hey tim off topic, how are those coils working for ya?? Did you install in time for track day on that vid??

 

Yes I did, they are a lot better than my CS for the track and a good street/track setup. For more track I would want a higher spring rate but it would be like a brick on the street.

 

Thanks again for this vid! I have used it a few times now.

 

It's been a couple weeks now and these tires are still amazing. They grip a lot more than anything else i have tried yet.

Still no sign of rain so I can't update the wet performance part yet.

 

Any updates? How are the NT05's holding up?

 

Yeah they are still on the car and still performing very well. This has not been much of a monsoon season in north phoenix and I have only driven the car in the rain once. It had just rained so the roads were very slick. It was fine to drive but I didn't do much spirited driving. When I did, it was slippery. On the dry they are awesome.

I will be getting new tires later this year and plan for them to be another set of NT05's.

My car has a lot of power and is tail happy (driver's fault ) so the rears don't have a whole lot of life left but the fronts have about 40% left on them, rears are more in the 25% range.

 

How many miles have you put on them since you had the tires mounted? For my next tire setup I am trying to decide between these, NT555RII, and Toyo R888/RA-1. The Toyo's don't seem to have a lot of hard data in regards to expected mileage as well as the NT05s.

I am leaning towards Nitto's because of the high mileage you can obtain if you treat them nicely... 555R's apparently can get 10-15k (my friend got 20k+ out of his) miles so I want to know how the NT05 tread compound compares to the 555R compound and if the price difference for the 555RII is justifiable.

 

I'm shocked to hear someone got 20k out of a set of 555RII's. I could see that out of standard 555's but given the RII's start at 6/32nd's and are a road race compound that is made to stick, not to last I don't see how it's possible.

I have never tried the RII's because they don't make my size.

Between the two the RII's won't last as long but will have more grip than the NT05. The NT05 is still considered a street tire. They are the best grip I have found in a street tire but are not quite as good as a properly heated up race compound. Since my car is a daily driver I can't afford to run true race tires at this time.

I think I have ~6k miles on my NT05's. Most of those miles are hard driven. Based on what I have seen in the past and where I am so far with these I would say you could get at least 15k out of these if you treat them well but still have fun and use them for what they were made for.

 

I recently got some 275/40/17 Nitto NT05's for the front of my car (9" wide wheels). They are superior to the standard NT555's in terms of grip and predictability and they feel great. A small amount of tire squeal occurs just before mid-point but it's satisfying because it helps with predicting grip levels. I'm happy with them! They grip extremely well for a street tire and I've had a few of my friends make comments like "wow these tires grip really good" or "these are sticky tires!! what are they?"

 

did you get the R series or the normal ones?

 

Like I said, I got the NT05. This is Nitto's performance summer/competition lineup and what they are:

• NT555 (street)
• NT555R (drag radial)
• NT555RII (road race/autocross)
• NT01 (road race/autocross)
• NT05 (street)
• NT05R (drag radial)

• Street tires are just that.
• Drag radials are R compounds but don't have internal reinforcements and have a soft sidewall or tread contact area (this is to increase straight-line grip at the cost of cornering and ride comfort). You don't put drag radials on the front of your car unless you are sitting at the drag strip with a FWD/AWD vehicle. They provide a softer ride than street tires.
• Road Race/Autocross tires are R compounds with a stiff reinforced internal construction for the tread contact area and sidewall which gives a firmer ride and excellent tire response which is great for cornering. They provide a harsher ride than street tires.

P.S. My 555R's are still on the back of my car well after 25k miles. They're almost bald, but I cut my best ever 60' time on them just a couple weeks ago... If you don't spin them a lot they last a hell of a long time for an R compound!