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Please me choose some new street tires

1K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  JSHTROD 
#1 ·
Hey, guys. It's time for me to get some new tires! These are for a daily driven Arizona car (see sig for mods). Rain is not much of a problem, but heat and dryness are. The stock goodyears were cracked and dry rotting after about 10,000 miles.

I am considering Nitto NT555 Extremes in 255/40/17 for the fronts and NT555R drag radials in 275/40/17 for the rears. A few concerns: 1) Will the drag radials be of any advantage to me on the street? I probably won't take my car to the track very often during the next few years. 2) The cracking problem--can any of you comment on how well the drag radial compound holds up in hot, dry weather? 3) Size - I've heard so many different opinions on whether or not you can/should put 275 drs on an 8 inch rim. If you have the 275s on there, could you please share your experiences with me?

Also, I'm open to any other brand/tire suggestions. BFG? Pirelli?

Finally, for those of you who have upgraded to a 17X9 inch wheel or wider, what difference did the wider tires make for you in straight line traction?

All comments are much appreciated.

Thank you!
 
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#3 ·
do NOT get nittos

If you're worried about dry rot after 10K miles, don't even think about the nittos. mine went through 75% of tread life after 4K miles.
Then they started to crack across the tread. Nitto called it 'Torque Cracking'. I have only the mods in my sig, so if you have anything more than stock torque, don't waste your time.

I live in Colorado, so I doubt the heat caused my cracking.

I've heard nothing but good things about Pirellis, and a buddy of mine has the michelin pilots and loves them.

good luck, and let us know what you decide.
 
#4 ·
OK, I realize that I goofed when I typed in my subject and that "Please me street tires" isn't a complete sentence, but have a heart... I still need some advice.
 
#5 ·
WOW. Thanks, Calihan. That's pretty scary. So Nitto told you that the cracking was caused by what--? Too much torque? Sounds like a defect to me. Or maybe that's just how all their DRs are? Anyone else experience this with the NT555Rs?

I'm still open to any and all suggestions. Please chime in with what you've got!
 
#7 ·
I've had the Nitto NT555s on my car for over a year and a half and there is no form of cracking at all anywhere. They are great tires, my front ones have lasted great. The back ones tend to get bald easy though...must be my heavy foot :D

The drag radials are awesome for the street. Definately the stickiest tires that you can drive on the street with and still have good wet drivability. The 245/45/17 would fit good on the 8" rim. The 275/40/17 DR's would fit on there nicely too.

Other than that...BFG KDW's are really good tires.
 
#9 ·
See my sig. I love the look of them but I can't give any information as per performance as of yet. I had my suspension installed today, and I will install my rims next weekend after she gets a COMPLETE detail. The tires look mean, and the 285s outback are killer.
~Darren
 
#11 ·
"Please me street tires!" actually IS a complete sentence, depending on the relationship you have with your set of tires. :D

Actually, the Michelins mentioned would be good for you climate. But probably a bit pricey. It's a tradeoff.
 
#12 ·
Dunlop SP Sport 9000

I just got these installed today.....what a difference. I had the Nitto 555 on the front (255/45/17) & Nitto 555R (275/40/17) on the rear. They did OK, but if you like taking the car through the curves, the 555R's are not the best choice. They seem to have a lot of roll to them (most likely the 275 on an 8" rim). Traction was always good, but don't trust them in the rain. As the Nitto's worn down, they got very very noisy. The Dunlop's are extremly quite and seem to have good traction...not as good as DR's but good enough for the street.

Hope this helps.

John
 
#13 ·
lo pony: You're absolutely right. That is a complete sentence, after all. Sheez... I thought that I was sick minded, but that one never even occured to me. I must be slipping!

:lol:

John: I can understand why the Dunlops would handle better. Were you unhappy with the Nittos while you had them, though? Were they much better than the Dunlops are in a straight line?

Everyone:

What's the skinny on these KDWs? Are they pretty grippy for straight line traction? What about the KDs? Those are more expensive. Are they worth the cash?

Remember, rain is pretty much a non-issue. Cornering is a consideration, of course, but sheer grip is more important to me right now. I'm talking mostly about straight line acceleration with the occasional romp around a highway exit ramp. That's why I'm still thinking about the Nittos...

I could put two NT555 Extremes on the rear right now just to see how they feel. I figure that if I like 'em I can put the Extremes at all four corners, rotate them, and be happy for several thousand miles. If they're not enough, they can be moved up to the fronts and I'll give the DRs a try...

Or should I skip the Nittos and go for a tire with better all around performance, less straight line grip, and a higher price tag? I'm just worried about going to another radial because even before the stockers were completely bald my car wouldn't hook for **** on them with the s/c and gears. Decisions, decisions....
 
#14 ·
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/bridgestone/bs_s03.jsp

I put these Bridegestone Potenza S-03 Pole Positions on at 6200 miles because the stock Goodyears were so lame. It feels like a different car: much better high speed stability, cornering, braking, steering response, etc. The stock Eagle gatorbacks are 1983 technology and these Potenzas are 2001. They are made in Japan so you don't have to worry about any Bridgestone/Firestone quality control problems. Here's another link that shows that they beat the Michelin Pilot Sports and Pirelli P Zero Rosso Assimetricos in dry and wet. They are more expensive than Nitto's or Kumho's but a lot cheaper than Michelins or Pirellis. I love them.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...dgestone&tireModel=Potenza+S-03+Pole+Position
 
#15 ·
I think both the Nitto 555 & Dunlop SP 9000 have about the same straight line traction. The Nitto DR's have the best, but they only last about 12k miles. The Nitto 555 lasted about 45K miles & would expect the Dunlop's to last about as long. Overall I was happy with the Nitto 555's, but as the tread started to wear down the traction went away and noise increased. For the money, I think the Nitto's are a great deal. It just depends on what you are looking for in a tire. If you want max straight line traction at a cheap price, go with the Nitto 555 up front and DR's in back. Just keep in mind that you will replace the rear tires very soon. I chose to get a tire that would give good life, good traction and good handling....I can always buy a pair of slicks for the track :)

John
 
#16 ·
AZsmoothie said:
WOW. Thanks, Calihan. That's pretty scary. So Nitto told you that the cracking was caused by what--? Too much torque? Sounds like a defect to me. Or maybe that's just how all their DRs are? Anyone else experience this with the NT555Rs?

I'm still open to any and all suggestions. Please chime in with what you've got!

My drag radials had over 22k miles and would have more but one was over inflated & the center went smooth. (I only raced a couple times with them though).. As far cracking I had that problem with the stock T/A radial fronts (on the tread line closest to the inside on both). I'm also starting to get the same thing on my Dunlop SP 5000's.
 
#17 ·
Thanks, guys. Let's take it to the top again...

Anyone with info on the BFG Comp TA KDWs or KDs?
 
#18 ·
I've had Nitto 555's on my street wheels for more than 2 years with no problems at all. They mounted and balanced perfectly, which is a big deal to me.

The Nitto 275 DR's are a little large for the 8" wheel if you are into handling (as noted above), but they work well at the strip at low pressure, and are acceptable on the street at normal pressures. They start life with 6/32 tread, instead of the more normal 10/32 tread depth, so aren't as good in the rain as a conventional tire, but that doesn't matter much to you. (does it ever rain there? Where does your drinking water come from? On a recent visit there, I noticed none of the rivers running into Phoenix run out.)
 
#19 ·
Automobile magazine did a test a while back on all the supercar tires. On a 98 Cobra Coupe.

The BEST all around tire was the Dunlop SP9000's. Low noise, great performance, smoother ride.

The BEST all out performance tire was the BFG's KDW's. Although noisier than the SP's, they gripped a little better.

Having tried the SP9000's, I'll say they where an amazing tire. But simply cannot compete with Nitto DR's for dry traction.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Well I just got back from a Merchant's Tire shop. Unfortunately, they didn't have many of the high performance tires in stock. The only ones that they did have were the Micheline Pilots... Nice looking tires, but priced to kill. They wanted $270 ea.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the reply, Ralph. The Nittos sound like they might be a good option for me then, although I'd like to hear what people think about the BFGs...

And to address your question... It RARELY rains in Phoenix. We have a monsoon season during the summer months, which consists of a lot more wind and thunder than actual precipitation. Thus, the origin of our water supply is a bit of a mystery to me, too. I can tell you that a lot of the rivers around Phoenix are damned because there are three man-made lakes within 1-2 hrs of Phoenix. That's where some of the water is held. I've also heard that we have some sort of agreement with California for water... I'm not complaining about the lack of rain, however. I love the sunshine and the golf courses here are still plenty green. Take it easy.

Shane
 
#23 ·
AZsmoothie said:
the origin of our water supplyis a bit of a mystery to me, too.
Central Arizona Project Canal. Pumps water from the Colorado River into AZ, and SoCal. Literally sucks up the mighty river by the time it reaches mexico.
 
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