Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice winter lightweight non-studded tire is one of the successful attempts by the North American manufacturer to create the ideal tire for the harsh winter conditions of the Scandinavian countries and, of course, Russia. This model is available in more than two dozen of the most popular standard sizes from 13 to 17 inches, which allows this tire to be used on most modern models of small and medium-sized cars.

ActiveGrip technology

This tire is one of the first winter models where the North American tire giant has applied one of its latest developments, namely ActiveGrip technology. This technology is a complex of technical solutions aimed at providing excellent performance in the harsh conditions of Scandinavian winters.

DualCap Compound

As you know, at low temperatures rubber loses one of its main advantages - elasticity, which has a detrimental effect on adhesion to the surface. That is why all tire manufacturers add special components to the tread compound to ensure the required level of elasticity at low temperatures. Goodyear is no exception. Unlike many competitors, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice has a two-layer tread. The upper layer is made of a more elastic rubber compound, which allows the tread to fit more tightly all the irregularities on the road surface at low temperatures. In turn, the bottom layer is made of a tougher rubber compound. This layer, due to its stiffness, provides the tire with excellent performance for a winter model on dry roads at higher temperatures.

Hybridsipes

This term hides two different types of lamellas that were simultaneously used in this model. As described in one paragraph above, the tread of this tire has a two-layer structure. Moreover, each of the tread layers is equipped with sipes of a certain type. The lower tread layer has a plurality of prismatic sipes. These lamellas are a further development of the 3D-BIS technology. The main design feature of a prismatic lamella is the presence of protrusions and recesses on its walls. This allows the lamella walls to be tightly fixed to each other at the moment of contact with the road surface. Due to this, the high structural rigidity of the lower tread layer is achieved, which significantly improved the handling characteristics on dry surfaces.

The upper tread layer is equipped with zigzag sipes, which are also transverse to the direction of travel. Like the prismatic sipes, the zigzag sipes also increase the structural rigidity of the tread blocks due to the tighter fixation of their walls. Their main difference is that, in addition to increasing the rigidity of the tread blocks, they form an additional set of sharp edges, which, easily penetrating through the water film on the icy surface, can catch on even very small irregularities. This helps offset the lack of multiple steel studs on the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice tire.

Snow grasper

This innovation is a further development of another famous technology from this North American tire giant, namely V-TRED technology. Like its predecessor, Snow Grasper technology features a new V-shaped design with a symmetrical directional tread pattern. The main design difference from the previous version of the tread is the increased number of sharp edges. This was achieved by reducing the size of the tread blocks, which made it possible to significantly increase their number.

The increased number of tread blocks has significantly improved all the main performance characteristics of the tire, especially on slippery surfaces. In addition, due to this, the bus drainage system now has a significantly higher number of channels, which has significantly increased its efficiency.

The main features of the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice tire

- Technology of active grip ActiveGrip, thanks to a two-layer tread equipped with two types of sipes, provides optimal contact with any icy surface;

- Two-layer tread structure provides excellent traction and grip characteristics in any winter conditions while providing excellent handling on dry surfaces at high temperatures;

- Prismatic and zigzag sipes, due to the provision of high tread rigidity throughout its depth, allow the tire to demonstrate excellent grip on snow and ice throughout its entire service life;

- Optimized V-shaped symmetrical directional tread design with wide lateral grooves ensures effective removal of water and melted snow from the contact patch;

- Multi-radius tread profile with small shoulder radius, the allowed to achieve a long and wide contact patch, as well as an even distribution of pressure over it, which provided improved grip on any type of surface and uniform tread wear.

European labeling makes it easy to compare different tires in terms of safety and environmental friendliness

•   Fuel economy.

Fuel economy is a measure of the rolling resistance of a tire. Low rolling resistance tires save more fuel because they reduce rolling energy consumption. Fuel economy is measured from "A" (highest rating) to "E" (lowest rating).

•   Wet grip.

The wet grip rating measures the grip of a tire on a wet road. Wet grip is rated from "A" (maximum) to "E" (minimum).

•   External noise.

The external noise level produced by the bus is measured in decibels. The noise level is rated from "A" (quiet) to "C" (noisy).

•   Snow traction

Tires with the triple mountain symbol have a shorter braking distance when traveling on snow, which is necessary for safety in winter conditions. For passenger car tires, the symbol is assigned when measuring the braking distance of a vehicle at 25 km / h on compacted snow or when measuring the adhesion of the tire to the surface. For truck tires, the symbol is assigned when measuring the tire acceleration.

•   Ice grip

Tires with the icy traction symbol have a shorter braking distance on icy roads, which is necessary for safety in winter conditions. The symbol is assigned when measuring the braking distance of a vehicle at a speed of 20 km / h on clean ice.

Expert Review:

The tire behaves reliably in difficult situations on ice and snow, where it provides excellent grip. On asphalt, the behavior is also generally good, but on a dry surface, the tire tends to drift when changing lanes abruptly. Good noise and fuel efficiency.