Nitto NT555R Usage
 

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

You may have a problem finding a tire like the 555r in a Fifteen inch there are not a lot out there that will work in all kinds of weather. Any drag radial in the wet will like being on Ice not good If I was you I would look at the Nitto Invo good all around road tire that can take aggressive driving Good luck in your search

June 2009 Car & Driver test of Nitto Invo - less than stellar results. "Fairly quiet on the street loop, the Invos were below average in the dry and average in the wet, which put them in eighth place." Tire Test: Nine Affordable Summer Tires Take On the Michelin PS2 Comparison Tests - Page 4 - Car and Driver

Dennis the Nitto 555R comes in both 275mm and 325mm 15" sizes. I do not drive in the rain and driving in wet conditions is not a factor in tire selection for me. It does not appear the Nitto Invo are available in a 15" size.

Alternative
 

If I was going 15's I look at Avons (which you do not want) or Mickey Thompsons.

If you are more of a straight line guy MT are the way to go.

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?

I read some additional reviews tonight and the MT ET street R seems to take the cake over the Nitto. I was trying not to mix up the tread patterns too badly but it appears as if the MT ET street SS is offered in a size that would be applicable to the front tires as I would be running a 275/50/15. My main concern is if running a drag radial on the front of a street car is a bad idea. MT makes some other street oriented tires I could look at for the front but the tread patterns are very different and would be quite noticeable.

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?

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.

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.

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.

I have the 555R on the rear and plain 555's on the front and love them. MT ET's are a drag tire for sure and the side walls are way softer than the 555R. I also ran the NT01 road race tires on my last car front and rear and they were great as well. I wasn't worried about tread wear or replacing tires however. Not sure if either of these are avail in the 15" version you are looking for but I can attest that the set up I have now is great albeit I have 18" wheels.

Gary,
I know you have a beast of a motor so that sounds like a positive review to me. I am going to go ahead and pull the trigger on the 555R for the 15" on the 15" wheel size. If they do not work out then I will just have to give something else a try. I would like to run a radial up front but Nitto does not offer the matching radial in the 15" size as you suspected.