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Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 vs Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — 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 10 + 0 road tests and 68 + 59 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip 8 is ahead, 79–74

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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Tire APirelli

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. 76

    Dry

    UltraGrip 8 +2
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests73≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8283

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

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 74.1 (est.) + 40% × 82.9 = 78

    No road tests of dry for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 83

    Wet

    UltraGrip 8 +2
    85
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / – tests80≈ 81 (est.)
    Reviews found online8790

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

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 81.2 (est.) + 40% × 89.9 = 85

    No road tests of wet for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 65

    Snow

    UltraGrip 8 +10
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / – tests56≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7978

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

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.8 = 75

    No road tests of snow for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 74

    Comfort

    UltraGrip 8 +4
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7582

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

    UltraGrip 8: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.9 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 71

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests64–
    Reviews found online82–

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

  6. 64

    Treadwear

    UltraGrip 8 +11
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests57≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7581

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

    UltraGrip 8: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 81 = 75

    No road tests of treadwear for UltraGrip 8. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 82

    Handling (owners)

    UltraGrip 8 +1
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Reviews found online8283
  8. 76

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests76–
Scores at a glance
CategoryPirelli Winter Sottozero 3Goodyear UltraGrip 8
Relative Score 74 79
Dry 76 78
Wet 83 85
Snow 65 75
Comfort 74 78
Noise 71 –
Treadwear 64 75
Handling (owners) 82 83
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
± 6

Winter Sottozero 3

± 8

UltraGrip 8

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinter Sottozero 3UltraGrip 8ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #13/15 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires #6/9 2013 ACE Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B UltraGrip 8

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in wet, slushy, and snowy conditions
  • High level of ride comfort and refinement
  • Low road noise compared to many winter tire competitors

Cons

  • Reports of excessive road noise for some specific vehicle applications
  • Tread wear can be faster than average under heavy usage or high-speed driving
  • Occasional reports of 'snappy' handling characteristics when pushed to the absolute limit
All owner themes in the UltraGrip 8 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 B · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available9814
Rim diameters16″ – 21″13″ – 16″
Tread depth10/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—
Sizes in common22

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Goodyear UltraGrip 8

Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 8 — better treadwear, snow and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 75 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 75 vs 65 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 scores 78 vs 74 on comfort.

Tire A · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip 8
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Winter Sottozero 3 or UltraGrip 8?

Which is better in the wet, Winter Sottozero 3 or UltraGrip 8?

Neither, by our numbers: 83 vs 85 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Sottozero 3 or UltraGrip 8?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 78 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Winter Sottozero 3 or UltraGrip 8?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 75 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter Sottozero 3 or UltraGrip 8?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 78 vs 74 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter Sottozero 3 or UltraGrip 8?

Goodyear UltraGrip 8, 75 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