Nitto 315s NT05 = Good Street Tire

[VSack]

I bought two 315s and had them installed about a month ago to replace the treadless 275 555RIIs the car came with when I bought them. They were bought with the intent of being street cruisers/pullers and I'll have another set of drags for the track.

I've been nothing but happy.

The road noise has diminished leaving only the sound of the screaming eaton and engine. The ride feels smoother and the tires have absolutely zero problem hooking. I've had several compliments about the tires look both in tread pattern and size.

I know there has been some debate on what the best tires are, but for street use only, I can honestly say that at least in my performance category, these tires are great.

I hope this helps the next person!

- V

PS: These 315s were mounted on 17x9 stock Terminator wheels prior to storage. This winter I'll be purchasing 17x10.5s for street use (and these tires).


PICS BELOW


Notes
==============

Tire Type: Nitto NT05
Tire Size: 315/35/17
Stock 17x9 Wheel? Yes
Tire Bulge? No (Nittos run thin)
IRS Shaved or Low Pro Bolts? Mandatory

 

[boosted2000si]

Sweet I just ordered mine friday!

Any pics?

 

[VSack]

Not yet.

The car is at stock ride height. It's almost too embarrassing to showcase a wheel gap I could fit an small child into.

 

[Jefe]

Nothing wrong with offroading in the Cobra, its already setup for it :lol: Just lowered my Cobra a bit so I know how you feel. I have about 6700 miles on my 275/40/17 NT05's. Love them but starting to lose some traction in 1st gear....I am on the stock pulley too. Been in the rain yet? They're amazing!

Interested in seeing how much wider the 315's look on the stock wheel. Worried about bulging too since Nitto says they are almost 2" wider

 

[sunburned]

I feel the same way about my 315 kumho XS. Great traction with lots of power, even in the rain. I also replaced a set of bald R555II's that I bought the car with.

 

[32V10TH]

Ok so you mounted these on stock wheels right? Can you please post a pic... Is there a bulge?

 

[VSack]

Sorry its taken me so long to get some pics. Its been shitty weather here and I finally got too lazy to wait or clean the car just to show you all the pics

@Rjay: The crappy pictures may or may not help, but yes these pictures and these tires are currently mounted on 17x9s.

The Nittos run thin, and there is no bulge in the tire. I did install the IRS low-pro bolts, though. There are DEFINITELY not the same 315s as a set of MTs.

 

[Jefe]

did you need to install the low profile IRS bolts?

 

[VSack]

Yup.

They were a breeze to install too. It couldn't have been easier and I'm a complete tool.

 

[32V10TH]

Looks good. I don't see why you NEED the IRS bolt though. Shouldn't rub cuz they do run thin. Looks sweet bro thanks

 

[VSack]

15 bucks is a cheap investment to protect 500 dollar tires.

Even at 275, you're looking at so little clearance on the bolts that it makes you wonder why they would have used such a tall head to begin with.

If money is a concern, you can always shave the stock bolt. But when you are dropping that kind of coin on a tire, a few extra bucks for new bolts shouldn't be a big deal

 

[32V10TH]

I completly agree. People just get confused as to what's NEEDED and what's not.

 

[c6zhombre]

i just got a set of these as well, i was previously running 315 nitt0 555r's. I'd say the traction of these nt05s is not near as good as the 555 dr's. of course the rain traction is 10x's better. but i was surprised the dry traction wasn't better than it is. here's some pics i took of mine, these are on 10.5" rims

 

[32V10TH]

Are those 315s? Whats up with the upside down pic? lol

 

[c6zhombre]

ya, those are 315's on 10.5" rim. i have no idea why a picture is upside down, they all look fine to me. which "number" picture is it?

 

[32V10TH]

What the hell? It was the 3rd one earlier. Its fine now lol. Anyway those look good on your car, they look wider then the op's for some reason. I guess its just the pic...

 

[c6zhombre]

What the hell? It was the 3rd one earlier. Its fine now lol. Anyway those look good on your car, they look wider then the op's for some reason. I guess its just the pic...

hmm, i'm not sure why they look wider, but now that you mention that, i agree. maybe they just fit better across a 10.5" rim? :shrug:

i did notice these 315 nt05s are slightly wider than the 315 555rs that were on there before. i like the way these look on the car, both width and tread pattern. maybe i just need to be more patient and the dry traction will increase slightly once they break in a little. the tread wear is a 200 (nitto 555r is 100). they definitely break loose easier rolling in 2nd....but i like i said earlier, the wet traction is tons more confident inspiring. the dr's were flat out scary in heavy rain, and i pretty much daily drive this car

 

[MattN03]

Has anyone tried the NT05's at the dragstrip just for the heck of it? I'm considering these to replace my factory Goodyears and don't have plans to run a DR either. I only take the car to the track 1-2 times a year so it's not worth it to have DR's too. However, the car is a weekend toy only so wet traction doesn't really matter since it's only been caught in the rain once in the past 4 years.

 

[VSack]

I got sideways on the DRs in a freak drizzle about two weeks into ownership. The tires were already bald, and I still wasn't used to light acceleration hydroplaning me.

The tires more than likely look wider because of wheel width. The actual tire is sitting on 15% more metal, and I definitely like the look on the 10.5s more than the ones I have it on right now.

As for dry traction, I would probably be better to compare a set of new DRs to my experience with the NT05s, but I'm not having a problem hooking at all. I'm assuming that the more hook ability the faster I can get to WOT, but I'm not having problems incorrectly judging how much torque the wheels can hold before breaking.

This is on a car that dyno'ed 436 on a stock pulley and intake that have been changed out since for a 2.8 and CAI. Maybe I'm just not beating on her enough

I really like the 10.5s replicas you have, c6zhombre. Can you make any recommendations where I can pick some up at? I've been searching the Interwebs and I haven't found any one place that is giving me the warm and fuzzies.

Thanks,
V

 

[c6zhombre]

MattN03 - if these nt05s can be used at a drag strip is probably going to depend on your power/tq level. I know that after running around on these nt05s for a few days, in my case, i'd say no way. It would just be wasted trip. I can't see a burnout creating enough heat to grab on launch or even a 1-2 shift. I'll probably end up order some 555R drag radials 315's and throw them on the factory 9" rims i have in my garage now and leave that as the "drag setup". If I was you and your car primarily sees sunshine only....I'd seriously consider going full time with the 555R drag radial. They will work in the rain fine when they have groove. It's about 4-5k miles in that the water passages are not effective and rain gets dangerous. You will be fine driving in an occasional dounpour when the tires have decent tread.


Vsack - i ordered the 10.5" replicas through lethal performance. I think they were running a special at the time, so i don't remember cost. The service was great and they were delivered in like 3 days. They are very nice in person and your SVT center cap will fit and not fly off (although it doesn't sit quite as flush). I have had no issues with the rims or center cap and I've beat on them for several thousand daily driven miles. They have handled road abuse/debris very well, the finish still looks great.