tires

[wrogers55]

Originally Posted by PDUB

I'm unfamiliar with this... so, treated before they get to the retailer? How is this accomplished? Baking?

Thanks

Yes, they are heat treated/cycled at the distribution center, on a roller in an oven of sorts. Then let them rest for a week or 10 days before mounted. The industry standard is to put a little red circle stamp on the sidewall to indicate the process is complete. This beats the crap out of trying to run a new tire up on the car to temp (230 degrees plus) and then let it cool a bit and hope for the best. It will almost double the life of the tire, maybe more if you are street only.

I owned a bunch of racing schools for years and we went through thousands of tires a year, both treaded and slicks. Once we started heat cycling the new tires before delivery we were able to improve the life of the tires (slicks in this case) dramatically. Lap times were slightly better overall and consistency over the life of the tire was improved remarkably.

Back to the NT01s. These are DOT road race tires and will hold the car in a straight line as well as lateral. The ride is much better then the F1s I had on the car, which were something close to a death wish on my car. I haven't been caught out in the wet on the Nitto's and I suspect they will not work well with the minimal tread design. So if you go in that direction, consider your location and chances of having to drive in the wet and your experience before you leap. Good luck.