Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 vs Michelin X Ice Snow

In this article we will be looking at independent tyre test data, and real world driver reviews of the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 and the Michelin X Ice Snow to find out which tyre is best for your own driving.

The good news is that both the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 and Michelin X Ice Snow are Premium Touring Winter tyres designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars, which means comparing the two tyres is relatively simple.

Both tyres are hugely popular in the market place with drivers, and both have been featured in independent tyre tests.

UltraGrip-Ice-3 VS X-Ice-Snow

Test Results

Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been three tests which compare both tyres directly!

Out of these three tests:

  • Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 finished ahead of the Michelin X Ice Snow in three of the tests

While it might look like the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 is better than the Michelin X Ice Snow purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.

Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.

Dry Braking

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two dry braking tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 stopped the vehicle in 0.99% less distance than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
31.08M
Michelin X Ice Snow
31.39M
Dry braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Dry Braking: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:31.25M Michelin X Ice Snow: 31.82M
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:30.9M Michelin X Ice Snow: 30.96M

Subj. Dry Handling

Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one subj. dry handling tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 scored 20% more points than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
5 Points
Michelin X Ice Snow
4 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score, higher is better

Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:5 Points Michelin X Ice Snow: 4 Points

Wet Braking

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two wet braking tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 stopped the vehicle in 5.4% less distance than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
38.02M
Michelin X Ice Snow
40.19M
Wet braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Wet Braking: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:38.49M Michelin X Ice Snow: 41.98M
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:37.55M Michelin X Ice Snow: 38.4M

Wet Handling [s]

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two wet handling [s] tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was 4.12% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
40.7s
Michelin X Ice Snow
42.45s
Wet handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Wet Handling [s]: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:40.4s Michelin X Ice Snow: 42.8s
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:41s Michelin X Ice Snow: 42.1s

Straight Aqua

Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one straight aqua tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 floated at a 1.52% higher speed than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
66Km/H
Michelin X Ice Snow
65Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H, higher is better

Best In Straight Aqua: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:66Km/H Michelin X Ice Snow: 65Km/H

Snow Braking

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two snow braking tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 stopped the vehicle in 1.26% less distance than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
11.74M
Michelin X Ice Snow
11.89M
Snow braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Snow Braking: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:11.28M Michelin X Ice Snow: 11.56M
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:12.19M Michelin X Ice Snow: 12.21M

Snow Traction

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two snow traction tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 accelerated 2.21% faster than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
4.42s
Michelin X Ice Snow
4.52s
Snow acceleration time, lower is better

Best In Snow Traction: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:4.39s Michelin X Ice Snow: 4.47s
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:4.44s Michelin X Ice Snow: 4.57s

Snow Handling [s]

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two snow handling [s] tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was 0.97% faster around a lap than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
79.59s
Michelin X Ice Snow
80.37s
Snow handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Snow Handling [s]: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:83.28s Michelin X Ice Snow: 84.04s
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:75.9s Michelin X Ice Snow: 76.7s

Ice Braking

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice Snow was better during one ice braking tests. On average the Michelin X Ice Snow stopped the vehicle 1.3% shorter than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
13.88M
Michelin X Ice Snow
13.7M
Ice braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Ice Braking: Michelin X Ice Snow

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:14.75M Michelin X Ice Snow: 15.3M
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:13M Michelin X Ice Snow: 12.09M

Ice Traction

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice Snow was better during one ice traction tests. On average the Michelin X Ice Snow accelerated 3.24% faster than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
7.41s
Michelin X Ice Snow
7.17s
Ice acceleration time, lower is better

Best In Ice Traction: Michelin X Ice Snow

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:6.39s Michelin X Ice Snow: 7.01s
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:8.43s Michelin X Ice Snow: 7.32s

Ice Handling [s]

Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during two ice handling [s] tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was 1.57% faster around a lap than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
58.23s
Michelin X Ice Snow
59.16s
Ice handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Ice Handling [s]: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless vs Studded Snow Tyre Test
205/55 R16
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:69.76s Michelin X Ice Snow: 71.21s
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:46.7s Michelin X Ice Snow: 47.1s

Noise

Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one noise tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 measured 0.67% quieter than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
74dB
Michelin X Ice Snow
74.5dB
External noise in dB, lower is better

Best In Noise: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:74dB Michelin X Ice Snow: 74.5dB

Fuel Consumption

Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 used 5.83% less fuel than the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
4.85l/100km
Michelin X Ice Snow
5.15l/100km
Fuel consumption in Litres per 100 km, lower is better

Best In Fuel Consumption: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test
225/45 R17
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3:4.85l/100km Michelin X Ice Snow: 5.15l/100km

Real World Driver Reviews

Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 and Michelin X Ice Snow.

In total the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 has been reviewed times and drivers have given the tyre 0% overall.

The Michelin X Ice Snow has been reviewed 12 times and drivers have given the tyre 82% overall.

This means in real world driving, people prefer the Michelin X Ice Snow.

Best Review for the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
View all Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 driver reviews >>
Best Review for the Michelin X Ice Snow
Given 93% 225/45 R17 on mostly country roads for 10,000 spirited miles
Previously owned the Michelin alpin 4a on a volkswagen tiguan. Fantastic tyres, Decided to choose the new version for my Fiat Panda cross. The x ice snow is an amazing tyre. It has been raining and snowing for the last month, i leave for work every morning in -10c and come home at night in -3c. Fresh snow, sludge, rain and ice. The tyre is amazing. I feel confident while driving In all conditions. Recently went offroading in a few mountain trails. Parked the car up and iced road, jumped out with the kids, and we could not walk without falling over, Completely iced over. I did not even... Continue reading this review using the link below
Helpful 167 - tyre reviewed on December 5, 2020
View all Michelin X Ice Snow driver reviews >>

Conclusion

In conclusion the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 performed better in dry braking, subj. dry handling, wet braking, wet handling [s], straight aqua, snow braking, snow traction, snow handling [s], ice handling [s], noise and fuel consumption, while the Michelin X Ice Snow performed better in ice braking and ice traction.

Which tyre is best for you depends a lot on your driving style and situation, plus what you want from the tyre. Comparing all the data in the tyre reviews database, on balance Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 seems to be the best tyre overall.

However, it's important to note that both tyres have their strengths.

Remember, the best tyre for you might depend on which of these factors are most important for your specific driving needs and conditions.

Overall Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

Overall Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

Footnote

This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.

Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.

As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.

Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.