Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Reviews - Page 2

Given 100% while driving a Suzuki Swift 1.3l 2007 (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 300 average miles
What can I say, put these on all 4 corners last week and instant improvement, wet grip at 2c etc is fantastic, dry grip great, shorter braking distance than my summers, defo worth the investment for winter, not sure about snow yet not had any
Helpful 15 - tyre reviewed on November 22, 2013
Given 99% while driving a Volvo S40 1.6d (205/55 R16 T) on a combination of roads for 6,500 spirited miles
Very very good grip. Wasn't expecting anything different from an expensive premium tire.
Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on October 18, 2013
Given 83% while driving a Volkswagen Passat 1.9Tdi (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 5,000 spirited miles
I bought these when the price was right so I'd be ready for winter.
I've driven in snow with new summer tyres and later with some good quality all seasons on the front so have a little to compare to.
First thing, my cars manual advises upping the pressure by 0.2 bar when using winter tyres, I have tried it and agree.. The result, better mpg than my summer tyres and even tyre wear upto now (I've been too lazy and busy to swap back).
To summarise my thoughts on winter driving with these tyres..
Going down country roads, the motorway and uncleared city streets to help some friends get home one night.. And doing it fine :)
Or following a modern 4wd while it slides everywhere before overtaking up a hill..
They've been pretty good for setting off, but.. for cornering and particuly stopping quick enough to feel the g force.

In the summer, they're alright but aside from rain they're nothing more than decent - compared to summer tyres.. a little soft.

They aren't noisy. The wear rate is pretty decent considering my habit of aggressive starts and the temperature
Helpful 22 - tyre reviewed on June 25, 2013
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Given 10% while driving a Renault Laguna Phase II (225/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 0 average miles
Fitted full set onto my Renault Laguna, an 09 2Ltr diesel turbo In October 2012. No doubt a good winter tyre but oh the noise - thought something wrong with the vehicle and had it checked out. ie bearins transmission etc but vehicle fine and no problem until these tyres fitted. Now passengers commenting on road noise. These tyres will have to GO. as it's making for uncomfortable driving. Sorry Goodyear but I,ll have to try another brand unless you can come up with a suggestion.
Helpful 9 - tyre reviewed on April 28, 2013
Given 96% while driving a Honda Accord (205/55 R16 T) on mostly town for 2,000 easy going miles
Great tyre! Driven about 4000 km this winter. Very goog grip on dry road, also on wet. On snow this tyre is great, good breaking and acceleration.
Helpful 12 - tyre reviewed on March 21, 2013
Given 79% while driving a Kia Motors Ceed 1.6LS (205/55 R16) on mostly country roads for 10,000 average miles
Reviewed these on Jan 2012 but could not leave a comment on the snow as we never really got any. Same this Winter until a couple of weeks ago. I am convinced about the necessity of Winter tyres but my wife was a sceptic until she was leaving work a couple of weeks ago & she has now become a believer. She travels back roads to & from work & has to climb a very steep road to get onto these & on this particular night, the steep road was covered in snow.

Added to this, there had been an accident at the top of this road & all of the traffic was stuck on the incline. Cars & vans in front of her were slipping on the snow every time they tried to move forward but our car only went straight & never slipped all the way up the hill. Some cars were giving up & turning back down the hill but not her, she didn't have to. Once she got onto the back roads, she said she felt very safe in the knowledge that she had these tyres on the car & although not putting her foot down, she was able to trave at a reasonable speed without any skidding. This is our second Winter on these tyres & hopefully we can get a third out of them. That is if we don't buy a new car with different size wheels.
Helpful 13 - tyre reviewed on February 11, 2013
Given 81% while driving a Citroën C3 (175/65 R14 T) on mostly country roads for 3,000 easy going miles
Grew up in Wales where driving on snow was not unusual. These Ultragrips just make it so easy.
Bought them last year, on the car from late Nov 2011 to mid March 2012. Back on again end of Nov 2012. Much more of a secure feel in cold weather, particularly good in very wet weather. But they come into their own in snow & ice. We live in a rural part of Worcestershire, not good with gritting or snow ploughs. This last week we haven't found anything to stop us. Drove past many a 4x4 on summer tyres that was struggling. Stopping is always scary on summer tyres, but not on these. Stopped going up a hill to let a car come down & pulled away easily. Only draw back is fuel consumption, has dropped from 64mpg to 56mpg, but the trade off is well worth it. Set of rims from a breakers & buy the tyres in August/September as they are way cheaper & no need for a 4x4. Looking at wear rates I expect them to last 4 seasons. Cannot praise them enough. But don't expect to drive like a WRC driver at the Swedish Rally, they're not that good.
Helpful 8 - tyre reviewed on January 24, 2013
Given 87% while driving a Vauxhall Astra SRi CDTi 1.9 150 (205/55 R16) on mostly country roads for 5,000 spirited miles
These are great tyres. They've really come into their own over the past couple of weeks due to the bad weather and like other reviewers I've been purposely seeking out the snowy back roads in an attempt to find conditions that will cause the them trouble. I've been unable to find any.

The difference between my Summer tyres and the UltraGrip 8s is night and day. They give amazing grip on cold snowy/slushy/wet roads and the extra comfort compared to my Summers is refreshing. I haven't noticed any increase in road noise.

I've never experienced such a level of confidence and grip while driving in Winter and it worries me now more than ever that most people still attempt to get about safely in the snow and ice with modern sporty Summer tyres, relying on nothing more than luck and hoping to 'drive to the conditions'. I'd buy these again in an instant.
Helpful 14 - tyre reviewed on January 23, 2013
Given 86% while driving a Volkswagen Passat 1.9TDi Sport Estate (Chipped) (195/65 R15 H) on a combination of roads for 1,000 spirited miles
Purchased two of these tyres to complement the Conti TS830's I got the previous year (2010) and come December 2011 fitted these to the front axle and the Conti's on the rear. Only got a couple of days decent snow to try them out on during the 2011/2012 winter but it was obvious that they were even better than the Conti's (although in fairness didn't have any snow tyres on the rear before now) Have now had a chance to try the Good Years again this year (2013) and it confirmed that they are very accomplished in ice, packed snow, slush and fresh snow. Having gone out of my way to find country lanes that no one else had tackled with about 8 - 10 inches of snow they were faultless also packed snow and ice on a hill in to a housing development that is renowned for access issues, the car climbed the hill with no fuss even stopping half way to allow someone to come down ;o) Just amazing worth every penny and then some. They should be mandatory fitment as in other parts of Europe.
Helpful 8 - tyre reviewed on January 22, 2013
Given 90% while driving a Mazda 6 (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 400 average miles
Brought these in september 2012 after 2 years of being undecided whether they would be of benefit.
I live in High Wycombe, so there are hills everywhere and i was constantly leaving the car (Mazda 6) at home as i was unable to get up the sloping cul de sac to the main road on the estate.
My first experience of these tyres in the snow came on friday 18th Jan 2013 when having to take the wife to hospital for a blood test prior to ger chemo the following Monday.
I left work at 12.00 when the snow was settling on the road, cars were wheel spinning everywhere on the Amersham Hill but with these tyres on it was so easy, no wheel spin at all!
On picking wifey up, we set off back to High Wycombe but as the main roads were gridlocked, i chose the back roads, all hills!
We made our way to the first hill, there was cars stopped all the way up with varying distances between them, all wheel spinning and going nowhere, with these tyres on we calmly stopped, waited for the oncoming cars to pass and then drove round all the cars that were going nowhere, no wheelspin, no dramas at all, truly awesome grip in the white stuff.
During the cold weather before the snow, the grip in wet and frosty conditions is also very, very good.
Road noise in a little bit more than the michellin primacy hp's which i use in the summer, but it's not excessively loud.
Feedback in all conditions is very good as well.
Overall, an extremely good winter tyre and in my mind, worth every penny that i paid for them.
Helpful 8 - tyre reviewed on January 21, 2013
Given 86% while driving a BMW 116d Sport (205/55 R16 H) on a combination of roads for 10,000 average miles
I am now on my second winter season with these tyres and i remain very impressed. They are excellent in the snow but even in colder frosty and icy weather they remain useful and a significant improvement over my summer tyres. They really inspire confidence and I'd really like to see more eople driving with tyres like this in the UK during winter as it would help to make our roads safer. I am particularly impressed with both the low noise and fuel consumption which has not reduced significantly which was a surprise. Overall and excellent tyre and I would definitely buy again.
Helpful 8 - tyre reviewed on January 7, 2013
Given 94% while driving a Audi A6 (215/55 R16) on a combination of roads for 15,000 average miles
I decided to fit winter tyres this year after the harsh conditions encountered last year, I didn’t get caught out last year but feel that my safety should come first, whatever the cost.
I noticed the difference immediately after having these winter tyres fitted even after taking off a good set of summer tyres with 5mm of grip left on them. There is a huge improvement in braking and stopping on dry, wet and icy roads. They give me greater confidence and I actually feel safer in poor driving conditions.
Grip and road handling are good in the dry and on wet roads, I think the performance of these tyres is outstanding, their ability to move water out of the way and provide grip is superb, especially when new with the maximum tread depth.
Motorway driving is fine with minimum noise and a good feel for the road through the steering wheel. Grip in the snow is excellent, so much better than I was used to
A word of advice though, check the tyre pressures regularly as soft winter tyres can be a lot less forgiving than low pressure summer tyres. Having said that I check my tyre pressures every week and they are never out by more than 1 psi
I’m really struggling to find any fault or criticism with these tyres, they exceeded my expectations.
I would definitely buy again.
Helpful 10 - tyre reviewed on December 11, 2012