Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter VS General AltiMax Arctic 12: Both the contenders are specially designed with directional tread patterns to provide maximum performance in the winter season. Goodyear is mostly used in cars/minivans while General is made for coupes/sedans and Crossover/SUVs.
Goodyear’s Winter Reactive Technology offers exceptional performance in winter driving conditions, especially on snowy roads.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
Besides being a comfortable and durable tire, it also produces less noise during high-speed driving.
It also has a low rolling resistance which makes it more fuel efficient.
Arctic 12 is certified by being a Peak Mountain Snowflake Tire.
It provides exceptional dry grip and enhanced wet/ice traction due to high-density siping on it.
Despite being able to provide equivalent speed as its competitor, it can carry more amount of load.
Table of Contents
Side By Side Comparison
| Specifications | Ultra Grip Winter | AltiMax Arctic 12 |
| Tire Type | Touring tire | Touring tire |
| Tire Season | Winter | Winter |
| Tread Type | Directional | Directional |
| Available Sizes | 14 – 18 | 14-18 |
| Application | Car/Minivans | Crossover/SUVs |
| Warranty | Life-time | One Year |
| Price (205/55R16) | $115.17 | $150 |
Tread Design of both winter tires:
Ultra Grip Winter has a directional tread pattern that enhances winter traction in the snow. Its tread pattern is designed with many biting edges, providing a phenomenal grip on snow. It has wide shoulder blocks with moderate siping density upon them. It has three wide and two narrow circumferential grooves with four tread block columns. Its shoulder blocks are comparatively larger than its competitor. Its void ratio would be relatively higher than its competitor.
Like its competitor, General Altimax Artic also has a directional tread pattern. It has four zigzag-shaped circumferential grooves of varying widths. It has a varied contact patch since the width of circumferential grooves is not uniform throughout the length. It has high-density zigzag-shaped siping on its tread pattern. General is designed with an arrow-shaped rigid central rib which offers excellent steering response. Its tread pattern also consists of wide lateral notches which help in resisting hydroplaning. It has pre-planned angled tread blocks and many biting edges to deal with slippery conditions. It is constructed with a polyester casing which is located beneath two wide steel belts.
Is the road grip better on General Tire here?
As Goodyear has a greater number of circumferential grooves with a higher void ratio, it has a lower contact patch which makes it inferior to its competitor in terms of dry grip. When talking about ice and wet grip, Goodyear is considered inferior to its competitor in this category. This is due to low density siping as compared to its competitor. As its void ratio is higher than its competitor which makes it superior in terms of snow grip.
General with a lower number of circumferential grooves has a higher contact patch which makes its dry grip superior to its opponent. It consists of high-density siping which makes it superior to its competitor in terms of ice and wet grip. It has a comparatively low void ratio making its snow grip inferior to its competitor.
| Parameter | Ultra Grip Winter | AltiMax Arctic 12 |
| Dry Grip | Low | High |
| Wet Grip | Moderate | High |
| Ice Grip | Moderate | High |
| Snow Grip | High | Moderate |
What about Road Handling?
Shoulder block plays an important role when comparing two contenders in terms of road handling. As Goodyear has larger shoulder blocks than its competitor, its dry handling will be better. It has comparatively lower density siping on its shoulder blocks, making it inferior in terms of ice and wet road handling. Goodyear snow handling is better than its competitor as it has relatively wider lateral grooves.
General has relatively larger shoulder blocks than its opponent due to which it will have better dry handling. General has high density siping on its shoulder blocks which makes it superior in terms of ice and wet handling. Snow handling is directly linked with lateral grooves. As General has relatively narrower lateral grooves, it will be considered inferior in snow handling.
| Parameter | Ultra Grip Winter | AltiMax Arctic 12 |
| Dry Handling | High | Moderate |
| Wet Handling | Moderate | High |
| Ice Handling | Moderate | High |
| Snow Handling | High | Low |
Goodyear Ultra Graip provides better Hydroplaning Resistivity:
Circumferential grooves are of utmost importance when talking about hydroplaning resistivity. This means that the wider the circumferential grooves, the better will be the hydroplaning resistivity.
As Goodyear has wider and additional circumferential grooves, it will have a higher void ratio.
Due to this, Goodyear will have more water holding capacity than its competitor which will make it superior in hydroplaning resistivity.
General on the other side has many lateral grooves but that is not enough to win against its competitor in this category.
General Altimax Arctic 12 offers lesser tread depth:
Whenever we are comparing two contenders in terms of durability, analyzing their tread depth becomes highly prominent.
Due to higher tread depth, the tire will last longer.
As Goodyear has a higher tread depth, it will be more durable than its competitor.
| Contenders | Tread Depth |
| Ultra Grip Winter | 13/32’’ |
| AltiMax Arctic 12 | 12/32’’ |
Does Goodyear Ultra Grip tire provide better comfort?
As with durability, tread depth also has a direct relationship with the comfort level of a tire. Tread depth is important for a comfortable ride as more tread depth means more cushion between the road and the driver. As Goodyear has a higher tread depth than its competitor, it will be considered more comfortable.
As Goodyear has a higher void ratio, it will be relatively noisier. This is because wider grooves will mean more space for the air particles to get trapped at higher speeds. So, when more air particles will collide with the tread walls, more noise will be produced.
General due to its lower void ratio than its competitor will be considered a quiet tire. But Goodyear will provide a more comfortable ride.
Load and Speed
Both the contenders have the same speed rating but their load index values differ from one another. So both of them are capable of providing equal speed levels but the General is capable of carrying relatively more load.
| Contenders | Speed rating | Speed value | Load index | Value |
| Ultra Grip Winter | T | 118 mph | 91 | 1356 lbs |
| AltiMax Arctic 12 | T | 118 mph | 94 | 1477 lbs |
Which winter tire has better Rolling Resistance and Fuel Efficiency?
When a car rolls over a surface, the force or energy resisting the tire’s motion is labeled as rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is directly linked with the contact patch. General with higher contact patch will have more rolling resistance. Hence it will be less fuel efficient than its competitor as it will take up more energy. Goodyear with a lower contact patch will have low rolling resistance and high fuel efficiency.
Summary
Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter;
- offers better snow grip.
- delivers superior dry and snow handling.
- offers high hydroplaning resistivity.
- is more durable and comfortable.
- has low rolling resistance and high fuel efficiency.
- is relatively cheaper.
General AltiMax Arctic 12;
- is better in ice, wet, and dry grip.
- is better in ice & wet handling.
- produces relatively less noise.
- can carry relatively more load.
