Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra Review | Winter Terrrain Resilience

Last updated on April 7th, 2024 at 11:36 am

Goodyear

Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra

WinterCommand Ultra

Winter/Snow Terrain Tire
Leave your winter terrain worries behind with this Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra tire. The tire will easily bring your car out of the extreme winter conditions without wearing off or destroying the comfort of your vehicle.

Dry Traction & Grip
80%
Wet Traction & Grip
85%
Snow Traction & Grip
90%
Ride noise
80%
Treadwear
80%
Steering & Cornering
80%

Quick highlights

Tire type Studless Winter/Snow Tire
Price range$133-$192
Run-flat No
Vehicles typeSedan, Crossover, and SUV
Driving conditionsDry, Wet, and Snow

The Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra is a successor of Goodyear WinterCommand. The predecessor of this tire has done great in the tire market and is known to deliver one of the finest performances in winter terrains in the past. However, with competition and technology innovation, the tire failed, which is why Goodyear launched this new model with improved design, technology, and performance to fulfill the desire of modern winter terrain drivers. 

The Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra is an excellent tire for the drivers of sedans and SUVs looking to drive in harsh winter conditions for a longer period. Due to its long-lasting treadwear, drivers not only enjoy its winter and all-season performance but also keep rolling this Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra tire for many years. 

The tire delivers confident traction, grip, and brakes in winter terrains, with that, the performance in dry and wet conditions is good as well, so you don’t have to change tires if the season changes for a shorter period. With that, the handling response and stable ride make it a proper tire to drive in dry, wet, and light/extreme snow terrains without worrying about uneven wear-off. 

Pros

  • Delivers proper brakes and handling in extreme winter conditions
  • Excellent traction, grip, and cornering on harsh winter, dry, and wet conditions
  • Even contact reduces distortions and improves the stable and comfortable ride
  • A 3PMSF-certified tire for the worst winter conditions
  • Studless winter tire, so no need to worry about winter tire regulations

Cons

  • No treadwear warranty
  • Not the quietest tire especially on winter terrains

Tread design and improvements

The winter tires are equipped with high silica content with dense sipes and grooves to improve wet and snow rides. Similarly, this Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra tire has a high silica cryo-adaptive compound that improves traction and stability in harsh winter conditions.

This directional tread pattern tire features ActiveGrip and adaptive SipeGrip technology, which reduces the tire’s imbalanced movement while improving grips on harsh winter terrains. Along with that, the tire features V-shape hydrodynamic grooves for resisting hydroplaning in wet and snow terrain while channeling the slash, water, and snow away from the tire to improve stability and smooth ride in winter, dry, and wet conditions.

Durability and road life

Specific terrain tires like winter and summer have lower treadwear life compared to all-season and all-terrain tires. The reason for that is they made for one condition best ride, rather than all other conditions moderate rides. The all-season or all-terrain tire won’t be any good compared to winter tires in snow conditions and fails at extreme winter conditions, which this Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra tire can easily drive through. 

This tire has no treadwear warranty due to the uncertainty of winter terrains. However, if driven properly with tire care and rotation, the tire can last for more than 35-40K miles, while delivering smooth winter terrain rides. The tire has 11/32 tread depth, which is great for dragging in extreme winter conditions for a longer period. 

Specifications & Features

Speed ratingT-V(118-149)MPH
Load Index93(1433 lbs) – 120(3086 lbs)
Manufactured inUnited States and Canada
Wheel diameter16-18”
Ply rating4 ply rated
Treadwear, Traction, TemperatureN/A
Noise ReductionYes

The specs of this tire are great, as are the speed rating, load index, and weight ply, all of which are great considering the driving conditions of winter. Just like all winter tires, this tire also has no UTQG, because the road conditions of the winter terrains are not the same for every driver, that is why it is hard to test winter tires on different conditions before giving the treadwear, traction, and temperature rating. 

Performance of Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra

Winter/Snow Terrain Performance

No winter tire will be considered good if the tire is perfect in dry and wet conditions and also delivers the most comfortable ride, however, lacks extreme winter conditions. The purpose of winter tires is to be good in winter conditions. 

The Goodyear winterCommand Ultra is an excellent tire for dealing with extreme winter conditions, the tire grips properly on high snow while delivering a safer ride by providing stable handling and quick brakes. The proper grip also allows drivers to drive at a little faster pace even on harsh snow terrains. 

Dry Road Performance

On dry roads, the tire is good, the tire contacts great, and delivers smooth handling, and confident traction and grip. However, for driving longer periods, this tire should not be the one. Because, the winter tires have low temperatures, due to silica and other things in their compound, driving too long in high temperatures could damage its tread which could cause early tread wear off.

Wet Conditions Performance

Wet conditions are somehow similar to winter conditions, the slippery terrains require proper grip to tackle the situation with unbalancing the car. This tire is great in wet conditions as well. The deep sipes and grooves improve the stability of the tire in standing water and on thick ice, which delivers comfortable and safe rides in wet and snow conditions. 

Comfort and Noise

The comfort and noise of this tire on any road condition is not the finest however not the worst. The tire makes fair noise and contact with path holes and improves snow terrains fairly well. As winter terrains are already so uncomfortable due to the high and low snow, the tire can only reduce a little noise and achieve a somewhat comfortable ride in winter terrains. 

Comparison with Michelin X-Ice Snow

Both of these are studless winter tires, and they are great for driving in extreme winter conditions. However, there is a difference between both tires. The Michelin X-Ice Snow is a very well-known winter tire for extreme conditions when someone looking for durable and comfortable snow terrain rides. This is one of the most durable winter tires and one of the few tires in winter tire categories that come with a treadwear warranty. 

The performance of Michelin tires on winter tires is also better compared to Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra, however, the Goodyear tire has better wet and dry road rides. As most winter terrain drivers would not want the perfect dry and wet conditions for rides, the Michelin X-Ice Snow is a better inter tire to drive comfortably for a longer period. 

When Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra Is Not Prefered

The Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra is not preferred for someone looking for a durable one to drive moderately on winter terrains and more commonly in all-season conditions. For them, the all-season tires that are good for winter terrains will be preferred. All-season tires have one of the most durable treads and deliver fair performance in light and normal snow terrains. 

Also, if you want to drive in mud terrains as well as winter terrains, all-terrain tires will be a more suitable option because they are more versatile for driving in any road condition. In winter terrains, you may not get as good performance as winter tires; however, you will be able to drive on any road and in weather with all-terrain tires. 

Final words

The Goodyear WinterCommadn Ultra is a good tire for extreme winter terrain rides. The tire is good with traction, grip, handling, and brakes. With winter terrains, it is also driveable in dry and wet conditions, and it improves the stability of the car on winter terrains as well. This new tire is a perfect choice for this 2024 winter season if you want a durable and comfortable ride in winter terrains.

Leave a Comment