Goodyear UltraGrip 7 Review: Performance & Experience

Hello fellow diesel enthusiasts,

I wanted to share my brief experience with the Goodyear UltraGrip 7.

On December 15, 2006, these were mounted on tires of size 195/65 R 15 (Volkswagen Golf IV).
After 150 km of city and highway driving (up to 100 km/h), everything was fine.

A week later, I had to drive 2000 kilometers on the highway.

It turned out that the steering wheel starts to vibrate above 130 km/h.
especially when accelerating. After 400 kilometers, all four tires were worn down.
Get the tires balanced. Unfortunately, it didn't make a difference.
The old summer tires, also from Goodyear, ran 'smoothly' or 'without vibration.'

In Krakow, I then went to a small tire repair shop.
The mechanics told me that Goodyear is experiencing some production issues.
the tire has.
The boss said they would no longer be offering Goodyear products to customers.
because 3 out of 7 tires were consistently slightly out of round.
It's not noticeable in city traffic, but the workshop was located right next to the highway .
His assumption was that Goodyear supplies different quality products to Eastern Europe.

Only my tires are from Germany, and they were purchased from a Goodyear dealer.

So, the tires were removed and re-balanced, and during that process, a significant...
Tire tread depth measured (3-5 mm). The rims are in good condition.

By matching (rotating the tire on the rim until the height variation disappears).
(After rotating one tire 5 times), the vibrations were noticeably reduced, however...
not completely ruled out.

On December 28, 2006, I went to the dealer in Trier to complain about the tires.
He said it could take up to 6 weeks, and the likelihood that I...
The likelihood of getting different tires is very low.
'They just run a bit unevenly, but that's normal.'

Currently, I'm using my old summer tires, and everything is perfectly stable!

To this day, Goodyear has not yet responded.

My conclusion: I won't be buying Goodyear again.

Best regards,

That doesn't seem to be Goodyear, though.

I went through three sets of tires this summer. I had two sets of Continental tires, and one of the Bridgestone tires also failed almost immediately.

I thought I had stumbled upon a neglected niche back then with the 195/60 14 tire size.
But your 195/65 R15 tires are the most common size out there!

It seems that tire manufacturers are no longer concerned with quality.

The 195/65 15 UG7 tires on my father's Vectra B were perfect... until the Vectra was sold.

They also work great on my ex-girlfriend's Leon.

m;

Hi Martin,

Did you sort out the sentences immediately when you were typing them, or did you only complain about them after a few kilometers?

Did your dealer have any problems and replace the tires?

I'm curious to see how this will turn out for me.

Arguing and shouting are not my strong suits.

Regards,

Borys.

Shouting is inappropriate.

I bought them from a guy in a backyard forum (where I occasionally work on things with a colleague).
Since the process for making a complaint was too complicated (because I had to order through a reseller), I first bought a set of summer tires for my old car from another dealer who has direct contact with the manufacturer. (It was a bit tricky, though.)
After that, I told him about my square-shaped Continental tires, and he said, "I can take care of that for you." So, I filed a complaint, and I received 4 new Continental tires. Those were also square-shaped (after driving for a while), and we ordered a set of Bridgestone tires. During the balancing process, we immediately rejected one, and the next day I received my 13th set of summer tires within 3 months.

I sold the tractor using these rubber bands.

m;

Hi,
kann zu den UG7, die ich seit Anfang des Winters (?) fahre, auch nichts Negatives sagen. Running very well.
haithamina

Quote:

On December 15, 2006, these were mounted in size 195/65 R 15 (Golf IV).

I've been using the exact same size on my Passat since mid-November.

The tire itself performs excellently, although I have to say that it wasn't entirely straightforward to mount. There were weights of up to 70 grams needed on the rims, which doesn't necessarily indicate tight manufacturing tolerances. There are minimal vibrations (barely noticeable) starting around 150 km/h, but they don't really cause any issues.

What's noticeable about my vehicle is that the tire (after a long drive on the highway) makes a noise when accelerating, as if driving on a wet road. Initially, this sounded to me like a hissing sound, similar to what a turbocharger hose might make.

Hello BM,

EXACTLY! I also noticed it when accelerating.

After leaving a construction site, I accelerated and heard a 'sticky, wet' sound.
It was also very clearly audible.

Regarding the weight, mine were between 25 and 35 grams.
The rims were also tested on a balancing machine (5-10 grams).

Regards,

Borys.

Hi,

I also have the UG7 tires, and they perform great and are very well balanced (no problems up to almost 200 mph).

Quote:

What's noticeable about my vehicle is that the tire (after a long drive on the highway) makes a noise when accelerating, as if driving on a wet road. Initially, this sounded to me like a hissing sound, similar to what a turbocharger hose might make.

Quote:

EXACTLY! I also noticed it when accelerating. After leaving a construction site, I accelerated and heard a "sticky, wet" sound. It was also very clearly audible.

"Me too! I even wrote something about it on our online forum, but back then I didn't suspect the tires at all (my initial concern was damage to the turbo from the annual inspection), especially since it seemed to change when I reattached the protective cover. But that was a mistake... it turned out that it got colder, and my "test spot" shifted due to the lower engine temperature (before I accelerate with full throttle, the oil needs to be warm...), so that nothing reflective was on the side anymore. In the meantime, I also suspected the tires, but I couldn't understand how it could be *that* loud. But it is... at around 140 km/h on the highway, it really sounds like a leaking pressure hose on some surfaces."

Well... a properly secured cover also has its advantages .

Best regards,

Jan.

195/65TR15, as mentioned in the A4 below - so, regarding the characteristics of the winter tire - it's optimal. It's really great in snow.

What I've noticed, however, is that it's quite wobbly. Perhaps the somewhat worn suspension is also contributing, but compared to the Continental PremiumContact 2 tires (205/55VR16) I used in the summer, it's somehow softer.

I haven't detected any specific imbalances yet. I'll pay attention to the whistling phenomenon.

@mahk

Quote:

However, what I've noticed is: it's quite wobbly. Perhaps the somewhat worn suspension is also contributing, but compared to the Continental PremiumContact 2 (205/55VR16) in the summer, it's somehow softer...

Well, it's always good to compare apples with apples, and not with pears .

Unfortunately, I only have the Hankook tire in the same size as a summer tire (they were new when I took possession of the vehicle).
My UG7 tires perform better than my summer tires in every aspect. However, the car feels like a motorboat to drive.
The car tends to oversteer quite a bit and is far from agile. I'm used to better handling from my older Quattro models (85Q).

Therefore, I would be interested in a direct comparison of the response characteristics of both options, as I am considering an upgrade soon.

Hi,

At least my 185/55/15 tires are not much worse than the Contis I had on in the summer... except maybe in terms of braking distance on dry asphalt.

They're amazing on snow... unfortunately, there has only been about one and a half times when it snowed in Berlin so far, and I've only ridden on snow for maybe 1 kilometer (but it was great!).

Otherwise, I was testing the UG7 tires at the ADAC facility in Linthe, and they were very impressive on wet and slippery surfaces.

Best regards,

Jan.

I'm satisfied with my Conti TS810 tires, although they could be a bit better in snow (but it's hardly a major issue). In my opinion and on my vehicle, the wet and dry performance, as well as the braking performance, are convincing. Therefore, I would buy them again. I tend to drive more cautiously in snow anyway (mostly because of the other road users).

BM wrote:

The UG7 performs better than the summer tires in every discipline. However, the car feels like a motorboat to drive. In this case, the vehicle already tends to follow the steering direction quite a bit, and it is far from agile.

I don't know how your Passat differs from mine. Mine is a Trendline with the original chassis, but with new Boge Turbo shock absorbers. In the summer, I drive on 17" wheels with 225 tires (Michelin PS2). In the winter, I use 16" wheels with 205 tires (Conti T810). It's not flashy tuning, but rather how the previous owner bought it/ordered it from VW.

"I don't have the same problem with either of my tires. While there is a difference between summer and winter tires, it's not as significant. The behavior is almost the same for both types; the only difference is that the maximum speed is slightly higher in the summer, and you tend to notice the ESP less frequently in the summer."

If you happen to be near me (Tübingen), you could try mounting one of my wheel sets or take a test drive in my car.

"My car can also be driven with oversteer, but that's the driver's fault. Personally, I often drive with oversteer (which, as I understand it, is not possible with yours), but without using any tricks. Even with winter tires on a dry surface, the ESP can be forced to intervene significantly, to the point where the car no longer responds to the driver. In the summer, on a dry surface, this is hardly reproducible at speeds above 80-100 km/h. At those speeds, you can definitely feel the ESP, but it rarely cuts power. This is always due to oversteer."

... It's supposed to snow today, so I left the 205/55 R 16 Dunlop M3 tires right there in the garage.



Unfortunately, I have to go through two more sets of tires before I can get the tires I want.

We have the UG7 installed on our Lupo.
I can't complain about the quality.
It actually performs quite well on snowy roads and wet surfaces.
I can't detect any vibration or knocking, regardless of the speed.
The wear and tear is also minimal (lots of highway driving).

Best regards.
Maxx.

"I've been using these tires in size 205/60 R15H on my A6 for a little over a year. The handling and traction are good, but they exhibit saw-toothing wear and helicopter-like noises between 130 and 150 km/h. I increased the tire pressure, which helped somewhat."

christians wrote:

Sawtooth pattern formation and helicopter-like noises between 130 and 150 km/h. I increased the air pressure, which helped somewhat.

"High tire pressure. Shock absorbers should be okay. Wheel alignment should also be correct. If necessary, rotate the tires more frequently from front to back (maintain the same side, do not crisscross)."

I've experienced something similar before, even though everything else seemed fine. In that case, it was due to the tire profile. It was resolved with the next set of tires. With my current Michelin PS2 tires, I also have a strange wear pattern, which I didn't have with my previous tires (the edges wear down extremely quickly, even though I always use a higher tire pressure).