eg_eric
01-30-2013, 02:57 PM
Hello guys just trying to give my review of the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT tires in case you guys are looking for comparisons when winter tire shopping. But as not all situations are identical I will mention my scenario and driving conditions before starting, you can also just scroll to the bottom and get the point-form summary:
Here is the website for the tire details:
http://www.fountaintire.com/tire/Ultra_Grip_Ice_WRT
1. I do NOT work for Goodyear or any store that sells Goodyear, in fact, I do not even work in the automotive industry.
2. I drive a 2009 Dodge Challenger - V6, RWD, NO Traction control and NO sandbags in the back (yet).
3. I drive to work on Stoney Trail or Deerfoot, and then down 52nd so I get to drive them both on the highway and city roads.
4. No passengers are ever sitting in my back seats.
5. Got them October 21st, I think it was one week before the first snowfall.
6. I am not an expert nor pretend to know all about cars and tires, I am just giving my experience so far on how they drive on my car to help anyone out there wondering how these are.
---
OK so after doing some Google searches and Youtube videos I went to Fountain tire and priced out some of these tires, which totaled just over $890 with installation and new TPMS valves. Service was excellent and turnaround was 1 day, no problems at all. They didn't bother to take off the stickers though, but no biggie lol. I doubled checked pressures and torque just to make sure all was good, then i was off with my new tires!
The week before the snowfall I noticed on dry pavement they are pretty grippy for a snow tire. during hard corners you can feel them slip a little bit, but as long as you're not trying to drift this shouldn't be a problem.
On snow, I notice a couple of problems right away. First, the car feels like it's floating on turns, and feels like the rear end is going to give out which makes it a little uneasy. I'm not 100% sure if it's because it's a RWD that it feels this way. Second, braking is not the best but this could easily be remedied if the vehicle had traction control, which mine lacks.
On ice, this car is a nightmare. Stopping is at nature's mercy and even on a slight uphill the tires just spin. There was a uphill entrance at a Mall where I actually started backsliding - not fun. Again, probably lacking traction control but for an "ice" tire I expected a little better performance. I probably should have gone to a tire with a different tread, such as the blizzacks, considering many of the drivers who like cutting in and making strange merges - Saddleridge/Mckenzie traffic circles come to mind...
And lastly, these tires were clearly not designed to reverse. It feels like a summer tire when you are reversing, which can easily put you in a dangerous situation if not careful.
---
So to summarize:
1. Service was good.
2. Pretty good on dry pavement
2. Turning in snow feels like you're floating and rear end wants to give out.
3. Don't buy these tires without traction control - Best to go with Blizzaks if you do not have TC.
4. Ice, not happening.
5. Reverse is not very good.
Rating: 6.5/10 - Overall the tire will get you to point A to B, but don't expect to do any "off the line I need to get in that lane after this red light", snow drifting or speeding with this tire.
Who should get this tire?
- AWD vehicles, most likely trucks and small SUV's.
- Those looking for something a little (but not much) cheaper than blizzaks.
Who should AVOID this tire?
- New drivers.
- Cars with a little more torque.
- If you live in an area with heavy packed snow.
- RWD cars, especially those lacking traction control
- If you love your family enough not to put them in a RWD car without traction control.
Again, this was my review on my '09 Challenger, maybe someone out there has an AWD Subaru or SUV that these might be a 10/10 on, but if you have a heavier car without TC you should look at other options. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading!
Here is the website for the tire details:
http://www.fountaintire.com/tire/Ultra_Grip_Ice_WRT
1. I do NOT work for Goodyear or any store that sells Goodyear, in fact, I do not even work in the automotive industry.
2. I drive a 2009 Dodge Challenger - V6, RWD, NO Traction control and NO sandbags in the back (yet).
3. I drive to work on Stoney Trail or Deerfoot, and then down 52nd so I get to drive them both on the highway and city roads.
4. No passengers are ever sitting in my back seats.
5. Got them October 21st, I think it was one week before the first snowfall.
6. I am not an expert nor pretend to know all about cars and tires, I am just giving my experience so far on how they drive on my car to help anyone out there wondering how these are.
---
OK so after doing some Google searches and Youtube videos I went to Fountain tire and priced out some of these tires, which totaled just over $890 with installation and new TPMS valves. Service was excellent and turnaround was 1 day, no problems at all. They didn't bother to take off the stickers though, but no biggie lol. I doubled checked pressures and torque just to make sure all was good, then i was off with my new tires!
The week before the snowfall I noticed on dry pavement they are pretty grippy for a snow tire. during hard corners you can feel them slip a little bit, but as long as you're not trying to drift this shouldn't be a problem.
On snow, I notice a couple of problems right away. First, the car feels like it's floating on turns, and feels like the rear end is going to give out which makes it a little uneasy. I'm not 100% sure if it's because it's a RWD that it feels this way. Second, braking is not the best but this could easily be remedied if the vehicle had traction control, which mine lacks.
On ice, this car is a nightmare. Stopping is at nature's mercy and even on a slight uphill the tires just spin. There was a uphill entrance at a Mall where I actually started backsliding - not fun. Again, probably lacking traction control but for an "ice" tire I expected a little better performance. I probably should have gone to a tire with a different tread, such as the blizzacks, considering many of the drivers who like cutting in and making strange merges - Saddleridge/Mckenzie traffic circles come to mind...
And lastly, these tires were clearly not designed to reverse. It feels like a summer tire when you are reversing, which can easily put you in a dangerous situation if not careful.
---
So to summarize:
1. Service was good.
2. Pretty good on dry pavement
2. Turning in snow feels like you're floating and rear end wants to give out.
3. Don't buy these tires without traction control - Best to go with Blizzaks if you do not have TC.
4. Ice, not happening.
5. Reverse is not very good.
Rating: 6.5/10 - Overall the tire will get you to point A to B, but don't expect to do any "off the line I need to get in that lane after this red light", snow drifting or speeding with this tire.
Who should get this tire?
- AWD vehicles, most likely trucks and small SUV's.
- Those looking for something a little (but not much) cheaper than blizzaks.
Who should AVOID this tire?
- New drivers.
- Cars with a little more torque.
- If you live in an area with heavy packed snow.
- RWD cars, especially those lacking traction control
- If you love your family enough not to put them in a RWD car without traction control.
Again, this was my review on my '09 Challenger, maybe someone out there has an AWD Subaru or SUV that these might be a 10/10 on, but if you have a heavier car without TC you should look at other options. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading!