Recommendation on Street, sticky tires 17"

[priobe]

Hi Guys,

I am looking to change out my rear BF G's for better tires.

I am currently running 315/35/17 but the BF G's did not not stick very well. SO would like to put something that would but good on the street and is sticky.

I was thinking of going with Nitto 05 R or Nitto 555R (drag radial). Im not sure how these tires are for regular street driving which is what I do most of the time but need these to stick.

Suggestions welcomed

Thanks

[dont]

I'm running the NT05 315-35-17's. They have great dry traction but get real loose when wet.

[D111]

Originally Posted by priobe

Hi Guys,

I am looking to change out my rear BF G's for better tires.

I am currently running 315/35/17 but the BF G's did not not stick very well. SO would like to put something that would but good on the street and is sticky.

I was thinking of going with Nitto 05 R or Nitto 555R (drag radial). Im not sure how these tires are for regular street driving which is what I do most of the time but need these to stick.

Suggestions welcomed

Thanks

Sumitomo*HTR Z

[ItBites]

Nitto NT01, they stick and go around corners...

[jhv48]

Pass on the Sumitomo tires.

Unless you have less than 300 horsepower and drive very cautiously, avoid these tires. Limited traction but long life.

[Stephen Crosten]

I have run the Kumho Exsta XS, a dry weather tire. I think they use the same rubber compound as the Nitto race tire, however, they are less expensive. My experiemce with them has been good. They are sticky, and perform well when driving aggressively. I have approx. 12000 on my current set and they may give me another several thousand miles before I change them out. I will use Kumho again based on my experience with them.

[jhv48]

I second the Kumho ECSTA XS.

That's the tire I ditched my sumitomos for.

13,000 miles and loving them. Great traction when warm. So so when cold. Don't even think about using them for a rain tire.

[Three Peaks]

Mickey Thompson SR should work for your purposes.

[Mohuska]

I have Michellin Sport PS2. 17 inch. 335 rear and 245 front. They are amazing and have great traction.

[wrogers55]

Nitto NT01s, front and rear and you will never look back. They will easily hold 500+ HP at the wheels and I mean hold. They are actually a road race tire so the twisty stuff is solid. Very nice cruising tire. Have them heat cycled before you mount them and they will last a lot longer. Downside, they will throw stones as any sticky tire will do in hot weather.

[vatdevil]

Nitto NT01s....they do surprisingly well in the rain and stick like crazy in dry.

[twin turbo]

I run Nitto NT05R's on the back. Excellent traction and handle fairly well.
In the past I had the Nitto 555R's which aren't as sticky but last a long time.
I've also ran the MT ET Street radials, which have similiar straight line traction as the Nitto NT05R's, but don't handle as well due to a softer sidewall.

I did some testing on my G-tech meter several years ago for 0-60 mph times on the street.
The Nitto 555R's were 3.2 seconds 0-60 mph.
The MT ET Street radials were 2.8 seconds 0-60 mph. I suspect the Nitto NT05R's would be about the same as the MT's. Cheers.

[Rog246]

Nitto's are made by Toyo - probably the best Jap tyre at the moment.
Kumho's are terrific value for money and like Toyo's & Nitto's are nice and round and balance well.
Have no trouble recommending any of those brands as quality.
I'm a rubber grub (tyre dealer) and have no trouble at all with the above mentioned tyres-highly rated & recommended.
Rog

[undy]

I'm running 315/35/17 Mickey Thompson ET Street drag radials.

They don't last as long as the Nitto's drag radial but the dry weather stick is better. They plant 600+ ponies right well. 2 second 0-60s are easily attainable, assuming enough gear and horse power is available. I get about 4K miles out of a set, about $400 for the pair. To me, well worth it as they increase the car's acceleration capabilities dramatically. The 35 aspect ratio makes them pretty stable in the twisties too.

DO NOT drive these tires in the rain though... They hydroplane like a boogie board. Ask me how I know.

The rain is reserved for the Z06, running wet weather sticky 345/30/19 Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

[priobe]

Originally Posted by wrogers55

Nitto NT01s, front and rear and you will never look back. They will easily hold 500+ HP at the wheels and I mean hold. They are actually a road race tire so the twisty stuff is solid. Very nice cruising tire. Have them heat cycled before you mount them and they will last a lot longer. Downside, they will throw stones as any sticky tire will do in hot weather.

What do you mean by heat cycling the tire before you mount them.

[priobe]

Thank you for all the responses.

I think I will try the Nitto NT01, which seem to be a good all around tire.
Local Tire Kingdom shop is saying they may not carry it, but have the Nitto 555R. Any comments on that tire? Comparison to the 01?

Are there any good sites with good pricing for online purchase.

[wrogers55]

Originally Posted by priobe

What do you mean by heat cycling the tire before you mount them.

Nitto NT01s are actually a road race tire and need to be heat cycled at least once before you work them hard. If you don't do this either on or off the car, they won't last long at all.

This is normal procedure for any road/oval race designed rubber compound. Simply put, and there is a lot more to it, the rubber needs to be heated up to the point the polymers start to cross link and build "strength" in the tire, 225 to 250 F is the range for most applications. After the tire is heated, under rolling pressure is ideal and that is done by machine, it will cool and the cross linking process begins and continues for quite a while. It's better if you can give it a week or so to fully cure out.

Most distributors that provide the service put a little red "O" on the tire sidewall to indicate it has been heat cycled. Without this, the tire will grip just fine, but the rubber will roll or "peel" away very quickly, usually on a micro level. With it, probably last 3 or 4 times as long and actually grip better as the rubber will micro gear with the road surface much better and keep its integrity without rubber peel.

American Tire or Discount Tire (same company, different names in different parts of the country, no connection on my part and not a recommendation, just info.) offer this service and probably many more if you ask up front.

[jhv48]

Just remember that the stickier the tire, the more road grit and pebbles they will throw up onto your cars paint.

Consider a good set of spats on those rear fenders otherwise they could get pretty beat up.

[priobe]

Originally Posted by wrogers55

Nitto NT01s are actually a road race tire and need to be heat cycled at least once before you work them hard. If you don't do this either on or off the car, they won't last long at all.

This is normal procedure for any road/oval race designed rubber compound. Simply put, and there is a lot more to it, the rubber needs to be heated up to the point the polymers start to cross link and build "strength" in the tire, 225 to 250 F is the range for most applications. After the tire is heated, under rolling pressure is ideal and that is done by machine, it will cool and the cross linking process begins and continues for quite a while. It's better if you can give it a week or so to fully cure out.

Most distributors that provide the service put a little red "O" on the tire sidewall to indicate it has been heat cycled. Without this, the tire will grip just fine, but the rubber will roll or "peel" away very quickly, usually on a micro level. With it, probably last 3 or 4 times as long and actually grip better as the rubber will micro gear with the road surface much better and keep its integrity without rubber peel.

American Tire or Discount Tire (same company, different names in different parts of the country, no connection on my part and not a recommendation, just info.) offer this service and probably many more if you ask up front.

Ok so the NT01 seems to be more of a full race tire that can be used on the street. It is sounding like the 555R (drag radial) maybe a better tire suited for me. "More driving on the street with the desperate need of traction."

Am I correct on the 555R?

Duly Noted on the rear Spats!

[twin turbo]

How much power are you making and what is your rearend gearing? Back when I was making 420 rwhp with 3.08 rearend gearing the 555R's worked well and are good for 15k miles.