88
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
90/100
33 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated May 2026
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 vs Nexen WinGuard — Compared (May 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
74
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
73/100
6 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Read full
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 23
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 90 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 82 | 67 |
| SimpleTire owners | 91 | – |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 25
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 92 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 65 |
| SimpleTire owners | 93 | – |
Snow
Score (0–100)
WinGuard leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 94 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 98 | 100 |
| SimpleTire owners | 99 | – |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 18
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 88 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 72 |
| SimpleTire owners | 92 | – |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | 88 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 84 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 58 | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | 86 | – |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 20
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 80 | 60 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 | Nexen WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 88 | 74 |
| Dry | 90 | 67 |
| Wet | 90 | 65 |
| Snow | 99 | 100 |
| Comfort | 90 | 72 |
| Noise | 88 | – |
| Treadwear | 82 | 80 |
| Handling | 80 | 60 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
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Recomputed
Headline score
88
/ 100
Tire A
74
/ 100
Tire B
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 is widely regarded as a premier dedicated winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction and braking performance on snow and ice. While users acknowledge that the soft rubber compound leads to faster tread wear if used in warmer temperatures, the consensus is that the safety and handling benefits in harsh winter conditions far outweigh these longevity concerns.
Pros
- Exceptional grip and braking performance on snow and ice
- High level of driver confidence in severe winter weather
- Surprisingly quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Significant improvement over all-season tires for winter handling
Cons
- Faster tread wear compared to all-season tires
- Performance degrades if left on the vehicle during warmer spring/summer months
- Potential for reduced wet-weather grip as the tire wears down
Observations
- Users report excellent performance across a variety of vehicle types, including heavy SUVs like the BMW X5 and VW Touareg, as well as light trucks like the Ford F-150.
- Owners of hybrid vehicles noted that the tire's soft compound may wear more quickly under the specific torque characteristics of their vehicles.
- Some users successfully utilize oversized tire diameters for increased ground clearance in deep snow without sacrificing ride quality.
The Nexen WinGuard is generally regarded as a capable budget-friendly winter tire that provides a significant performance upgrade over summer tires in cold and snowy conditions. While most users report reliable traction and confidence-inspiring handling in winter environments, some reviewers note that its performance on ice and in warmer temperatures is limited compared to premium alternatives.
Pros
- Strong traction and handling in snow-covered conditions
- Noticeable improvement in grip over summer tires in cold weather
- Confidence-inspiring braking performance on mountain passes
- High value-for-money proposition
Cons
- Mediocre performance on ice
- Poor dry-weather handling when temperatures exceed 10°C
- Occasional difficulty with uphill starts in deep snow
Observations
- Users report that the tire performs best when temperatures remain consistently below 4°C.
- Performance is noted to be highly effective for mountain driving and steep inclines, though traction can be inconsistent during initial acceleration from a standstill.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 | B · Nexen WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring Winter tire | Winter Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 48 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | — |
| Tread depth | 13/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | — |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
88
/ 100
Bridgestone
74
/ 100
Nexen
Winner: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 90 vs 65 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 90 vs 67 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 80 vs 60 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 90 vs 72 on comfort.
Tire A · Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 also compared with
Nexen WinGuard also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.