Nitto NT555R Usage

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Ace23

My car came with 17" wheels and it is time to get new tires. Our local roads are not exactly the smoothest and the 17"s are a bit bumpy for my liking. I have ridden and driven a car with 15"s and this is the way I would like to go. The question I have is more targeted at the proper application of tires. I am going to run 325/50/15 on the rear and 275/50/15 on the front. Is there any downside to running the Nitto NT555R on both the front and rear of the car? I drive the car aggressive related to acceleration but I am not overly aggressive in the turns. I have limited experience with tire selection and I wanted to stay away from putting different brands of tires and tread patterns on the front and rear wheels. I have looked into the Nitto summer tire that matches the NT555R but it was not available in a 15" size. The only other option I have come across is the MT Street ET Street R but it looks more like a dedicated drag tire and not something you would want to run on all 4 corners. Thanks for your help or any experience you can lend. Below are a few notes that directly relate to my use of the car.

*I drive year around

*I do not drive in the rain and I will not be making my tire selection related to any rain or damp conditions.

*I think Avon tires are the best but they are not an option so please refrain from telling me how great they are as I have experienced them first hand. I am vain and want to go with the wider tires in the rear this is primary reason I am not selecting Avons at this time.

*I have not opportunity to track the car. This is a 100% street car with a 427 Windsor power train

So, you're looking at / considering Nitto NT555R tires, which Nitto describes on their Web site as "a D.O.T.-compliant competition drag radial", but you're concerned about the MT Street ET Street R as "it looks more like a dedicated drag tire" and which MT describes as "A drag tire that can be driven on the street"?

I'm confused.

What am I missing?

[Ace23]

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

So, you're looking at / considering Nitto NT555R tires, which Nitto describes on their Web site as "a D.O.T.-compliant competition drag radial", but you're concerned about the MT Street ET Street R as "it looks more like a dedicated drag tire" and which MT describes as "A drag tire that can be driven on the street"?

I'm confused.

What am I missing?

Even though they are both marketed as DOT drag radials the MT looked much more serious and I didn't know how appropriate that may be for a street car. From my limited experience I would think MT would be geared more towards the track....that thing looks like a slick with some stripes in it. It's mentioned R2 compound but does not give a tread wear indicator. Do you have any experience with running drag radials on the front as well?

[Tom Wells]

Ace,

Looking at the tires doesn't really tell anything about them.

For example, the NT555R is a straight-line drag racing tire. It has a wear rating of 100 compared with 400-500 for a street tire.

Here's the quote from the Nitto site "The NT555R was designed to achieve a balance between maximum dry performance and occasional street use." Please note the use of the words "dry" and "occasional."

If the wear rating and intended use match what you need, go for it! Put them on both ends of the car - they will look great, and since you won't do anything that could be considered stressful or risky with your right foot, they should work fine.

BTW, will your brake rotors fit inside 15" wheels?

Are you certain that only the switch to 15" from 17" wheels and tires will give you the esthetics you seek, or is there more to it, i.e., spring rates, tires (yes, tires!), suspension details such as swaybars etc and shock absorbers?

In other words, is the car you are comparing ride quality with identical to yours except for the wheels and tires? If it is, it might be logical to use the same tires and tire pressures as the other car.

Just askin'

Tom

[Ace23]

Originally Posted by Tom Wells

Ace,

Looking at the tires doesn't really tell anything about them.

For example, the NT555R is a straight-line drag racing tire. It has a wear rating of 100 compared with 400-500 for a street tire.

Here's the quote from the Nitto site "The NT555R was designed to achieve a balance between maximum dry performance and occasional street use." Please note the use of the words "dry" and "occasional."

If the wear rating and intended use match what you need, go for it! Put them on both ends of the car - they will look great, and since you won't do anything that could be considered stressful or risky with your right foot, they should work fine.

BTW, will your brake rotors fit inside 15" wheels?

Are you certain that only the switch to 15" from 17" wheels and tires will give you the esthetics you seek, or is there more to it, i.e., spring rates, tires (yes, tires!), suspension details such as swaybars etc and shock absorbers?

In other words, is the car you are comparing ride quality with identical to yours except for the wheels and tires? If it is, it might be logical to use the same tires and tire pressures as the other car.

Just askin'

Tom

Tom,
Thanks for chiming in. With my cam change and moving to a more appropriate header size I believe my car is really going to wake up down low and in the midrange. I do drive fairly aggressive but I keep it simple in the curves. I just want a tire that will hook up when rolling into the pedal.

Yes, my current brake rotors will fit 15" wheels as I have the stock SPF brakes and rotors. I did not originally care for the 15" look but now I do. In my opinion the 15" wheels give the car more of a performance oriented look and fill up the wheel wells. When I started looking at rear tire sizes greater than 295 the options were narrowed down quite quickly.

The SPF car I am comparing mine to in regards to ride quality is almost identical less R/T sway bars. The only difference is the 15" wheels with Avons....that car has a much smoother ride quality compared to mine.

[scottj]

I can speak to running a 275-17 Nitto DR in front. The biggest performance issue I have with them on the front is the sidewall stiffness. The soft sidewall has a delayed response to steering inputs compared to a street radial. It needs higher pressure to help stabilize it and then it performs OK. I have to think a 15" DR would exhibit this characteristic to a much greater degree... I suppose you'd have to try them to know if the feel is acceptable for your type of driving.

[Ace23]

Originally Posted by scottj

I can speak to running a 275-17 Nitto DR in front. The biggest performance issue I have with them on the front is the sidewall stiffness. The soft sidewall has a delayed response to steering inputs compared to a street radial. It needs higher pressure to help stabilize it and then it performs OK. I have to think a 15" DR would exhibit this characteristic to a much greater degree... I suppose you'd have to try them to know if the feel is acceptable for your type of driving.

Great input. How much air pressure do you have to run in the fronts to get them where you like them? Can you also speak to if the tires leave residue on your rear fenders. My 03 cobra had to yo drag radials on the rear and it would leave black stuff all over the rear fenders even on 30 minute trip.

[scottj]

Originally Posted by Ace23

Great input. How much air pressure do you have to run in the fronts to get them where you like them? Can you also speak to if the tires leave residue on your rear fenders. My 03 cobra had to yo drag radials on the rear and it would leave black stuff all over the rear fenders even on 30 minute trip.

They were on a 3700 lb Cadillac @ ~40psi cold at Road America... 17s... heavy car... as they say, your results may vary. I do know that Bob Bondurant ran 40psi in 15" street tires on his Superformance for aggressive driving. But as you said, that's not the type of driving you will be doing. I guess my point is that I would run them and play with pressure to get an acceptable feel on the street. Actually, they'd be on my car now if they made a 335-17.