Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Reviews - Page 3
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 tires 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 tires fitted even after taking off a good set of summer tires 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 tires 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 tire pressures regularly as soft winter tires can be a lot less forgiving than low pressure summer tires. Having said that I check my tire 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 tires, they exceeded my expectations.
I would definitely buy again.
I noticed the difference immediately after having these winter tires fitted even after taking off a good set of summer tires 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 tires 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 tire pressures regularly as soft winter tires can be a lot less forgiving than low pressure summer tires. Having said that I check my tire 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 tires, they exceeded my expectations.
I would definitely buy again.
Given 84%
while driving a
Mazda 6
(205/55 R16 V)
on a combination of roads
for 4,000 average miles
Excellent all round performance winter tire, used during winter 2011 - 2012 and ready to roll again!. Inspired real confidence in icy conditions, also very good in slush and compacted snow. Improved traction also paid off at the fuel pumps due to increased MPG. I found that they were even more comfortable than my summer Michelins, but presumably this is because of the softer rubber compound. Even so, after one winter and approx 4000 miles the front tires still had 7.5 - 8mm tread, and the the rears 8mm. Really impressed. Would definitely buy again, but don't need to!
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Given 73%
while driving a
Ford Fiesta
(165/60 R14)
on mostly motorways
for 4,000 average miles
I do a lot of miles towing car's behind me on an A-Frame. They grip well and have no aquaplaning in deep water at high speed. My car I had these on was a 2001 DIESEL fiesta. (Yes I towed cars and caravans with it. It's heavier than you think). However, they do wear down quite quick. But I do put that car through some paces so it might be down to me a little. But I do get the feeling they do wear more than others. They are a little noisy but I think thats also the car. No sound proofing on those. And the fuel economy I cant comment on because I don't do normal driving as I said. I never got to use them in the snow :-( all that money and no SNOW!!
I got a 4x4 now so prob wont buy them again. BUT, I would buy them again if it was for another car, my only concern is the rate of wear. I get the feeling that can be improved on drastically. Half to 3/4 of its life gone in 4,000 miles. OUCH!
I got a 4x4 now so prob wont buy them again. BUT, I would buy them again if it was for another car, my only concern is the rate of wear. I get the feeling that can be improved on drastically. Half to 3/4 of its life gone in 4,000 miles. OUCH!
Given 92%
while driving a
Peugeot 206 1.6HDi 110 Sport3
(195/45 R15)
on mostly country roads
for 2,000 spirited miles
Great tire! Amazing grip in snow. When the snow fell last year, went out in the car and tried to have some fun but to my amazement found out that the tires were to grippy! can see a big change between them and my summer tire, as well as other cars on the road. makes you feel very confident in corners and on straights in bad weather conditions.
Definitely but again.
Definitely but again.
Given 97%
while driving a
Volkswagen Golf 1.9 Tdi
(205/55 R16)
on a combination of roads
for 1,000 average miles
I drive a VW Golf MK5 1.9 TDI DSG, and these tires a perfect match for it. I've taken the car on twisty roads and I think I have never driven so fast on those roads with any other winter tire. The Ultragrip 8 gives you so much confidence, have very good grip yet are incredibly comfortable. I cannot pronounce myself on how long thread life is, but I wouldn't worry about this. It will definitely last the same as most other premium tires, if not more. I would surely buy again, but I think the Ultragrip 8+ or 9 will be out by the time I have to change my tires, given I have a pair of Vredestein Snowtrac 3 too.
Given 86%
while driving a
Renault Laguna II
(185/60 R14)
on a combination of roads
for 25,000 average miles
Best buy!
Given 93%
while driving a
Audi A4
(225/45 R17)
on a combination of roads
for 5,000 easy going miles
Incredible technology in these tires, makes a standard front wheel drive perform better than a 4x4 in snow and ice.
Given 86%
while driving a
Peugeot 406
(205/60 R15 H)
on mostly motorways
for 7,000 average miles
Very, very good tires. They lack a bit in road feeling and the sidewall could be stiffer, but this translates in an extremely comfortable ride. Very good noise levels, too, for being a winter tire.
Dry grip is sligthly above average, but wet grip is just amazing, for this kind of tire!
Snow: they are absolutely perfect. I've owned several winter tires in the past and none of them were capable of this kind of snow/ice grip.
Wear: I used them mostly on the motorway and as far as I can see they are in very good shape, at around 6.5-7mm left.
Would definitely buy again.
Dry grip is sligthly above average, but wet grip is just amazing, for this kind of tire!
Snow: they are absolutely perfect. I've owned several winter tires in the past and none of them were capable of this kind of snow/ice grip.
Wear: I used them mostly on the motorway and as far as I can see they are in very good shape, at around 6.5-7mm left.
Would definitely buy again.
Given 89%
while driving a
Audi A1
(185/60 R16 T)
on a combination of roads
for 3,000 average miles
Great tire,nice and grippy and brilliant after traction control turned off in snow. Also got superb mpg with these tires fitted.
Given 85%
while driving a
Mercedes Benz C200k w203
(205/55 R16)
on a combination of roads
for 0 average miles
Stil new made around 2000 km so stil cant say about wear.great tire in snow and wet
Given 90%
while driving a
BMW 120d
(205/55 R16 H)
on a combination of roads
for 6,000 spirited miles
In contrast to the driver of the BMW 320D below I found these tires superb in the snow that we had at the beginning of February. I too have a rear wheel drive car with a poor reputation for grip in arctic conditions. When you see the snow on the news they always show rear wheel drive BMW's or Mercedes being pushed along by passers by or being towed by a Land Rover. Not mine!
On the Saturday in question I was on the edge of the Peak District when the snow started coming down. I then drove through Oldham down to Manchester Airport where I stayed for a few hours. I then drove from there down to Rutland then late at night I drove back to my house near Leicester. That's over 200 miles in one day when my tires barely touched tarmac because of the snow which was several inches deep. In those 200 miles I encountered a hell of a lot of accidents - the roads were total carnage. I also encountered a lot of hills, some of them quite steep where other vehicles including many front wheel drive cars were simply abandoned because they couldn't get up them.
Let's just remind you I was driving a rear wheel drive BMW past all these accidents and abandoned cars on hills and all because I had Ultragrip 8's fitted. Let's not forget though that snow is very slippery (I mean just try walking on it!) so even with Ultragrip 8's you can't drive like a hooligan. You still need to control the throttle and be in the correct gear. It also helps to know how to disable the traction control or put it into a lower sensitivity mode to allow wheel spin. On the BMW this is accomplished by pressing the DTC button on the dashboard. This was my first experience of driving a rear wheel drive car in snow and I can honestly say that I actually prefer it to a winter tire equipped front wheel drive! I was driving in the outside lane of the motorway and dual carriageways where most others daren't venture. I was even overtaking people in 4x4's because I had so much more confidence than them!
Winter tires are not just about traction though, they are about being able to steer and stop and the Ultragrip 8's didn't disappoint here either. I did find that if I was going downhill and I just stood on the brake pedal and dropped the clutch then the car took quite a while to stop whereas if I went down through the gears therefore applying engine braking to the rear wheels and foot braking to the front it stopped very quickly. I found the same on sheet ice too. I should also point out that my drive is on a slope and I reversed up it with no effort at all and the car was still exactly where I left it the next morning. Previous cars equipped with summer tires have been known to slide off the drive in snow.
In other conditions these tires have been excellent with a very sporty feel and some advanced warning of when they're getting close to the limits. They are very resistant to aquaplaning in the wet and handle very well too. They are very quiet too which is always a bonus. The only conditions where they are inferior to summer tires are warm dry conditions. They feel too soft meaning that they lack feel and braking distances are longer. Let's face it though, these tires weren't designed for summer conditions were they? At the end of this month or early April I shall be switching back to summer tires and the Ultragrip 8's will go into hibernation until about November.
On the Saturday in question I was on the edge of the Peak District when the snow started coming down. I then drove through Oldham down to Manchester Airport where I stayed for a few hours. I then drove from there down to Rutland then late at night I drove back to my house near Leicester. That's over 200 miles in one day when my tires barely touched tarmac because of the snow which was several inches deep. In those 200 miles I encountered a hell of a lot of accidents - the roads were total carnage. I also encountered a lot of hills, some of them quite steep where other vehicles including many front wheel drive cars were simply abandoned because they couldn't get up them.
Let's just remind you I was driving a rear wheel drive BMW past all these accidents and abandoned cars on hills and all because I had Ultragrip 8's fitted. Let's not forget though that snow is very slippery (I mean just try walking on it!) so even with Ultragrip 8's you can't drive like a hooligan. You still need to control the throttle and be in the correct gear. It also helps to know how to disable the traction control or put it into a lower sensitivity mode to allow wheel spin. On the BMW this is accomplished by pressing the DTC button on the dashboard. This was my first experience of driving a rear wheel drive car in snow and I can honestly say that I actually prefer it to a winter tire equipped front wheel drive! I was driving in the outside lane of the motorway and dual carriageways where most others daren't venture. I was even overtaking people in 4x4's because I had so much more confidence than them!
Winter tires are not just about traction though, they are about being able to steer and stop and the Ultragrip 8's didn't disappoint here either. I did find that if I was going downhill and I just stood on the brake pedal and dropped the clutch then the car took quite a while to stop whereas if I went down through the gears therefore applying engine braking to the rear wheels and foot braking to the front it stopped very quickly. I found the same on sheet ice too. I should also point out that my drive is on a slope and I reversed up it with no effort at all and the car was still exactly where I left it the next morning. Previous cars equipped with summer tires have been known to slide off the drive in snow.
In other conditions these tires have been excellent with a very sporty feel and some advanced warning of when they're getting close to the limits. They are very resistant to aquaplaning in the wet and handle very well too. They are very quiet too which is always a bonus. The only conditions where they are inferior to summer tires are warm dry conditions. They feel too soft meaning that they lack feel and braking distances are longer. Let's face it though, these tires weren't designed for summer conditions were they? At the end of this month or early April I shall be switching back to summer tires and the Ultragrip 8's will go into hibernation until about November.
Given 95%
while driving a
Ford Fiesta
(175/65 R14)
on mostly motorways
for 4,000 average miles
Great tires. Unfortunatly we had no snow this year to test them out as a proper winter tire. But never the less they are excellent. No aquaplaning. No road feedback noise. And they handle really well and grip fantastic. I will recommend to anyone these tires for the winter. And they are cheeper than other brands.