Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic review
Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners
Better than 19% of the winter tires we score.
Owners 51 · 4 reviews analysed Road tests 74 · 3 tests
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Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic has a Relative Score of 61 out of 100 among winter tires. In 6 road tests with an overall ranking it finished first 0 times and in the top three 3 times. Testers rate it best for wet (74) and weakest for dry (73). 4 owner reviews rate it 51 out of 100. 45% would buy it again.
Owners rate it 23 points lower than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews found online; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
How scores work
- Relative score
- 0–100. Blends road tests (60%) and owner reviews (40%) category by category, the same way on every TireWheelGuide page. With only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from it, so the score stays closer to average. It needs at least one road test or five owner reviews.
- Road tests
- 0–100 per score, from published tests, newer tests counting more. Each result is compared with every other tire in the same test, so a win against a strong field counts for more. The average tested tire gets 70, the best 100; with only one or two tests a tire stays nearer 70. The discipline rows show % of the best tire in that test.
- Owner reviews
- 0–100 from the owner reviews we found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates and scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70. With only a few reviews a tire stays near the average.
By owner reviews
51/100From 4 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.
By road tests
74/100Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.
What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 4 owner reviews found online.
The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic is highly regarded for its exceptional initial performance on packed snow and ice, particularly in extreme winter conditions. However, users consistently report a significant decline in reliability and safety after the second season, primarily due to premature stud loss and a sharp degradation in grip despite having substantial tread depth remaining.
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
Worth knowing
- Users noted that the tire's performance longevity is notably inferior when compared directly to competitors like the Continental IceContact 2.
6 published test appearances (3 in the score)
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 · 225/55R17
4th of 5
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: Test World
2020 Moottori Winter Studded Tire Test R17 · 225/50R17
5th of 8
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: Moottori
2019 Studded Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
6th of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 8 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 8 | |
| Snow Braking | 5th of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 4th of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 7th of 8 | |
| Ice Braking | 5th of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 7th of 8 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 2nd of 8 | |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | 2nd of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 6th of 8 |
Source: Vi Bilägare
2019 Teknikens Värld Large Winter Tire Test R17 · 225/50R17
3rd of 16
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: Teknikens Värld
2018 Vi Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
3rd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 1st of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 8 | |
| Snow Braking | 6th of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 7th of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 4th of 8 | |
| Ice Braking | 4th of 8 | |
| Ice Handling | 5th of 8 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 7th of 8 | |
| Ice Traction | 6th of 8 |
Source: Vi Bilägare
2017 Autocenter Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
3rd of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 2nd of 10 | |
| Ice Braking | 2nd of 10 |
Reviews from our readers
Drivers who have these tires on their car, in their own words. We check every review before it goes live.
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