Winter Tire Disappointment

[Adam CW]

We use a set of Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2s on our Badlands during the winter months here in Wisconsin.

The current set are on their third and last winter.

We bought the Blizzak DMV2s because we used the very same tire (a different size) on our 2019 Escape Titanium 2.0 AWD and they were rock solid. The Escape was a beast and barely slipped. We had absolute confidence.

The same cannot be said about the BS and DMV2s. Sure, they’re better than the all seasons, but the experience isn’t nearly as good.

There’s a lot more slipping, skidding and braking isn’t as good.

The DMV2 is a directional tire and for some reason the tires are wearing faster on one side of the car. The all seasons are wearing evenly and there’s no apparent issue with the suspension, etc.

I’m surprised by the difference in performance between the Escape and BS. Perhaps it’s all down to the tires?

Can a tire from the same manufacturer and of the same type really have that much of a difference in performance?

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[Mwittke5857]

We use a set of Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2s on our Badlands during the winter months here in Wisconsin.

The current set are on their third and last winter.

We bought the Blizzak DMV2s because we used the very same tire (a different size) on our 2019 Escape Titanium 2.0 AWD and they were rock solid. The Escape was a beast and barely slipped. We had absolute confidence.

The same cannot be said about the BS and DMV2s. Sure, they’re better than the all seasons, but the experience isn’t nearly as good.

There’s a lot more slipping, skidding and braking isn’t as good.

The DMV2 is a directional tire and for some reason the tires are wearing faster on one side of the car. The all seasons are wearing evenly and there’s no apparent issue with the suspension, etc.

I’m surprised by the difference in performance between the Escape and BS. Perhaps it’s all down to the tires?

Can a tire from the same manufacturer and of the same type really have that much of a difference in performance?

I'm a Mickey Thompson fan. My Baja Boss tires plow through elements (mud/sand/snow) I wouldn't try to walk through and they wear like iron. Just fine in wet weather as well. Some might say they are noisy and a little stiff, but if I was looking for a soft, quiet ride, I would have bought a Lincoln, not a 4 wheel drive.

 

[sajohnson]

We use a set of Bridgestone Blizzak DMV2s on our Badlands during the winter months here in Wisconsin.

The current set are on their third and last winter.

We bought the Blizzak DMV2s because we used the very same tire (a different size) on our 2019 Escape Titanium 2.0 AWD and they were rock solid. The Escape was a beast and barely slipped. We had absolute confidence.

The same cannot be said about the BS and DMV2s. Sure, they’re better than the all seasons, but the experience isn’t nearly as good.

There’s a lot more slipping, skidding and braking isn’t as good.

The DMV2 is a directional tire and for some reason the tires are wearing faster on one side of the car. The all seasons are wearing evenly and there’s no apparent issue with the suspension, etc.

I’m surprised by the difference in performance between the Escape and BS. Perhaps it’s all down to the tires?

Can a tire from the same manufacturer and of the same type really have that much of a difference in performance?

I'm sorry to hear that.

When you say the braking is not as good, what type of surface(s) are you referring to?

It is possible for the same exact make/model tire to have different characteristics if the mfr made changes in the rubber compound (which would of course not be obvious).

Since you say they are on their 3rd winter, another possibility is that the tread has reached the designed in transition point between extra-special top-secret winter compound and ordinary winter compound:

"NOTE: The first 55% of the Blizzak DM-V2's tread depth features the NanoPro Tech Multicell Compound while the remaining 45% features a standard winter tire compound. When the Blizzak DM-V2 is approximately 50 percent worn, a depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that the remaining tread is reaching the end of its ability to provide beneficial snow traction."
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone-blizzak-dm-v2?

The DM-V2's are very good, but when you are ready to replace them, there are even better choices:

There are more columns of data. I split 'wet braking' and 'ice braking' to show as much info as possible. Not shown is "owner satisfaction" which is 5/5 for both the DM-V2 and Nokian.

Looking at just what's visible above, while the Nokian is best overall, the GT has a notch better wet braking (3/5 = good or average). That's actually a good score for a winter tire -- they are almost always fair-poor for wet braking. Something to consider, although from my time in Wisconsin, I don't recall much "wet" -- primarily just sand mixed with snow, until the spring thaw sometime in May...

 

[Mark S.]

NOTE: The first 55% of the Blizzak DM-V2's tread depth features the NanoPro Tech Multicell Compound...

Always gotta read the fine print...

 

[Adam CW]

Thanks for responding.

I should have said that the performance was the same when the tires were new.

Compared to the set we had on the Escape, which we used for three seasons as well, the overall performance is substantially different.

The performance of the Blizzaks on the Escape did decline by the third season but not by much. It was still better than the performance of the new set on the BS.

That’s what was so surprising for us. I guess we expected the Badland’s AWD system combined with the Blizzaks would be at least equal to the Escape/Blizzak combination.

Thank you for the other tire suggestions. We’ll have to consider something else next time.

 

[sajohnson]

Thanks for responding.

I should have said that the performance was the same when the tires were new.

Compared to the set we had on the Escape, which we used for three seasons as well, the overall performance is substantially different.

The performance of the Blizzaks on the Escape did decline by the third season but not by much. It was still better than the performance of the new set on the BS.

That’s what was so surprising for us. I guess we expected the Badland’s AWD system combined with the Blizzaks would be at least equal to the Escape/Blizzak combination.

Thank you for the other tire suggestions. We’ll have to consider something else next time.

You're welcome!

Not to be negative but since all of the tires above are rated excellent (5/5) for snow traction and ice braking, it shouldn't make much difference which ones you use.

In the OP you said braking is not as good. Obviously the AWD system does not affect braking, but if there is a difference between the two AWD systems, that might account for a variation in accelerating and hill climbing on snow & ice.

Living in Wisconsin you are no doubt aware of this, but the temp and type of snow can make a huge difference in traction. Here in Central Maryland, it never gets very cold (below 0*F is rare) but we can have challenging conditions because the temp often fluctuates above and below freezing. If it has been cold and the road surface is just below freezing, the initial snow will melt and then freeze into black ice, which gets covered with snow, and/or the roads are clear, but the snow drifts over some areas (surprise!). We get everything from heavy wet snow/ice and freezing rain, to powdery dry snow. Needless to say, the performance of winter tires will vary quite a bit.

Again, I'm sure you know that, I just thought I'd mention it as another variable.

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