I actually got what I believe to be one of the first sets of DM-V2 not bragging, but since they were released in summer, and I got them installed on September 15th (my all-seasons were shot anyway), it's safe to say not too many people may have had them on before that!

dry, cold pavement only so far, so no comment on snow traction. but they sure handle 10x better than the stock tires... they are soft though, I dont know how long they'll last around here...

 

I am also looking at a stock size Blizzak DMV2 for my Platinum, mounted on a different set of wheels. Does anyone have a wheel recommendation that retains the 20" and +44 offset that the std. Platinum wheel is? I looked on TireRack for their suggested wheels. They had some decent looking wheels starting at $150, but all of their recommended sizes had different offsets. My other choice is to pick up a set of factory take-offs but they run $1700 and come with the oem Hankooks mounted on them.

 

Cheap winter rims last like cheap winter rims unless you can wash the salt off every day. I would buy the factory takeoff and put winters on them. Then you have your next set of summer tires.... or you could sell them.


This would keep your truck looking good.

 

The question is WHERE to find factory take offs that don't have stock tires on them. I'm going to roll along with the stockers this winter and when my truck needs tires I'll see if I can find some take offs with new tires and then put Blizzacks on my stock wheels. I've been running Blizzacks on everything since 2001... Trans-ams, Mustangs, Camaro's, BMWs... They ROCK in the snow.. NO problem ever! My wifes SUV with AWD and Blizzacks is like a tank in the snow.

P.S. I wouldn't run sandbags... Why add weight to hurt your fuel mileage? 4WD will be fine... It just won't stop or turn worth a crap with the stock tires.

 

One rason to carry sandbags is to help get traction for you or someone else stuck. Throw down on an icy spot.

 

Traction is a function of not only the tire, but the contact patch having a positive connection with the road, created by weight and gravity. Lay a piece of 100 grit sandpaper over a board and push it from the side with a pencil. There is no resistance, and the sandpaper will slide across and off the board since their is no pressure or weight on the sandpaper from above. Put a 1 pound weight on the sheet of sandpaper and try to move the sandpaper by pushing on it from the side with a pencil and it won't move. More pounds of weight per square inch of contact patch with the tire means more traction.


Unlike with mud or off-road, for snow and ice narrower tires are preferable, for two reasons. First, in very deep snow, they have less snow that has to be displaced as the tires roll. Wider tires will have to displace more snow, and would be more likely to ride up on top of the snow instead of forcing their way through it. Secondly, narrower tires have a smaller contact patch with the ground. For the same weight of the vehicle, that means more downward pressure on each square inch of the tire contact patch resulting in more traction in slick surfaces.


As a result, narrow tires will provide better traction in snow and ice than wider tires that are preferable in loose soil, or mud, or dry pavement. On 3/4 ton farm pickup trucks I used to use the narrow stock wheels with mud/snow grips in the winter and 12" wide mudgrips all around the rest of the year. With the narrow tires and substantial added weight in the bed, you could drive through farm fields, rural roads, or pastures bumper+ deep with snow for extended distances without "bulldozing" snow and losing momentum.

 

even if 4H with no weight in the bed, you can still get sideways pretty easily when taking off in a turn.

weight does help with traction, and really, in winter time, mileage is the least of my concerns... what's the saying again? safety first, yeah, that's the one!

 

Thanks, I haven't looked too closely at the DMV-2 but it should be good. Will be interested to see how they wear. Knowing the amount of wear I could put on them in 6k miles on my SUV I am a little bit nervous about running them on the truck. OTOH I have an almost new st of 275/55-20s that came off my wife's RR that she traded so may try them . I ran on 18 inch Hancook RWs lst winter

 

the V2 is supposed to be better than the V1, which is rated #1 or #2 in most studless tests, so hopefully they'll be alright!