Continental VikingContact 8 vs Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

In this article we will be looking at independent tire test data, and real world driver reviews of the Continental VikingContact 8 and the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 to find out which tire is best for your own driving.

The good news is that both the Continental VikingContact 8 and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 are Premium Touring Winter tires designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars, which means comparing the two tires is relatively simple.

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

In This Article
Introduction Test Results Driver Reviews Conclusion
VikingContact-8 VS UltraGrip-Ice-3

Test Results

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

Out of these two tests:

  • Continental VikingContact 8 finished ahead of the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 in one of the tests
  • Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 finished ahead of the Continental VikingContact 8 in one of the tests

The Continental VikingContact 8 and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 have an equal number of test wins. However, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.

Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.

Dry Braking

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental VikingContact 8 was better during one dry braking tests. On average the Continental VikingContact 8 stopped the vehicle in 2.8% less distance than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Continental VikingContact 8
31.2M
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
32.1M
Dry braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Dry Braking: Continental VikingContact 8

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 ✓ Continental VikingContact 8:31.2M Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 32.1M

Subj. Dry Handling

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental VikingContact 8 was better during zero subj. dry handling tests. On average the Continental VikingContact 8 scored 20% more points than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Continental VikingContact 8
4 Points
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
5 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score, higher is better

Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:4 Points ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 5 Points

Wet Braking

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one wet braking tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 stopped the vehicle in 6.36% less distance than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
40.1M
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
37.55M
Wet braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Wet Braking: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:40.1M ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 37.55M

Wet Handling [s]

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was 1.46% faster around a wet lap than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
41.2s
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
40.6s
Wet handling time in seconds, lower is better

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

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:41.2s ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 40.6s

Straight Aqua

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental VikingContact 8 was better during zero straight aqua tests. On average the Continental VikingContact 8 floated at a 12.7% higher speed than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Continental VikingContact 8
59.8Km/H
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
68.5Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H, higher is better

Best In Straight Aqua: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:59.8Km/H ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 68.5Km/H

Snow Braking

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one snow braking tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 stopped the vehicle in 2.28% less distance than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
12.72M
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
12.43M
Snow braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Snow Braking: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:12.72M ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 12.43M

Snow Traction

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one snow traction tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 accelerated 3.58% faster than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
4.19s
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
4.04s
Snow acceleration time, lower is better

Best In Snow Traction: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:4.19s ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 4.04s

Snow Handling [s]

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one snow handling [s] tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was 0.13% faster around a lap than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
79.7s
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
79.6s
Snow handling time in seconds, lower is better

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

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:79.7s ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 79.6s

Ice Braking

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental VikingContact 8 was better during one ice braking tests. On average the Continental VikingContact 8 stopped the vehicle 6.12% shorter than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Continental VikingContact 8
11.97M
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
12.75M
Ice braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Ice Braking: Continental VikingContact 8

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 ✓ Continental VikingContact 8:11.97M Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 12.75M

Ice Traction

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental VikingContact 8 was better during one ice traction tests. On average the Continental VikingContact 8 accelerated 6.12% faster than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Continental VikingContact 8
8.44s
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
8.99s
Ice acceleration time, lower is better

Best In Ice Traction: Continental VikingContact 8

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 ✓ Continental VikingContact 8:8.44s Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 8.99s

Ice Handling [s]

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental VikingContact 8 was better during one ice handling [s] tests. On average the Continental VikingContact 8 was 2.71% faster around a lap than the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Continental VikingContact 8
64.6s
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
66.4s
Ice handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Ice Handling [s]: Continental VikingContact 8

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 ✓ Continental VikingContact 8:64.6s Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 66.4s

Noise

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one noise tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 measured 0.42% quieter than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
71.8dB
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
71.5dB
External noise in dB, lower is better

Best In Noise: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:71.8dB ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 71.5dB

Fuel Consumption

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 used 0.94% less fuel than the Continental VikingContact 8.

Continental VikingContact 8
5.3l/100km
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
5.25l/100km
Fuel consumption in Litres per 100 km, lower is better

Best In Fuel Consumption: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test
225/45 R17		 Continental VikingContact 8:5.3l/100km ✓ Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3: 5.25l/100km

Real World Driver Reviews

Tire Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Continental VikingContact 8 and Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

In total the Continental VikingContact 8 has been reviewed times and drivers have given the tire 0% overall.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 has been reviewed times and drivers have given the tire 0% overall.

This means in real world driving, people prefer the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3.

Best Review for the Continental VikingContact 8
View all Continental VikingContact 8 driver reviews >>
Best Review for the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
View all Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 driver reviews >>

Conclusion

In conclusion the Continental VikingContact 8 performed better in dry braking, ice braking, ice traction and ice handling [s], while the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 performed better in subj. dry handling, wet braking, wet handling [s], straight aqua, snow braking, snow traction, snow handling [s], noise and fuel consumption.

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

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

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

Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

Overall Winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3

Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.

Similar Comparisons

Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:

Continental VikingContact 8
VS
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
Continental VikingContact 8 VS Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
Continental VikingContact 8
VS
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Continental VikingContact 8 VS Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
VS
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 VS Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Continental VikingContact 8
VS
Michelin X Ice Snow
Continental VikingContact 8 VS Michelin X Ice Snow
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
VS
Michelin X Ice Snow
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 VS Michelin X Ice Snow

Footnote

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

Why is this important? Tire 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 tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.

As a result you will see other tests on Tire 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 tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.