Nitto NT05 tires

[Grabber Pony]

Anyone running a set of these yet? I've read several reports on them and they seem like a really good tire. I normally would lean towards the BFG KDWs but theyre so expensive I just cant swing it now. I can get a set of the new nittos for $850. Im really leaning towards it since im building the car as a mild toy for the track and street. Just looking for thoughts and opinions on them.

 

[JeremyH]

They look like a good tire, I say go for it and let us know how they run.

 

[Vapour Trails]

I plan on buying them in the near future (275/40/18 all around). From all accounts they are great tires. They aren't even in the same league as BFG KDWs. This is a tire you can drive right on to a road course or auto x course and compete.

Treadwear rating NT05 200, KDW 300.

 

[DusterRT]

I should be getting mine this week (275/40-18) so I'll let you know how they LOOK. How they perform..well right now I'm still waiting on a 2nd set of wheels from a guy on another forum that's not moving too fast.

 

[SLOPONY]

im looking at running them on the front of my car (275/40R20) and the 555R's in a 305/35R20 in the rear. Id love to hear how you guys like em

 

[Rangersfan]

We ran a set on one of our cars before they came out officially. Great tire! Stiffer sidewall than a drag radial, decent in the rain, and track ready, but yet streetable. Anyone looking for them, we have them in stock in all sorts of sizes.

 

[Miracle]

Any problems with running a 275/40/17 with the OEM Pirelli up front? Or would you need to go with the NT05 on all 4 corners?

 

[DusterRT]

Any problems with running a 275/40/17 with the OEM Pirelli up front? Or would you need to go with the NT05 on all 4 corners?

That would be a great combination...if you like understeer.

 

[Miracle]

That would be a great combination...if you like understeer.

Considering I like drag racing over AutoX and such...

 

[DusterRT]

These are going to have a stiff sidewall for handling, there will be better choices for drag racing..maybe something like their 555-R would be better for you.

 

[Rangersfan]

Considering I like drag racing over AutoX and such...

I would get 555r tires then for the rear if you want to drag race. The NT05 is aimed more at AutoX, and Street handling. They hook, but they have a stiffer sidewall than a drag radial.

 

[Kaldar142]

How do NT555 extremes do? Are they worthy for road course use?

 

[Rangersfan]

How do NT555 extremes do? Are they worthy for road course use?

Meh. They are a street performance tire. You could use them with some success on a road course, but keep in mind their compound is meant for street more than track. The NT05 would be a better choice, but it also depends on just how much track time you're going to see.

 

[Kaldar142]

Hmmm... well, the car is street driven the most but i do enjoy the road course and don't want to hinder my performance once i hit the road course.

Will they be fun on the track with a bolt on and mild suspension GT? i plan on running 275/40s on a 10" all around

 

[Kaiser]

Any reviews on the NT05's yet?

I'm leaning towards them anyhow, but would like to hear any comments.

 

[Kaiser]

double post

 

[Kaldar142]

i just bought a set, waiting on my wheels to mount them... il llet you know

 

[DusterRT]

Got mine mounted up last night and just got back from my HPDE at Pacific Raceways...

I'm running 275/40-18 on an 18x9 rim (the minimum recommended width).

In a nutshell, performance wise they are night and day from my "Ultra High Performance" all-seasons. This should, however, be no surprise..all-season tires do everything but don't really excell at anything. What was surprising considering the MUCH stiffer sidewall is that these tires came with only marginal increases in harshness and road noise. I would not hesitate to put this on a DD if you're ok with fast treadwear (for comparison, these have a UTQG of 200; my all seasons were 380, OEM GT500 tires are 220).

Track performance; these did well and impressed both myself and my instructor who has R888's on his M-Coupe. While I don't have a competitive racing background, he did so take that for what it's worth. They seemed to do rather well with high temps...I took them on a few very hard laps on session #2 and my brakes were fading before they got greasy (the caveat here is I'm not certain the pads were fully bedded at that time, they were fairly new EBC Yellows with 400 street miles and a couple bedding "exercises," and I may have been braking more than I needed to early on as I got accustomed to the amount of traction I had available).

They weren't perfect..#1 complaint is that I would have liked more feedback when at the limit. Steering feel could have been a touch better, but also keep in mind I am running these on the smallest recommended rim width (A 10" wheel would help a lot I imagine). Another thing to keep in mind is that these can be had for well under $200 a pop; I paid $650 shipped for my set on eBay, making them cheaper than my all-seasons. I don't think any other tire in this class can touch that aspect! Value wise, these make me wish I had more than two thumbs to give them assuming they wear fairly well..

Speaking of which, wear-wise...hard to say just yet. Here's a pic after the first 20-minute session; I'll measure the tread depth after I get some street miles on them to clean the tire goo off enough to get a decent reading. As you can see I needed to drop some pressure, I believe this was 36 psi hot..

 

[03Glock]

I have them on the rear and they hook when hot....100 shot out of the hole with very little spin on them. Not as good at a MT E/T Street but a good DD tire to catch a stop light race with......

 

[GRAYPNY]

I have heard pretty good things about the nitto invo tire.