The Bridgestone Blizzak lineup is a staple among winter tires, and this new option replaces the popular WS90 and DM-V2.
A few winters ago, we tested out a slate of all-season, all-weather and dedicated winter tires on a Toyota RAV4. You may go into that sort of comparison test thinking the winter tire is obviously going to be the best performer, and you’re correct, but the visual demonstration shows just how imperative fitting proper tires for the slush, snow and sheer ice is when you look at the three categories and wrap up with something like the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2. The wheels of progress keep on turning, though, and there’s a new Bridgestone winter tire on the block to replace that model as well as the WS90, called the IcePeak. To find out just how they perform in just about the worst winter conditions possible, Bridgestone invited me and a host of other journalists out to their Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Now, if you’ve followed the TFL team for a bit, you might remember I was also at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School last year. In that case, the PR team and instructors at the school (which runs from December through March, and has since 1983) let us cut loose in some Toyota GR86s and GR Corollas to test out the Blizzak 6. While that is a performance winter tire meant more for sports cars, this new IcePeak aims to offer “peak composure and control” for all types of cars, from your smallest sedan or hatch to crossovers, SUVs, minivans and all the way on up to trucks.
Why is this new model called the Blizzak “IcePeak”? This particular winter tire brings new technologies and processes into the mix, aiming to both improve winter weather performance as well as longevity and rolling resistance — and therefore fuel economy — over the old and popular car-focused WS90 and SUV-leaning DM-V2.
If you’re familiar with the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating, you’ll know that little icon on your tires offers up better traction and control over acceleration in snowy and icy conditions. That rating first debuted back in 1999, and stipulates that a tire must perform at least 12% better than a reference all-season tire in medium-packed snow (the test standard is ASTM F1805, if you’re interested).
From 2021 forward, there’s another tougher testing standard: the Ice Grip mark. The notion is essentially perform to an even higher standard — at least 18% better than a standard reference tire — on an ice braking test. These IcePeaks have that rating, and by extension they also receive the 3PMSF rating as well.
Part of the new IcePeak’s performance is down to the design, too. These tires bring in three-dimensional, zig-zagging sipes throughout the tread blocks, with the jagged pattern helping the tire bite into the snow and ice. That shape also provides an interlocking effect that helps stiffen the individual tread blocks, improving overall stability of the overall tread pattern. The direction of the sipes and added protrusions on the tip of the tread blocks, which you can see along the center and out along the edges as you follow the vertical grooves, also help the tire bite down into the snow and ice.
From 2025 forward, a wider range of tires including the Blizzak 6 I reviewed last year and these IcePeaks use Bridgestone’s “Enliten” technology. Essentially, the focus with that term is on sustainability, in the sense of using fewer and lighter raw materials and reducing CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process, while also lowering rolling resistance and offering better fuel economy. While we can’t directly test the results of that on the IcePeak blasting around an ice-covered track, I will have some more feedback on that with the long-term Blizzak 6s I now have fitted to my Subaru WRX (more on that soon).
Getting a baseline
Before folks invited out to the Bridgestone Winter Driving School were able to test the new IcePeak, we went out into Toyota 4Runner SUVs fitted with the past-generation DM-V2s to establish a baseline. While we aren’t doing instrumented testing attached to actual figures, the idea is to get a sense of how the tires perform in acceleration, braking and handling tests. The track we’re using features several inches of ice with a light layer of snow (because winter has largely passed Colorado by, at least as of late January). Along with a .96-mile overall length, the course features 11 turns, a 300-feet-radius skidpad and up to 30 feet of elevation change, so you get a sense of how the tires handle in sudden braking maneuvers, off-camber corners and even slaloms…with a better margin for safety than testing out on the road.
To be clear, the Blizzak DM-V2s already perform well in snowy conditions, as we found out in our earlier, independent tire testing. The Toyota 4Runners we blasted around the icy track kept the 4,900-pound SUV in check, offering remarkable control on what is genuinely sheet ice. The key to solid winter tire performance is not just to provide optimal traction, but to give you time and ability to think and react properly, by separating out braking, steering and throttle input as discrete actions to bring the car back into line when you do hit the limit and start to slide. There’s a reason the DM-V2s and WS90s are so well-reviewed: They already perform well in wintry conditions and do exactly what they promise, and the 4Runner helped prove their mettle before testing out the new IcePeaks.
That’s particularly true when the instructors (with permission from Toyota) turn off the anti-lock braking systems in the vehicles. That adds another level of difficulty to the maneuvers, and is generally a heck of a lot of fun if you do actually attend the Bridgestone Winter Driving School yourself.
How do the new IcePeaks perform?
Following up on the DM-V2s, the crux of just how well the new Blizzak IcePeaks perform is really in the details. So, how much shorter can you come to a stop? How much better can you make it around an icy corner? And, since we are on a track with seasoned instructors in the passenger seat, how much faster can you effectively do a lap without losing control?
Bear in mind, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is about the most average of your everyday sedans to represent the sort of vehicle Bridgestone’s aiming at with these tires. It’s no sports car (see my Blizzak 6 review if you’re thinking in that direction), but it does have a well-sorted chassis with, as the head instructor put it, “few vices”. It’s not going to do anything unpredictable, so you can better focus on what the tires are actually doing.
And what they are doing, at least from a subjective point of view, is performing remarkably well as the sun-beaten track got ever greasier as we all went through the exercises and laps. The sun and tires running over the snow and exposing the ice act like a polishing wheel, to the point where I nearly busted my butt each time I got out of the Camry. Conditions were extremely slick, is my point.
Yet…the Camry equipped with Bridgestone Blizzak IcePeaks perform admirably across the board, in acceleration, cornering and braking. Part of the art and science of driving well on ice comes down to vehicle dynamics and technique (hence the “school” part of Bridgestone Winter Driving School), but the IcePeaks feel like they can bite harder, grip better and safely get you from A to B, even past the DM-V2s or WS90s (which we did try out on the Camry last year, as the baseline for the performance Blizzak 6s).
Verdict: The Bridgestone Blizzak IcePeak is a fitting replacement for two already stellar winter tires.
Bridgestone has been developing studless winter tires since 1982, with Blizzaks first hitting the U.S. market a decade later. A lot of folks may just see tires as rotating bits of rubber, but each generation brings something new to the table, ideally with those innovations also improving performance. From my (admittedly brief) evaluation, the Blizzak IcePeak carries on that aim of integrating new technologies into a winter tire that performs even better than its predecessors — and that means a solid-feeling and safer option for those of us roughing out the colder seasons up north, treacherous roads and all.
As for availability, the IcePeaks will go into production in May 2026. From there, Bridgestone aims to ramp up production so there’s supply by the time folks are shopping for next season’s set of winter tires. Exact pricing will vary depending on what size you’re shopping for, but the manufacturer claims 107 different size options will ultimately hit the market. That covers virtually every car, crossover, SUV and truck on the road (97%, according to Bridgestone’s marketing), with tires available for wheel sizes between 14 and 22 inches.
Now, though, you’ll be able to have more of a straightforward buying decision, even if you’re shopping between Blizzaks. Instead of DM-V2 or WS90, you’ll have this IcePeak instead. Most folks don’t seem to regret buying either of those previous options, and you should absolutely consider this new tire next season.
