Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 Review
Replacing the DMV1, the Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 represents the very latest in winter tire technology and is one of the absolute best winter tires money can buy for your crossover, SUV or pickup truck.
PROS
- World-class grip on snow
- Excellent handling
- Confidence inspiring
- Impressive grip on icy or clear/cold roads
CONS
- Pricey
- Performance drops off somewhat at the tire’s half-life
We often recommend this tire as a top pick in the winter tire segment. The only real drawback being that it’s definitely more expensive than most. Still, we think it’s more than worth it.
Besides, when it comes to your safety in winter, a few extra bucks is a small price to pay. We also love how confidence inspiring it is, which makes driving even in a snowstorm a much less stressful experience.
Where the Blizzak DMV2 really stands out is in its grip on snow packed roads. While many winter tires perform well in the cold or on ice, and this tire offers plenty of grip in those conditions too, the DMV2 gives your maximum grip when the snow is everywhere.
The tread pattern has a lot to do with this, wth an ultra-wide center section made of up tread blocks with heavy siping. The arrangement of the blocks and siping in different directions means the tire grips in all those directions. As a result, you’ve got traction not only when accelerating or braking, but when cornering too. It’ll also provide a planted feeling to any vehicle in fresh powder which can often pull a vehicle around. This helps eliminate a lot of that skittish feeling.
In addition, the shoulder blocks feature directional siping, and there’s even siping on the side of the shoulder blocks, adding a little extra grip in deep snow or when cornering.
Zigzag siping adds more edges to each tread block and overall this tire features 15% more biting edges than its predecessor. All these extra edges help the Blizzak DMV2 grip the snow and help that snow stick to the tire. For those not familiar with winter tire technology, the designs are made so the snow sticks to the tire (contrary to what you might think) so the tire can use the snow as traction against the snow on the road.
Combined with all these design elements is Bridgestone’s unique winter tire compound which includes its NanoPro Tech Multicell technology which has two main innovations. For starters it’s designed to wick-away water. Yes, that’s good in the wet or slush, but it’s critical for grip on cold, icy roads. What most folks don’t know is that it’s not the ice that makes it slippery, but the thin layer of water that forms between the ice and the tire (just like how an ice hockey skate works). Except here, you’re looking to do the opposite. By quickly clearing the water, this tire can grip the ice or frozen road much better.
At the same time, the compound makes use of microscopic edges in the tire to add as many gripping edges as possible. (A winter tire’s capability isn’t just about the griping edges you can see, but also the ones you can’t).
We should point out that there is some dropoff in outright performance on these tires once they are more than half worn. That’s because the NanoPro Tech Multicell Compound only makes up the first 55% of the tread depth. Once that’s worn way, underneath is a more conventional winter tire compound.
Who Should Buy These Tires?
We really recommend this tire for almost anyone who lives in a climate that needs winter tires and gets snow. For those who just need something with added cold weather grip (and no real snow) these could be considered overkill.
If you live somewhere with regular snow packed roads or in higher altitudes where you’re driving in fresh powder all the time, these are an absolute best choice. But even for less-extreme environments were you may only find yourself in the occasional dump of snow, on those days you’ll be glad you went with the Blizzaks!
Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 Price
Pricing for the Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 ranges from roughly $150 per tire for a 15-inch size and goes up to about $300 for the largest 22-inch size.
Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 Warranty
As a winter tire, the Blizzak DMV2 does not come with a mileage guarantee from the factory. It is backed by Bridgestone’s standard limited warranty. As a result any Blizzak DMV2 tire that is deemed defective up until the final 2/32-inch of treadwear will be replaced on a pro-rated basis.
Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2 Sizes
15-inch sizes
235/75R15
16-inch sizes
215/65R16
215/70R16
225/70R16
225/75R16
235/70R16
245/70R16
245/75R16
255/70R16
17-inch sizes
215/70R17
225/60R17
225/65R17
235/65R17
245/65R17
245/70R17
255/70R17
265/65R17
265/70R17
18-inch sizes
225/60R18
235/50R18
235/55R18
235/60R18
235/65R18
245/50R18
245/60R18
255/55R18
255/60R18
255/65R18
255/70R18
265/60R18
275/60R18
275/65R18
285/60R18
19-inch sizes
235/45R19
235/55R19
235/65R19
245/55R19
255/50R19
255/55R19
255/60R19
265/50R19
275/55R19
20-inch sizes
235/45R20
235/55R20
245/50R20
245/60R20
255/50R20
255/55R20
265/45R20
265/50R20
275/40R20
275/45R20
275/55R20
285/50R20
22-inch sizes
285/45R22