Yep, another tire thread but I know what I want... I think

[Darren]

Hi folks,

Been a loooooong time since I have posted here. Built my MKIII in 2009 and still don't have paint but it has been on the road since 2010. My original Kuhmo Ecsta XS tires are still on it with 3k, miles total and I need to get rid of them for safety right after I burn them down in some rural parking lot or at the local raceway. Anyway, I have never been happy with the tires. I spin the tires through 3rd with any kind of moderately spirited driving and would prefer to get the traction to the ground. I live in WA state so summer temps are really nice but I try to drive in spring and fall when possible with temps in the 50's and 60's. I have a 408w putting a bit under 500 hp/tq to the ground. Tire sizes: 255/40R17, 315 35/R17.

After reading a bunch of threads it sounds like the Nitto NT05 is a good option that I can tool around on in lower temps and have the ability to get home in a sudden rain shower without getting too squirrely while performing very well in warm weather. I'm open to other suggestions as well but that tire seems to be the one. The issue I have found is that Discount Tire shows them as "discontinued". I still see them on the Nitto website as current but am wondering if they are hard to come by at this time or if I will need to look elsewhere. I see them on Summit as well but the 255's are "special order". I have used Discount Tire for many years and prefer to use them and like the local warranty support.

Also heard that having the NT05 heat cycled before mounting will help with traction and wear. I haven't heard of this. Who can do this for me or is it even necessary?

Thanks,
Darren

[Avalanche325]

The NT05 is the comparable tire to the Khumos. I have had several sets of them. They are a great high performance all around-er. I use them on the street, autocross and track. You can squeak 10k miles out of them with the multi-use that I do. I have a 500hp 347. I drive mine hard but not abusive.

I live in Florida and have driven them in torrential rain and temps in the high 30s. Of course, you want to be careful until they warm up or in the rain, but I have been fine with them

"Spinning them through 3rd". If you are lighting them up in 1st, that overheats the outer layer of tread, then it is easy to do the same in 2nd, adding more heat, and then they will be a greasy mess when you hit 3rd. No tire will fix that. If you are cruising along in 3rd and punch it and they break loose, it is likely that your tires are rock hard from age and heat cycling. I had a set of NT05s with about 10k and was breaking loose on the track in 3rd on the straights when I hit 5000rpm. They were heat cycled out. I can't do that with fresh ones. I can in 2nd though.

My Discount Tire offered heat cycling through a local race shop. I haven't done it. I would give it a try if I had a set of dedicated track tires.

I certainly hope they are not discontinued. There aren't many 200TW choices in our sizes.

[Darren]

The NT05 is the comparable tire to the Khumos. I have had several sets of them. They are a great high performance all around-er. I use them on the street, autocross and track. You can squeak 10k miles out of them with the multi-use that I do. I have a 500hp 347. I drive mine hard but not abusive.

I live in Florida and have driven them in torrential rain and temps in the high 30s. Of course, you want to be careful until they warm up or in the rain, but I have been fine with them

"Spinning them through 3rd". If you are lighting them up in 1st, that overheats the outer layer of tread, then it is easy to do the same in 2nd, adding more heat, and then they will be a greasy mess when you hit 3rd. No tire will fix that. If you are cruising along in 3rd and punch it and they break loose, it is likely that your tires are rock hard from age and heat cycling. I had a set of NT05s with about 10k and was breaking loose on the track in 3rd on the straights when I hit 5000rpm. They were heat cycled out. I can't do that with fresh ones. I can in 2nd though.

My Discount Tire offered heat cycling through a local race shop. I haven't done it. I would give it a try if I had a set of dedicated track tires.

I certainly hope they are not discontinued. There aren't many 200TW choices in our sizes.

Hm, I was hoping for an upgrade from the Khumo's. They never really put power to the ground, especially in first and second. Of course now they are terribly aged out and hard. I can hardly use any throttle until they are very warm. I was always able to stab 3rd and lose traction. I realize I may have to continue to actually drive the car with controlled inputs but would love to be able to get some really hard acceleration without an amazing amount of throttle modulation. I don't track the car but am a spirited driver and love 0-60 fun.

[Jeff Kleiner]

My car has been through 2 sets of Kumho XS and driven a friend’s car on track when it has been equipped with both the XS and NT-05. My experience is that Kumho XS was gripper than the Nitto NT-05 but the margin between them was relatively small and it’s a moot point because they are no longer being produced. Your next step up for more grip with 17” rims is Toyo R888R or Nitto NT-01. I’ve run both of those on my roadster as well. Performance wise they are again very comparable with the most noticeable difference being that the R888R gets up to temperature a little quicker. However for your stated uses Darren neither would be a good choice because they are not suitable for either cool temperatures or wet. If you’re willing to pony up the $$$ and go to 18s you could open up some options but that’s a big jump, like about $3K for rims and tires.

Jeff

OOPS! I meant Toyo, knew I meant Toyo but my fingers typed Kumho :p

[Darren]

Did you mean Toyo R888R? I assume so.

Yeah, I agree with your assessment. I assume the NT05 is probably the best bet for me being in the PNW where the extended season has cooler weather.

18" rims aren't in the cards for quite some time as I still need to get the car painted and it has been 12 years! Just haven't had time to get it done and I drive it very rarely when I get a chance. Been really busy for the last few years. I want to keep it road safe until I can put some time in to get it painted.

[Lidodrip]

I am not sure if it is all conditions that you have problems with grip, but if it is more cool weather and wet conditions then you might want to consider Nitto NT555 G2. I can't speak from personal experience (yet), but when I was researching tires on this forum, the NT555 G2 seems to get good marks for the variable New England weather that I will encounter (street use only).

[Avalanche325]

I am not sure if it is all conditions that you have problems with grip, but if it is more cool weather and wet conditions then you might want to consider Nitto NT555 G2. I can't speak from personal experience (yet), but when I was researching tires on this forum, the NT555 G2 seems to get good marks for the variable New England weather that I will encounter (street use only).

Those are less grippy than the NT05. The 555 G2 is 320TW. NT05 is 200TW. I have driven cars with both. My personal opinion is that a Cobra with anything over 300hp should have 200TW tires on the street.

[Mike.Bray]

My kit is still a month or two out from FFR so I thought with the way the supply chain is I should start looking into tires. It doesn't look like the Nitto NT555 G2 I was planning on is going to be available so need to pick something else. Building the car to drive around Texas as a street cruiser, I have no intention of going to the track at my age. I'm looking at these three and interested in any thoughts and/or experiences you guys might be willing to share.

Toyo R888R Available in a few days. Most expensive but also the highest ratings

Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S Available in a few days. A little less expensive than the Toyo. Lowest ratings for traction & temp grade.

Nitto NT05R On backorder. Least expensive with traction & temp ratings between the Toyo and MT.

Even though they're the most expensive I'm really leaning towards the Toyo.

[GTBradley]

I just went through this a month ago and couldn't find R888R anywhere, even TireRack said they were 3 to 6 months out.

[Darren]

To answer a question or two, my traction issues are on warm dry roads. I accept that I'll have traction issues in colder temps and in damp conditions. Just want to be able to make it home when caught in rain. I was considering the Toyo's but hear they are pretty bad in cooler temps.

[Mike.Bray]

I just went through this a month ago and couldn't find R888R anywhere, even TireRack said they were 3 to 6 months out.

Discount Tire shows a few in stock at various stores in my area. Maybe I better grab them!

[Jeff Kleiner]

I just went through this a month ago and couldn't find R888R anywhere, even TireRack said they were 3 to 6 months out.

I buy Toyos through Phil's Tire Service.

https://philstireservice.com/

Jeff

[Jeff Kleiner]

To answer a question or two, my traction issues are on warm dry roads. I accept that I'll have traction issues in colder temps and in damp conditions. Just want to be able to make it home when caught in rain. I was considering the Toyo's but hear they are pretty bad in cooler temps.

I don't know if "bad" is the proper term but like any competition tire, which is what these are, they need heat to work. Without it traction is greatly diminished. Will you get home? Sure, but you need to understand that below about 60 degrees they aren't happy and won't save you if you do something unwise. I've autocrossed on 'em in cool temperatures but have been well aware going in that they aren't going to work and that at some point I'll wind up pointing backwards (which I have :p)!

Jeff

[Jeff Kleiner]

My kit is still a month or two out from FFR so I thought with the way the supply chain is I should start looking into tires. It doesn't look like the Nitto NT555 G2 I was planning on is going to be available so need to pick something else. Building the car to drive around Texas as a street cruiser, I have no intention of going to the track at my age. I'm looking at these three and interested in any thoughts and/or experiences you guys might be willing to share.

Toyo R888R Available in a few days. Most expensive but also the highest ratings

Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S Available in a few days. A little less expensive than the Toyo. Lowest ratings for traction & temp grade.

Nitto NT05R On backorder. Least expensive with traction & temp ratings between the Toyo and MT.

Even though they're the most expensive I'm really leaning towards the Toyo.

Mike,
The Mickey Thompson is a drag radial. That's fine for going in a straight line but not good at all for cornering.

See my comments to Darren regarding the R888R.

Whatever you go with, unless you're planning a really quick build your tires are liable to age out and get hard before you complete the car, especially soft compounds like the MT or 888 and even the NT-05 to a lesser extent. It might be prudent to hold off on purchasing tires until closer to the time that you'll actually need them. Just my .02 :)

Jeff

[Jim1855]

Things to consider:

What Jeff K said about aging out. If the tires sit for a year during your build, you've lost a year of available life. Not sure what the expected aging life is but performance tires loose grip just sitting. I'd guess that more tires on "cobras" age out rather than wear out, well, except for the rears.

Another thing to consider is cold temp performance and other problems. Does "hard as rocks" mean anything to you? As a suggestion you might want to read what Tire Rack publishes about temps and summer performance tires. Pretty much each brand/model has some kind of a warning note about temps and potential damage under about 50 degrees F.

Jim

[CraigS]

Pretty much all the 'summer' tires are bad in the cold. And cold, like Jeff says is < 60 although I'd probably say <50. My wife bought a 15 Mustang GT w/ the Performance Package and 'summer' tires in April of 15. End of Sept she asked me to drive the car because she thought the tires were getting slippery. Dang she was spot on. That was my first experience w/ summer tires. I had figured they would wear out quicker than normal but wasn't too worried about it. That test drive schooled me. Tires still had 2/3 tread depth so she said hey I will just be easy on the gas pedal. I said yeah, but if the tires won't go, they won't stop either. 2 weeks later we put new tires on the car.

[GTBradley]

I buy Toyos through Phil's Tire Service.

https://philstireservice.com/

Jeff

I bought my AX Nankangs from Phil's. Good service, I'll use them again.

[Darren]

My car has been through 2 sets of Kumho XS and driven a friend’s car on track when it has been equipped with both the XS and NT-05. My experience is that Kumho XS was gripper than the Nitto NT-05 but the margin between them was relatively small and it’s a moot point because they are no longer being produced. Your next step up for more grip with 17” rims is Toyo R888R or Nitto NT-01. I’ve run both of those on my roadster as well. Performance wise they are again very comparable with the most noticeable difference being that the R888R gets up to temperature a little quicker. However for your stated uses Darren neither would be a good choice because they are not suitable for either cool temperatures or wet. If you’re willing to pony up the $$$ and go to 18s you could open up some options but that’s a big jump, like about $3K for rims and tires.

Jeff

OOPS! I meant Toyo, knew I meant Toyo but my fingers typed Kumho :p

So just to be sure I understand. Your recommendation based on my description is the NT05's? I'm looking at those or the 555s currently. I'm used to the Kuhmo's so I assume the NT05's would be fairly familiar.

[Derald Rice]

Can you get a 335/35/17 to fit ??

Michelin PS2's are avail to fit your front, but they don't make a 315. They do have a 335.

I am mounting my third set this month, and needless to say, I do like them.

Don't like the pricing, but sometimes we can't have it all.

[Darren]

My 315's rub when the suspension is compressed so don't think 335's will fit unless the width is narrower measurement wise than the profile suggests.

[Darren]

Called discount tire. They are saying the NT05 are all discontinued. WTF? Should I consider the Toyo R888R? ugh. We searched for the 555's R888R and others but no dice. All unavailable. This is such BS. I need to find something so I can drive this year, don't want to drive on 12 year old tires and haven't driven for 3 years except around the block to test carb settings.

The only tires I found available are the NT01... some folks in my area run those and find them acceptable for the temps here. I might just have to do that and see how I like them. Spendy.

[Jeff Kleiner]

So just to be sure I understand. Your recommendation based on my description is the NT05's? I'm looking at those or the 555s currently. I'm used to the Kuhmo's so I assume the NT05's would be fairly familiar.

Correct. The 05 will perform better under dry and warm conditions but not in cool &/or wet. Conversely the 555G2 will be better in cool &/or wet conditions but won’t perform at the same level when it’s warm and dry. There’s always a trade off with tires…you just have to prioritize.

Jeff

[john42]

I just went through this a month ago and couldn't find R888R anywhere, even TireRack said they were 3 to 6 months out.


I got a set. Took a while of hunting and calling. I got fronts and rears from difference places. I got the rears (315s) in December and the fronts (275s) in Feb. Fronts were from TireRack, rears were from Summit. All 4 just got mounted on the car. Hopefully we have some good weather soon and I can actually go for a drive.

[Darren]

Correct. The 05 will perform better under dry and warm conditions but not in cool &/or wet. Conversely the 555G2 will be better in cool &/or wet conditions but won’t perform at the same level when it’s warm and dry. There’s always a trade off with tires…you just have to prioritize.

Jeff

If I want to drive this year I think I'm gonna have to consider the NT01's. Howard Robinson ran those here for a while and he really liked them. Was able to get around in the same conditions I drive in without issues so long as he paid attention to the temps and drove accordingly. Seems reasonable. I might give them a shot since the bulk of my driving is 70 degrees and up and when it is colder out I tend to drive mellow, just looking at the scenery and enjoying the car.

[john42]

If I want to drive this year I think I'm gonna have to consider the NT01's. Howard Robinson ran those here for a while and he really liked them. Was able to get around in the same conditions I drive in without issues so long as he paid attention to the temps and drove accordingly. Seems reasonable. I might give them a shot since the bulk of my driving is 70 degrees and up and when it is colder out I tend to drive mellow, just looking at the scenery and enjoying the car.

When I drove mine on the new R888R's the other day for a quick trip to a paint shop, it was only 5 miles.... but the weather was cold (35F) and dry. I was pretty dang cautious, however right out of my driveway with the tires and road ice cold, I gave it a bit of gas to see if I could find the breaking point. It was immediate, felt like I was on a snow covered road. That said, within a mile I could already feel the tires warmed up and were surprisingly sticky given the cold weather.

[Darren]

Good to know. I'm going to have to make a decision very soon if I want to drive this year. I can't find any tires locally or on-line that are in stock and the right size except the NT01.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Discount Tire Direct (not Discount Tire; they operate differently and stock differently)

255/40-17:

Nitto 555G2 "In stock"
Nitto NT-05 "In stock"
Nitt0 NT-01 "In stock"
315/35-17

Nitto 555G2 "Special order, normally ships within 7 business days"
Nitto NT-05 "Special order, normally ships within 7 business days"
Nitto NT-01 "Special order, normally ships within 7 business days"

For what it's worth I've bought a bunch of tires from them, including some NT-01s, and they've always been accurate with their delivery time estimates...but that was pre-pandemic and supply chain crisis.

If you're considering the NT-01 also think about Toyo R888R. DTD shows the 315 in stock and the 255 as special order...7 days.

See the link I posted in an earlier reply for Phil's Tire Service and check availability.

No matter where they come from check the date codes; some sellers who don't turn over a lot of these low volume sizes will sometimes ship tires that are already 2-3 years old. As mentioned earlier a 2 year old competition tire like the 01 or 888 is already past it's prime even before it has been mounted.

Jeff

[Darren]

Discount Tire Direct (not Discount Tire; they operate differently and stock differently)

255/40-17:

Nitto 555G2 "In stock"
Nitto NT-05 "In stock"
Nitt0 NT-01 "In stock"
315/35-17

Nitto 555G2 "Special order, normally ships within 7 business days"
Nitto NT-05 "Special order, normally ships within 7 business days"
Nitto NT-01 "Special order, normally ships within 7 business days"

For what it's worth I've bought a bunch of tires from them, including some NT-01s, and they've always been accurate with their delivery time estimates...but that was pre-pandemic and supply chain crisis.

If you're considering the NT-01 also think about Toyo R888R. DTD shows the 315 in stock and the 255 as special order...7 days.

See the link I posted in an earlier reply for Phil's Tire Service and check availability.

No matter where they come from check the date codes; some sellers who don't turn over a lot of these low volume sizes will sometimes ship tires that are already 2-3 years old. As mentioned earlier a 2 year old competition tire like the 01 or 888 is already past it's prime even before it has been mounted.

Jeff

Thanks for the info. I haven't tried Discount Tire Direct, I suppose they are affiliated with Discount Tire. I was considering the R888R but wasn't able to find them so I didn't pursue it. I'll check them out though. The reason I was avoiding ordering on-line is because of the possibility of them having an older date code and having to deal with shipping them back. I wonder if I can call and get an answer on date codes.

[john42]

Summit has R888Rs 315s in stock and both 255s and 275s with what looks like a pretty quick back order.

[Darren]

Summit has R888Rs 315s in stock and both 255s and 275s with what looks like a pretty quick back order.

Thanks, I'll check them out if I go with the R888Rs

[BLUE KNIGHT]

Something to keep in mind about TRACTION and Tires ..... You said " a bit less than 500 HP " and probably a bit more in Torque. And this is in a car that weighs less than 2200 lbs + / - ..... I was a trained " accident investigator " and spent many months learning my trade .... lots & lots of hours just on tires & traction in all weather conditions. I don't care what tires ( the tread , rubber compound, how and what the core design is, etc. ) Your " power to weight ratio " is going to easily overcome even the Best traction tire made. ... good luck in your quest .... Mike :)

[GTBradley]

These look like about the best dry weather tire you can get for the price. I would suggest getting them heat cycled, but I’m not sure Summit offers that service.

As a side note, I was surprised to see a “not for highway use” note on the sidewall of my Nankang tires, but these don’t have it. They appear in all aspects to be very similar.
Summit has R888Rs 315s in stock and both 255s and 275s with what looks like a pretty quick back order.

[Darren]

Something to keep in mind about TRACTION and Tires ..... You said " a bit less than 500 HP " and probably a bit more in Torque. And this is in a car that weighs less than 2200 lbs + / - ..... I was a trained " accident investigator " and spent many months learning my trade .... lots & lots of hours just on tires & traction in all weather conditions. I don't care what tires ( the tread , rubber compound, how and what the core design is, etc. ) Your " power to weight ratio " is going to easily overcome even the Best traction tire made. ... good luck in your quest .... Mike :)

Oh for sure. Doesn't matter what tire I put on it, I'll be able to roast em off if I chose to. I'm just wanting to be able to put more of the power to the ground before that point and when it rains I just need to be able to get home, not worried about any kind of performance there.


I guess I'll choose between the NT01 and R888R.