/11 2019 Auto Zeitung Winter Tire Test R17 | – | 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
Tire B Alpin 5
Pros
- Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow and winter conditions
- Outstanding wet-weather performance and aquaplaning resistance
- High ride comfort and remarkably low noise levels for a winter tire
Cons
- Soft rubber compound struggles in warm temperatures (above 20°C–25°C), causing cornering smear
- Soft sidewalls reduce precision during aggressive dry handling
- Potential increase in noise and hardening of the rubber compound after 3 years of use
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic | B · Michelin Alpin 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 17 |
| Rim diameters | — | 15″ – 20″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
62
/ 100
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
75
/ 100
Michelin Alpin 5
Winner: Michelin Alpin 5 — better handling, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Alpin 5 scores 76 vs 49 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Alpin 5 scores 79 vs 54 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Alpin 5 scores 73 vs 55 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Alpin 5 scores 80 vs 65 on wet.
Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic
Tire B · Michelin Alpin 5
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UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5?
Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5?
Michelin Alpin 5, 80 vs 65 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5?
Michelin Alpin 5, 72 vs 60 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5?
Michelin Alpin 5, 73 vs 55 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, UltraGrip Ice Arctic or Alpin 5?
Michelin Alpin 5, 79 vs 54 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