86
/ 100
Objective (60%)
82/100
5 professional tests
User signal (40%)
85/100
39 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 vs Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
84
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
84/100
44 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — better comfort, snow and handling. Pick the Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme if dry matters most to you.
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
Wintrac 4 Extreme leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 78 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 82 | 86 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Wintrac 4 Extreme leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 85 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 89 | 89 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 9 leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 83 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 90 | 80 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 9 leads by 8
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 100 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 90 | 88 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 52 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 9 leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 84 | 83 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
UltraGrip 9 leads by 5
Why this score
| Source | UltraGrip 9 | Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 83 | 78 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Goodyear UltraGrip 9 | Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 86 | 84 |
| Dry | 80 | 86 |
| Wet | 87 | 89 |
| Snow | 86 | 80 |
| Comfort | 96 | 88 |
| Noise | 52 | – |
| Treadwear | 84 | 83 |
| Handling | 83 | 78 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
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Recomputed
Headline score
86
/ 100
Tire A
84
/ 100
Tire B
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Goodyear UltraGrip 9 is widely regarded as a top-tier winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction on snow and ice. Users frequently highlight its superior ride comfort and low noise levels, often noting that it performs as well as or better than premium summer tires in terms of cabin quietness.
Pros
- Exceptional snow and ice traction
- High level of ride comfort and low road noise
- Excellent wet and dry weather performance in cold temperatures
- Low rolling resistance contributing to improved fuel economy
Cons
- Reduced performance on dry, warm asphalt (above 12°C)
- Soft sidewalls can lead to a less sporty or 'wallowy' handling feel
- Reports of premature tread wear or chunking in specific heavy-use cases
Observations
- Users with smaller city cars and hatchbacks (e.g., VW Polo, Suzuki Swift, Opel Astra) report high satisfaction with winter mobility and fuel efficiency.
- Drivers of heavier or rear-wheel-drive vehicles (e.g., Volvo estate models) noted a significant improvement in hill-climbing ability and stability compared to summer tires.
The Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme is widely regarded by users as a high-performance winter tire that excels in deep snow, ice, and cold, wet conditions. While it offers exceptional traction and safety margins in harsh weather, users note that its performance degrades in warmer temperatures, where the compound becomes soft and handling feels less precise.
Pros
- Exceptional traction and stability in deep snow and on ice
- Strong performance in cold, wet, and greasy road conditions
- Impressive tread longevity and durability
- High value-for-money compared to premium competitors
- Noticeable improvement in handling and confidence over standard summer or all-season tires
Cons
- Reduced handling precision and 'squidgy' feel in temperatures above 13°C
- Initial stiffness or harsh ride quality during the break-in period
- Increased tread wear if used consistently in warm summer weather
- Less effective on clay-based mud when tread depth drops below 4mm
Observations
- Owners of heavy SUVs and 4x4s (e.g., Land Rover Freelander, Volvo XC90) frequently report that these tires transform vehicle capability in extreme winter conditions.
- Users noted that the tires significantly improved the handling of rear-wheel-drive vehicles, which are typically prone to losing traction in cold weather.
- Some users reported a harsh ride initially on larger wheel sizes, which improved significantly after a break-in period of approximately 2,000 miles.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9 | B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Premium Touring tires | Winter High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
86
/ 100
Goodyear
84
/ 100
Vredestein
Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip 9 — better comfort, snow and handling. Pick the Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme if dry matters most to you.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 96 vs 88 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 86 vs 80 on snow.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme scores 86 vs 80 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 scores 83 vs 78 on handling.
Tire A · Goodyear UltraGrip 9
Tire B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
More comparisons
Also compared with
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 also compared with
Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.