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 September 2026
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 vs Continental VikingContact 7 — Compared (September 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
75
/ 100
Objective (60%)
70/100
7 professional tests
User signal (40%)
78/100
30 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 — better dry, wet and treadwear. 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 31
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 48 |
| Tire Rack owners | 90 | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 82 | 68 |
| SimpleTire owners | 91 | 91 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 14
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 77 |
| Tire Rack owners | 92 | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 70 |
| SimpleTire owners | 93 | 89 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 13
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 85 |
| Tire Rack owners | 94 | 88 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 98 | 88 |
| SimpleTire owners | 99 | 87 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 89 |
| Tire Rack owners | 88 | 89 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 85 |
| SimpleTire owners | 92 | 94 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | 88 | 91 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 14
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 84 | 85 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 58 | 61 |
| SimpleTire owners | 86 | 90 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Blizzak DM-V2 leads by 9
Why this score
| Source | Blizzak DM-V2 | VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 80 | 71 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 | Continental VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 88 | 75 |
| Dry | 90 | 59 |
| Wet | 90 | 76 |
| Snow | 99 | 86 |
| Comfort | 90 | 88 |
| Noise | 88 | 84 |
| Treadwear | 82 | 68 |
| Handling | 80 | 71 |
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
75
/ 100
Tire B
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 Continental VikingContact 7 is widely regarded as a premium, well-rounded studless winter tire that excels in comfort, noise suppression, and slush performance. While it receives high praise for its predictable handling and stability on cold, dry, or wet pavement, user consensus suggests it may slightly trail dedicated ice-focused competitors like the Bridgestone Blizzak in extreme stopping grip on pure ice.
Pros
- Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Strong performance in slush and deep snow
- Stable and predictable handling at highway speeds
- Excellent dry and wet road manners for a winter tire
Cons
- Mixed reports regarding tread life and longevity
- Noticeable decline in ice-braking performance compared to top-tier ice specialists
- Compound may harden or performance may degrade after multiple seasons
- Potential for reduced traction if driven in warmer, non-winter conditions
Observations
- Users noted that the tire maintains excellent fuel economy and low noise levels even on electric vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 and Mazda MX-30.
- Drivers of rear-wheel-drive sports cars (e.g., Mazda Miata) reported that the tire's soft compound can feel overwhelmed during aggressive acceleration on dry pavement.
- Downsizing to a smaller wheel diameter (e.g., -2 from OE) was successfully used to improve the tire's profile and winter performance on hybrid SUVs.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 | B · Continental VikingContact 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Premium Touring Winter tire | Winter Premium Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 48 | 18 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | 15″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 13/32″ | 10 - 11/32″ |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | 44 - 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
88
/ 100
Bridgestone
75
/ 100
Continental
Winner: Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 — better dry, wet and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 90 vs 59 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 90 vs 76 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 82 vs 68 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 scores 99 vs 86 on snow.
Tire A · Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2
Tire B · Continental VikingContact 7
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2 also compared with
Continental VikingContact 7 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.