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Goodyear UltraGrip Performance vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — 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 0 + 10 road tests and 9 + 68 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip Performance leads, 76–74 Narrow edge

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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Tire BPirelli

Winter Sottozero 3

Winter

± 6

Tests 67 · 10 tests Owners 80 · 68 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    Winter Sottozero 3 +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 73 (est.)73
    Reviews found online7982

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 79 = 75

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 81.7 = 76

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

  2. 80

    Wet

    Winter Sottozero 3 +3
    83
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 77 (est.)80
    Reviews found online8387

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 77.5 (est.) + 40% × 83.1 = 80

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 80.4 + 40% × 86.5 = 83

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

  3. 76

    Snow

    UltraGrip Performance +11
    65
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 73 (est.)56
    Reviews found online7979

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 79.1 = 76

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 56.5 + 40% × 78.8 = 65

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

  4. 73

    Comfort

    Winter Sottozero 3 +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)72
    Reviews found online7575

    UltraGrip Performance: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 74.8 = 73

    Winter Sottozero 3: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 74.5 = 74

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    71
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests–64
    Reviews found online–82

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 64.4 + 40% × 81.6 = 71

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip Performance +6
    64
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 69 (est.)57
    Reviews found online7375

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.9 = 70

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 57.1 + 40% × 74.6 = 64

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

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Sottozero 3 +1
    82
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Reviews found online8182
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    76
    Why this score
    SourceUltraGrip PerformanceWinter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests–76
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear UltraGrip PerformancePirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Relative Score 76 74
Dry 75 76
Wet 80 83
Snow 76 65
Comfort 73 74
Noise – 71
Treadwear 70 64
Handling (owners) 81 82
Efficiency – 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
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
± 8

UltraGrip Performance

± 6

Winter Sottozero 3

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 Performance

Pros

  • Exceptional snow and ice traction
  • Strong performance in wet and dry conditions
  • High tread longevity and durability

Cons

  • Increased road noise in warmer conditions
  • Slightly higher fuel consumption
  • Limited performance on pure ice surfaces
All owner themes in the UltraGrip Performance review

Tire B Winter Sottozero 3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance and resistance to hydroplaning.
  • Strong dry-road handling and steering precision for a winter tire.
  • Excellent traction and stability in snow and slush.

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear, particularly if driven in temperatures above 15°C or year-round.
  • Susceptibility to sidewall damage and bubbling when encountering road hazards.
  • Increased noise levels as the tire ages and tread depth decreases.
All owner themes in the Winter Sottozero 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear UltraGrip Performance B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—98
Rim diameters—16″ – 21″
Tread depth—10/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Narrow edge: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance — better snow and treadwear. Pick the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 if wet matters most to you. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance scores 76 vs 65 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance scores 70 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 83 vs 80 on wet.

Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip Performance
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Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
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UltraGrip Performance or Winter Sottozero 3?

Which is better in the wet, UltraGrip Performance or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 83 vs 80 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, UltraGrip Performance or Winter Sottozero 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 76 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, UltraGrip Performance or Winter Sottozero 3?

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance, 76 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, UltraGrip Performance or Winter Sottozero 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 74 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, UltraGrip Performance or Winter Sottozero 3?

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance, 70 vs 64 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