Is it almost winter? Are you looking for a good tire to give you great power through the winter? It is a good thing you came to our place, as we are going to discuss Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 tire. We are going to check if the quality and performance of this tire meet your requirement.
This tire model was launched by Bridgestone last July 2015 and it is there latest innovation winter tire for pickups, CUVs, and SUVs. They have enhanced its efficiency and power through the winter by incorporating new technologies such as NanoPro-Tech, Multi-Cell Compound, and microgrooves for better grip and maneuvering. Together, let us review its credibility and performance.
About Bridgestone
The Bridgestone Americas can be traced from two known companies: (1) The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and (2) Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd. The former was founded by Harvey Firestone in Akron, Ohio in August 1900 while the latter was by Shojiro Ishibashi in Japan during 1931.
These two companies merged in 1988 and now known as the Bridgestone Americas. The company continued its leadership in delivering quality tires and is grounded by the principle — “serving society with superior quality”.
Blizzak DM-V2 Improvements
Tire companies have taken much effort in their research towards improving quality to adapt to different climate and environmental conditions. In line, Bridgestone has made several innovations and improvements to enhance the efficiency and power of this tire through the harsh conditions of winter or snow.
Multi-Cell Compound
Slippage and the lesser grip is the common problem you will experience when driving over icy roads or with snow. This new feature prevents slippage by helping the tire remove water layers when running over snowy or icy roads. Likewise, it has microscopic pores to improve grip.
NanoPro-Tech:
The cold temperature during winter enables the tire to become stiffer and it affects performance and useful life. To solve this dilemma, they have incorporated NanoPro-Technology which evenly distributes silica particles to increase the flexibility and traction of the tire.
3-D and Zigzag Sipes:
Despite the need for flexibility, the tire needs to maintain sufficient strength and so they have included 3-D sipes into its structure. Moreover, the Zigzag sipes or biting edges are included to improve traction on ice layers.
Large Shoulder Block:
This feature enhances precise maneuvering and cornering upon using this tire.
Circumferential Grooves:
To further reduce the risk of slippage, this feature aids in directing water out from the tire and contact road surface.
Center Multi-Z Pattern:
This feature complements the biting edge of the tire in providing better traction and water drainage.
Silica:
This material is built into the tire’s chemical composition whose main function is to increase its flexibility.
What Makes it Special
What makes this tire model (DM or Dueler Multicell) really special lies inside its compound. The material composition of this tire was engineered to become fully adept with snow or icy road conditions. How? This tire has a dual tread compound when viewed under a microscope, you will see thousands of microscopic pores which help provide better traction and grip. These microscopic pores are exposed gradually as the tread wears off.
Likewise, it has large and microscopic grooves and biting edges which helps guide water out from the tire and improve grip. This feature also enhances cornering and handling abilities of the tire. Combining these two main features, the tire is capable of removing water out from its surface while providing better road surface grip.
How Long Will it Last
Investing in this tire will never disappoint you because on an average it can provide you 12,000 to 15,000 mileage of winter journey before completely wearing off its Multi-Cell tread compound. This performance is attainable because the tire’s tread depth is composed of 55 percent Multi-Cell tread compound and 45 percent standard winter tread material.
Can You Use It Year Round
You cannot use this tire unit all year round, only in the winter season because it easily wears off when used in other seasons. To further explain why you cannot use this all year round, below are some of its explanation.
Whether it is studded or studless, a winter tire is only suitable for the winter season. Its rubber composition is made to be softer in normal conditions because it is expected to stiffen when used in colder temperatures. Hence, if used during spring or autumn, the soft-rubber material easily wears out due to the hot temperature.
A winter tire is more flexible compared to the standard all-season tire. This feature will entail decreased performance on cornering and handling during the normal or hot season. It cannot provide better traction and grip due to the flexible nature of a winter tire.
Pros And Cons
Citing the positive and setbacks of this tire model will give you more knowledge and view of whether it meets your requirements or not. Likewise, you are more convinced to reach a better sound judgement about this tire.
The Pros:
- The improved compound or material composition which effectively drains away water from the surface to prevent slippage
- Microscopic pores within each layer of the compound – it helps in providing better grip and traction
- Large and small grooves: This helps channels out water from the tire and provide a better biting edge on the surface
- Silica: Enhance flexibility to prevent superb stiffening of the tire in extremely low temperatures. Also the source of microscopic pores.
The Cons
- Tread life for some might be an issue depending on the surface where it runs over. Likewise, once the nanotech pro and multi-cell compound (making up 50-60% of the tread) completely wears off, then the winter ability of the tire is gone.
Let Us Wrap Up
Overall, I would say that this tire model indeed is good performing for winter conditions. It has both beneficial features to love and some factors to gripe. Recalling those features, this tire model is capable of giving you a convenient and safe ride through the winter. It has both mechanisms of absorbing and draining water from the surface while maintaining adequate grip and cornering abilities.
Like any other tires, this one has its limitations too. Once the 50 to 60 percent tread of nanotech pro and the multi-cell compound is completely used up then it loses its winter abilities. This is not a definite negative thing considering you have gained many benefits from using it as your winter tire. Moreover, it did lost its winter abilities but you can still use it as your all-season spare tire.