Nitto NT555R's are on!

[Breitling]

I finally got my NT555R's for the rear and can't wait to test them out. It was 17* yesterday morning so I didn't take her out. It is supposed to warm up this week so I will post my thoughts on the tires later. But for now here are some pics. The first one is just a comparison shot of the stock Goodyear's to the Nitto's:


This next shot is at an angle to help show the side wall bulge. I am very pleased with how little the side wall bulge is with these tires. The Nitto's are 305/35/R20.


Another shot to evaluate any side wall bulge:


Final pic:


These Nitto's carry at V rating (149mph) in case anyone was interested.

One thing I did note about these tires is that the outer-most sections seem to be slightly 'stickier' and softer than the middle rows of tread. The center sections are still 'sticky,' but not quite as much as the two outer sections.

I chose the NT555R over the NT05R for a few reasons:

1) The NT05R is a 315 tire and the minimum spec'd rim is 10.5"; whereas the NT555R is a 305 tire and the minimum spec'd rim is 10.0". So I'm only 1/2" away from the requirement as opposed to 1" away.

2) I only take the car out on really nice days; however, there is always a chance that I could get caught in a pop-up storm and feel that the NT555R would be a little better in the rain as compared to the NT05R.

3) The NT05R is 28.74" tall; whereas the NT555R is 28.58" tall. I know that it's a very small difference, but I was trying to stick as close to the stock tire height (27.90", I think?) as possible.

I'll report back with driving impressions soon.

 

[Ablaze]

Barely any buldge indeed, looks great. Did I miss what PSI? Looking forward to the review, especially in the handling department versus the Goodyears.

 

[Breitling]

Barely any buldge indeed, looks great. Did I miss what PSI? Looking forward to the review, especially in the handling department versus the Goodyears.

Thanks! 35 PSI.

 

[Blackdevil77]

Barely any buldge indeed, looks great. Did I miss what PSI? Looking forward to the review, especially in the handling department versus the Goodyears.

+1, agreed

 

[paluka21]

Thats a nice tire and what I went with as well. Just haven't had mine mounted up yet.

 

[Raven]

I ran 555s on my last Grand National - they bite really well and even when I got caught in the rain coming home from the track a couple of times, I NEVER had any issue with them on a wet road. Of course, I wasn't driving stupid but even at 60- 65 mph, they did fine.

Nice tires and I will definitely buy the 555s again. I was very satisfied with them.

 

[Lethalchem]

I've always had good experiences with Nitto tires. If only they would stop "rounding" their tires and square it off more I'd love them!

 

[Blackdevil77]

Just curious, if one were to take a car with these tires past 149 mph, what could potentially happen? I know the Shelby can go past 150 fairly easily and some may wish to use tires like this for 1/2 mile and standing mile events, in which case you will certainly exceed 150mph.

 

[Lethalchem]

Just curious, if one were to take a car with these tires past 149 mph, what could potentially happen? I know the Shelby can go past 150 fairly easily and some may wish to use tires like this for 1/2 mile and standing mile events, in which case you will certainly exceed 150mph.

Someone else with direct experience may give better advice, but I know my sorry ass isn't going to take gambles at 150mph +. Lol
The speed rating is certainly a factor to consider since these cars are at 130-140mph in a blink.

 

[HISSMAN]

How about a low shot of the rear from about 15 feet away. :beer:

 

[paluka21]

I've always had good experiences with Nitto tires. If only they would stop "rounding" their tires and square it off more I'd love them!

I've noticed this as well and it certainly isn't as aesthetic as a tire which has a more flat tread patch. Not certain, but what may help the tread square off more would be to run a wider rim on the tire.

 

[railroad]

Maybe we can get the Texas Mile guys to tell us what they are running. They should be optimum for grip and speed.

 

[VFORCEJOHN]

even a stock gt500 will do 175 ish in the mile. that's more than what these are speed rated for. I do believe they would hold up....but for an event like that, you don't want to skimp on anything but the best.

I'd be interested to see how well they hold up in cornering. I love the grip of the drag radial, but I hate the handling!!

 

[Breitling]

How about a low shot of the rear from about 15 feet away. :beer:

Here you go. Sorry about the poor iPhone camera quality:

 

[Breitling]

So I finally got to test out the new tires yesterday. A few facts:

1) 58* air temp
2) Sunny and dry conditions
3) 35 PSI in all tires

Executive summary: Night and day difference in terms of grip as compared to the stock Goodyears.

More commentary: Overall, the grip exceeded my expectations. After proper warm up of the engine, I did a few first gear rolling into the throttle tests and was shocked at how well these tires grip in straight line acceleration. I can only imagine how these will grip in the summer with hot pavement and warmer temperatures. Yes, you can break them loose if you want to, but it takes a hell of a lot more throttle to do so than the Goodyears.

The obvious downside is that you can't take corners with the same aggressiveness as you could with the Goodyears. However, I did take a couple spirited curves and the car felt planted and ready for more. A few 'side-to-side' motions with the steering wheel did produce the wobbly/squishy rear end feel that was not present with the stiff sidewalls of the GYs.

I think these tires are going to be perfect for me and the way I like to drive the car.

Any questions, just ask. Thanks!

 

[paluka21]

Here you go. Sorry about the poor iPhone camera quality:
View attachment 39087

This "look" is what should have come with the car stock! :beer: The puny Goodyear 285's just look too narrow for a 662hp car IMO.

 

[BrunotheBoxer]

What are you running up front?

 

[Lethalchem]

So I finally got to test out the new tires yesterday. A few facts:

1) 58* air temp
2) Sunny and dry conditions
3) 35 PSI in all tires

Executive summary: Night and day difference in terms of grip as compared to the stock Goodyears.

More commentary: Overall, the grip exceeded my expectations. After proper warm up of the engine, I did a few first gear rolling into the throttle tests and was shocked at how well these tires grip in straight line acceleration. I can only imagine how these will grip in the summer with hot pavement and warmer temperatures. Yes, you can break them loose if you want to, but it takes a hell of a lot more throttle to do so than the Goodyears.

The obvious downside is that you can't take corners with the same aggressiveness as you could with the Goodyears. However, I did take a couple spirited curves and the car felt planted and ready for more. A few 'side-to-side' motions with the steering wheel did produce the wobbly/squishy rear end feel that was not present with the stiff sidewalls of the GYs.

I think these tires are going to be perfect for me and the way I like to drive the car.

Any questions, just ask. Thanks!

Good info, thanks for posting up your experiences. It seems like a lot of guys are currently searching for their next tire right now, so feedback like this is helpful. :beer:

 

[Bdubbs]

Good luck with them! I personally hate them. I couldn't get good traction in my cobra with 455hp. Switched to r888's and could get traction in 1st gear 85% of the time.

 

[rwboring]

That's a pretty rough statement. For one when on stock rims I don't think the R888 in a 315 is an option. I have the NT05's in 315 but the run narrower from what I've seen. With that being said I'm not sure what tire sizes you ran on the 2003 but if it is the same size then it is kind of an apples to orange compairson because on the 2013 you have a 305 555R or a 285 888.