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Continental WinterContact TS 850 vs Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 leads, 75–74 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 850

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 76 · 57 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 10 in 2015 AMS UHP Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Tire BGoodyear

Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Winter

Tests 71 · 4 tests Owners 78 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 8 in 2016 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 850 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score)–70
    Reviews found online7878
  2. 77

    Wet

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +3
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score)–80
    Reviews found online8081
  3. 70

    Snow

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +6
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score)–76
    Reviews found online7076
  4. 73

    Comfort

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Reviews found online7878
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score)–67
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 850 +3
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Professional tests (TWG score)–62
    Reviews found online7376
  7. 78

    Handling

    Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 +2
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
    Reviews found online7880
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 850Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
Relative Score 74 75
Dry 75 73
Wet 77 80
Snow 70 76
Comfort 73 74
Noise – 67
Treadwear 70 67
Handling 78 80

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
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Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 850

Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 850Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1ΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 25% #4/10 · 2015 AMS UHP Winter Tyre Test 25% #4/8 · 2016 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterContact TS 850

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow and icy conditions
  • Outstanding performance in wet weather with strong resistance to aquaplaning
  • High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can result in a 'floating' or vague steering feel during cornering
  • Performance degrades noticeably in temperatures above 10-15°C
  • Reports of accelerated shoulder wear, particularly on heavier or RWD vehicles
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 850 review

Tire B Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather and slush performance
  • Strong traction and braking capabilities in snow
  • High durability and long tread life

Cons

  • Increased road noise reported by some users at higher speeds
  • Vague steering feedback and sidewall flex during spirited dry-road driving
  • Occasional loss of grip in dry conditions or when temperatures exceed 7°C
All owner themes in the Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth—9 - 11/32″
Sidewall—Raised Black Lettering
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 850 and Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 850 is stronger on treadwear. Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 is stronger on snow and wet.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 scores 76 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 850 scores 70 vs 67 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1 scores 80 vs 77 on wet.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 850
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Tire B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

75

Narrow edge

Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1

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