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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 vs Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2 — 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 23 + 0 road tests and 35 + 13 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Alpin 5 is ahead, 88–47

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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5

Winter

± 4

Tests 91 · 23 tests Owners 85 · 35 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 31 in 2025 ADAC Winter 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. 89

    Dry

    Pilot Alpin 5 +43
    46
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests91≈ 54 (est.)
    Reviews found online8635

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 90.6 + 40% × 86.4 = 89

    Ultra Grip Performance 2: 60% × 54.1 (est.) + 40% × 34.6 = 46

    No road tests of dry for Ultra Grip Performance 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 93

    Wet

    Pilot Alpin 5 +44
    49
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / – tests95≈ 55 (est.)
    Reviews found online8941

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 95.4 + 40% × 88.8 = 93

    Ultra Grip Performance 2: 60% × 54.7 (est.) + 40% × 41.4 = 49

    No road tests of wet for Ultra Grip Performance 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 88

    Snow

    Pilot Alpin 5 +45
    43
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / – tests93≈ 56 (est.)
    Reviews found online8024

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.5 + 40% × 79.6 = 88

    Ultra Grip Performance 2: 60% × 56 (est.) + 40% × 24.4 = 43

    No road tests of snow for Ultra Grip Performance 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 85

    Comfort

    Pilot Alpin 5 +34
    51
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests93≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online8042

    Pilot Alpin 5: 40% × 93.3 + 60% × 79.5 = 85

    Ultra Grip Performance 2: 40% × 63.3 (est.) + 60% × 42.2 = 51

    No road tests of comfort for Ultra Grip Performance 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 83

    Noise

    Pilot Alpin 5 +26
    57
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests94≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)44

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 94.3 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 83

    Ultra Grip Performance 2: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 43.6 = 57

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 5. 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 Ultra Grip Performance 2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 85

    Treadwear

    Pilot Alpin 5 +38
    47
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests84≈ 55 (est.)
    Reviews found online8535

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 84.4 + 40% × 84.8 = 85

    Ultra Grip Performance 2: 60% × 55.3 (est.) + 40% × 35 = 47

    No road tests of treadwear for Ultra Grip Performance 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 88

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Alpin 5 +47
    41
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Reviews found online8841
  8. 72

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests72–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Alpin 5Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2
Relative Score 88 47
Dry 89 46
Wet 93 49
Snow 88 43
Comfort 85 51
Noise 83 57
Treadwear 85 47
Handling (owners) 88 41
Efficiency 72 –

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
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
± 4

Pilot Alpin 5

± 8

Ultra Grip Performance 2

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.

DisciplineCategoryPilot Alpin 5Ultra Grip Performance 2ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/20 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test #4/12 2011 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Pilot Alpin 5

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet grip for a winter tire, offering summer-tire-like handling characteristics
  • Excellent traction, stability, and handling in snow and alpine conditions
  • Crisp steering response, high precision, and great road feedback

Cons

  • Subpar performance on pure ice and certain slush conditions
  • Stiffer sidewalls can translate to a bumpy ride that transmits minor road imperfections
  • Potential for increased cabin noise or humming at highway speeds
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 review

Tire B Ultra Grip Performance 2

Pros

  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality on dry and wet tarmac
  • Agile handling and reliable grip in wet conditions and light-to-medium snow
  • Good directional tread design for effective water and slush evacuation

Cons

  • Severely lacking traction and grip on packed snow and ice according to dissatisfied users
  • Triggers frequent ABS activation and wheel spin during acceleration and braking in wintry precipitation
  • Vague handling feel on tarmac for certain drivers
All owner themes in the Ultra Grip Performance 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available816
Rim diameters16″ – 23″16″ – 17″
Tread depth—8/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi
Sizes in common22

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2

Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — better handling, snow and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 88 vs 41 on handling.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 88 vs 43 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 93 vs 49 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 89 vs 46 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
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Tire B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance 2
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Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 93 vs 49 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 89 vs 46 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 88 vs 43 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 83 vs 57 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 85 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Alpin 5 or Ultra Grip Performance 2?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 85 vs 47 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