JDee said:

I had a set of those 555 Nittos, in 285/305 when I first started out with the Mustang. They don't run wide and while they stand up well to track use they are not very grippy. Most importantly, running staggered with a smaller width front tire than rear tire makes the always present understeer much worse. I ended up using the 555s for wet days, and they were a pretty decent wet weather tire. But a Mustang needs to be on square 305/11 inch rims as a minimum to really shine.

Usually OEMs make suspension components as an integrated package and that can have ramifications right down to bushing durometer and finer details like that. So that is possibly why they don't want to sell you that stuff. Putting the HP springs on a base could have some significant impacts that might make for some unusual results. Shock valving differences, spring rates and sway bar diameter are just some things that wouldn't be apparent and could be different between base and HP. Those things all affect handling.

I have a non-HP 2023 Mach 1. It is stock, as delivered, right down to the tires and wheels. It turns laps pretty much what my former 2016 car could do. That 2016 car was a much modified GT that had the full Ford racing suspension on it and was stripped, gutted and on 305 AR1 slicks. I find the handling of my stock Mach 1 to be every bit as good as that car was, the ultimate G's are lower due to less tire width, but the handling is very good. The Mach 1 is quite a bit faster in a straight line than the '16 so that helps make up for some of the grip loss. Lap times are about a wash between the two, the new car is just a few tenths slower.

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JDee said:

I had a set of those 555 Nittos, in 285/305 when I first started out with the Mustang. They don't run wide and while they stand up well to track use they are not very grippy. Most importantly, running staggered with a smaller width front tire than rear tire makes the always present understeer much worse. I ended up using the 555s for wet days, and they were a pretty decent wet weather tire. But a Mustang needs to be on square 305/11 inch rims as a minimum to really shine.

Usually OEMs make suspension components as an integrated package and that can have ramifications right down to bushing durometer and finer details like that. So that is possibly why they don't want to sell you that stuff. Putting the HP springs on a base could have some significant impacts that might make for some unusual results. Shock valving differences, spring rates and sway bar diameter are just some things that wouldn't be apparent and could be different between base and HP. Those things all affect handling.

I have a non-HP 2023 Mach 1. It is stock, as delivered, right down to the tires and wheels. It turns laps pretty much what my former 2016 car could do. That 2016 car was a much modified GT that had the full Ford racing suspension on it and was stripped, gutted and on 305 AR1 slicks. I find the handling of my stock Mach 1 to be every bit as good as that car was, the ultimate G's are lower due to less tire width, but the handling is very good. The Mach 1 is quite a bit faster in a straight line than the '16 so that helps make up for some of the grip loss. Lap times are about a wash between the two, the new car is just a few tenths slower.

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Bill Pemberton said:

Sounds like you are using these for on the street and then switching over to the 305s and 315s when you decide to track them, correct? Honestly scratching my head why you didn't bother getting the same size with something else if you are saving the stock HP tires. There are plenty of better choices than the Nittos and not much more money. The Mach drives great on the street with 305s and 315s. Since you have the HP wheels , what happened to the stock wheels?

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Dan2023 said:

What size width rim were you running on your Nitto tires?

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Bill Pemberton said:

With a nickname of " Schittos " I think you have other solid choices , but a 305 on a 10 inch wheel is pushing it. I would go with a 275 front for a 9.5 inch wheel and 295s in the rear that are only 10 inches in width. Check out a Falken RT660 , as it is a solid street and even track tire since you are looking for a high performance Summer tire.

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Dan2023 said:

I have 10 1/2 inch front and 11 inch rear wheels. They are original handling package wheels,
285/35/19 on the front and 305/35/19 on the rears should be proper fitment am I correct?

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mvic1518 said:

I have a 2024 Dark horse with the handling package, it came with Trofeo RS 305/30/19 front and 315/30/19 rear. I don't track my car and I'm going to change them to something less aggressive for everyday use, and sell the trofeos to someone that tracks their car. The trofeos are a great track tire according to all the magazine testing's.

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mvic1518 said:

I have a 2024 Dark horse with the handling package, it came with Trofeo RS 305/30/19 front and 315/30/19 rear. I don't track my car and I'm going to change them to something less aggressive for everyday use, and sell the trofeos to someone that tracks their car. The trofeos are a great track tire according to all the magazine testing's.

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JAJ said:

I went looking for a Trofeo RS review and didn't see any. Can you point me at one? I ran Trofeo R's in the past, I really liked them and they're what I'm switching back to when my current set of MPSC2's wears out. I saw the RS, but they're an OEM tire, and it's not clear what that means. Pirelli's advertising that says "the R's were an aftermarket tire" make it sound like the RS's are better, but frankly, an OEM tire has to past a bunch of OEM tests for things like noise and longevity that the aftermarket tires can skip.

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JAJ said:

I went looking for a Trofeo RS review and didn't see any. Can you point me at one? I ran Trofeo R's in the past, I really liked them and they're what I'm switching back to when my current set of MPSC2's wears out. I saw the RS, but they're an OEM tire, and it's not clear what that means. Pirelli's advertising that says "the R's were an aftermarket tire" make it sound like the RS's are better, but frankly, an OEM tire has to past a bunch of OEM tests for things like noise and longevity that the aftermarket tires can skip.

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Bill Pemberton said:

Things are exciting in the Tire Wars as there is alot of conjecture and data that the A052 may have given up the crown back to the RE71RS. Just ask DaveW of solo performance.com as he has run both, granted he is an example of what is hot autocrossing. Recent TireRack tests and others seem to show the Bridgerock lasts a bit longer on a road course , and with the folks I have been with on track I would have to say that seems to be born out. Just an interesting note and not denying bnight's thoughts, but with the new Nankang CR-S ( version 2 ) the fight is on and we are the ones who will benefit the most.

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Bill Pemberton said:

The issue with the A052 is not speed it is wear. I would drive on them some prior before going to the track, but what folks see with them ( because they are super popular for autocrossing ) is they wear faster than most. Keep in mind that DaveW is running Bridgestone 295/18 on his huge wheels in CAMC so there are always exceptions to having the widest tire. I would rotate often and the Yokes are really fast for 1-3 laps on a road course, so keep that in mind for when you want your quickest time.

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