Nitto Tire Suggestion

[ATOLightning]

Help me spend a little cash...

I'm about to buy some wheels and tires. I'm going with staggered 17" FR500's. I know I want Nitto tires as I've had really good expereinces with them on my high HP SVT Lightning as compared to other brands I've used on that truck. I know that's apples and oranges, though.

Anyway, I want something that will handle well on the street and give me some good traction. I may autocross every once in a while, but not too much. Mainly just cruising around and having fun.

What would you guys reccommend....NT01, NT05, 555R. I think I'm leaning towards the NT05's, so someone let me know if there's been any bad expereinces with these.

Thanks,

[Gordon Levy]

You will like the NT05's. They are softer than the 555's but not the race tire the NT01 is.

[ATOLightning]

You will like the NT05's. They are softer than the 555's but not the race tire the NT01 is.

Well, that solves this question. With everything I've heard about Gordon...if he recommends something, I'll use it! NT05's it is.

[ehansen007]

I'll second the NT-05. Make sure you run the right pressure which is 22ish for these cars. They really seem to like that. I take it down to about 18-19 at the track if needed. I think they are one of the better looking tires as well and not a bad price point!

[Mustang Man]

I've got Triple-5s on the front and Triple-5 DRs on the rear with the same wheels and they work well on the street. If the NT-05s were available when I built the car I probably would have gone with them instead...

[LuckyWinner]

I have the NT05s, mines not running yet, but they look great (lol). I got them because of all the good reviews on this forum about them and cant wait to try them out.

[willy]

if you want nittos 555 make sure you get the 555R I made the mistake and ended up with the 555 extreme not good on these cars now I have a set of Dunlop direzza ZII and have not driven them on the track yet seam too be much better

[CraigS]

You say staggered but don't mention sizes. Assuming 10-10.5 rears, look at what is available in 315s and go from there. I just looked at Tire Rack and saw NO Nittos in 315.

[Mustang Man]

That's because Tire Rack doesn't sell Nittos! LOL

I have 315 Triple-5Rs on our Roadster...

Look to American Muscle and other Mustang dealers/vendors for tires, as they sell the right sizes for the staggered wheel packages, as they originated on the '99 and up Mustang body style (in the aftermarket that is)...

Mark

[ATOLightning]

if you want nittos 555 make sure you get the 555R I made the mistake and ended up with the 555 extreme not good on these cars now I have a set of Dunlop direzza ZII and have not driven them on the track yet seam too be much better

Yep, definiately the 555R's if I go with them, but I think I'm leaning towards the NT05's

[ATOLightning]

You say staggered but don't mention sizes. Assuming 10-10.5 rears, look at what is available in 315s and go from there. I just looked at Tire Rack and saw NO Nittos in 315.

Sorry about that. I forget that not everyone knows what the dimensions are for the replica FR500's, Bullets, and so on. In the 17" version that I'm planning, all of those are 9" Front and 10.5" Rear, so I'll be doing 275 up front and 315 out back. I've never found Tire Rack to be that competitive (price or selection) versus other online stores for performance tires for my Lightning or Mustangs, so I never even looked at them for the MK4. They do have a good website, though.

Nitto has 315's in NT01, NT05, 555R and DR's in several.

[Bob Cowan]

Asking "What tire should I buy?" is like saying, "I need to fix my car, what tools should I use?"

Nothing affects the car's performance more than the tire. It's the one thing that connects the car to the pavement. In order to connect the right tire to the car, you need to ask what the car will be used for.

I drive my car in all kinds of weather: blazing heat, rain, snow, crappy roads and good, sand and dirt covered roads, and nice clean highway. You name the road conditions, and we've probably been on them at some point. I need a tire that can handle all that. And can handle all the power that I put to the pavement.

The NT05 is a good tire. But look at that center stripe. I don't see that handeling well in heavy rain, hail, or light snow.

I use the 555 - not the R version. I have driven in everything mentioned above, and it has handled each situation well. Down near Wall, CO, we hit a hail storm like I've never seen before. The road ahead looked white, like it had snowed. It was an inch of hail floating on 1-2 inches of water. The Cobra ahead of me left wide open tracks, like a wake in pond scum. Visibility was down to 2-3 car lengths. I have never seen anything like it in my life. The Cobra in front of me was on drag radials, and he was fighting for his life. The Cobra behind me could only see my tail lights, and he said he was fighting for his life, too; the car was all over the road.

I put the trans in 2nd and motored on. No sweat, no strain. Those tires dug down to the pavement, got good grip, and we didn't sweat at all. We got kinda wet, but the car handled just fine. Better than you might expect. Surely they 555's would hydroplane if driven too fast. Heck, a mud tire will hydroplane if you drive too fast. But in this situation, they really did well.

Gordon, you know I trust your opinion a lot - many times I trust your opinion more than my own. But I would have a hard time recommending the NT05 in TN. In AZ I think it would be a great tire. But I've hit some pretty nasty weather in AZ, too.

But, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. :)

[edwardb]

Interesting timing. Dropping the wheels at the tire place at noon today for a set of Nitto 555's. I agree with Bob 100%. First question is how the car will be driven and in what conditions. I've been researching tires for my Mk4 build for some weeks. My car will be used 100% for street driving, and here in MI that means temps from the 30's to the 90's. Won't drive in rain on purpose, but it could happen. This tire all around seems the best match for my requirements. BTW, started out planning to use Kuhmo's. If I were going to track the car, they would likely be the better choice. Or perhaps one of the other Nitto's. But I think the 555 will be best for me.

[Erik W. Treves]

I run NT01's and really like them...I am my second pair of rears. I run them in the rain and they are fine....though I am careful about what I am doing. NT05's are also a great tire. I did not like the 555's or 555 DR's

[turbonut48]

My builder used 555R nitto s.
Ive been caught in rain twice and I was surprised at how well they worked.
I only have 2300 miles on them.

The Nut

[Fuel an]

What about the Toyo R888s?

[ATOLightning]

What about the Toyo R888s?

I'm sure it's a fine tire, but I've have terrible luck/expereience with Toyos and told myself that I wouldn't use a Toyo again.

[edwardb]

I'm sure it's a fine tire, but I've have terrible luck/expereience with Toyos and told myself that I wouldn't use a Toyo again.

Uh... your original question was about Nitto. And now you're citing bad luck with Toyos and won't use again? You do know that Nitto is owned by Toyo, right?

[ATOLightning]

Uh... your original question was about Nitto. And now you're citing back luck with Toyos and won't use again? You do know that Nitto is owned by Toyo, right?

Yep. Most large companies own multiple product lines and brands. Look at Tata. You can't tell me that a brand new 2013 Jaguar or a Tata Nano are close to the same product, but they are both owned by Tata Motors.

Or Whirlpool Corp....a Maytag, Estate, or Whirlpool washer/dryer are different.

But again...boils down to personal expereince and preference.