Yes, another tire question... NT01 vs NT555R II Extreme

[2012-Boss]

When you get those 305 tires upfront, let us know how they fit!

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The tires get delivered today. I should be able to get them mounted and test fit them in the next two weeks.

 

[2012-Boss]

Good news, my scheduled allowed me to drop my front tires off for mounting and I test fit them this afternoon.

The Nitto NT555RII in 305/35/18 on the Team Dynamic wheels fit the front of the car just fine. With a 3/8" spacer, there is almost 1/2" between the tire and the Koni strut body. I have almost an 1" of clearance to the sway bar end link which has been trimmed and shimmed back for clearance.The tires extend beyond the fender about 1/2" with -2.1 camber, mainly due to tire bulge, which also means you have to take a second look to really see this.

I am going to switch from my Steeda Boss to H&R race springs later this year, so I will dial in something closer to -3.0 of camber which should tuck the tire in nicely at the top. I may also run the tires with a 1/4" spacer depending on how much brake duct rub I see. Steering limiters are also a option if rubbing becomes too much of a concern.

My biggest issue with the setup is the tire is a little squeezed on the rim. It is not unusable by any means, even Nitto says the minimum rim width is 10", but a 10.5" or 11" rim width would be better. Wider rims also present other issues like equal front and rear backspacing.

 

[2012-Boss]

I do have a question about the NT555RII tires. They are directional, but can you run them backwards if you do not care about noise or wet weather performance? If so, this will allow a left to right rotation vs just front to rear.

 

[2012-Boss]

I do have a question about the NT555RII tires. They are directional, but can you run them backwards if you do not care about noise or wet weather performance? If so, this will allow a left to right rotation vs just front to rear.

Nitto technical support answered my question. For track only dry weather use, a left to right rotation with the NT555RII if fine.

More good new, Nitto tech says they are doing production run of the NT01 in 305/35/18 this month and they should be available through vendors the last week of July.

 

[VoodooBoss]

More good new, Nitto tech says they are doing production run of the NT01 in 305/35/18 this month and they should be available through vendors the last week of July.

Where did you hear this from? Just yesterday I received the following message from a NorCal distributor:

"Spoke with Nitto USA today in regards to major backorder issues. 305/35/18 is on national backorder no build date no estimated ETA!"

Edit: I just sent a Nitto national sales manager an email to get official word on this. I met him at SEMA last Fall.

 

[2012-Boss]

I called Nitto technical support this afternoon and asked about both the tire rotation and the NT01 production schedule. Nitto tech support was very clear about the production schedule being this month and available through vendors.

I got the same back order response about no production scheduled from Discount Tire this week when I ordered my NT555RII's. Discount Tire told me it could be months before they got the tires in stock. But, the Nitto tech rep said they discussed it just yesterday at an internal meeting.

Of course, don't shoot me if this turns out to be wrong....

 

[VoodooBoss]

Or maybe not. Greg is a National Sales Manager for Nitto based in SoCal.

"Hi Rick,

Currently we do not have inventory on part #371-180, and at this time I do not have an ETA for production (so I do not know where your forum member got that information but at this time I cannot say when that tire will be produced.) I have forwarded your email to our procurement personnel who work directly with the factory and hopefully your request will help increase priority on that specific product.

I will keep your email and periodically check in with you to let you know the status as information becomes available.

Thanks,
Greg"

 

[Mad Hatter]

Hi I got this message today from Nitto....

"We appreciate your interest in Nitto Tire products.

Based on your description, the NT01 would be the preferred choice. The ETA for the NT01 305/35ZR18 is the end of July. If that is not feasible, another option could be with the NT05 (front) and NT05R (rear).

Sincerely,

Nitto Technical Department"

I guess I can wait a bit longer......

 

[neema]

End of July doesn't sound too bad. I'm surprised they recommended the NT05R for you. I thought that was a drag radial.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Yeah, not to long to wait. I though it odd as well that they would suggest a NT05R.

Anyone with a NT01, does it say " Made in the USA" on the tire? Free trade makes them cheaper for me down here. Every little bit you save counts.....so you can spend it on something else!

 

[neema]

Yeah, not to long to wait. I though it odd as well that they would suggest a NT05R.

Anyone with a NT01, does it say " Made in the USA" on the tire? Free trade makes them cheaper for me down here. Every little bit you save counts.....so you can spend it on something else!

Unfortunately, they're made in Japan

 

[Mad Hatter]

Thanks, That makes the hoosiers 6% more attractive!

 

[Mad Hatter]

Let us know what you think of them on the track! Nfsboss, did get any more track time on yours?

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[VoodooBoss]

Let us know what you think of them on the track! Nfsboss, did get any more track time on yours?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Fat sticky R comps turn our cars into Porsche eating machines. ;D

The 555's are working great and I can't wait to see how the NT01's are. There shouldn't be a huge difference but it will be interesting to try them back to back.

 

[steveespo]

Good news, my scheduled allowed me to drop my front tires off for mounting and I test fit them this afternoon.

The Nitto NT555RII in 305/35/18 on the Team Dynamic wheels fit the front of the car just fine. With a 3/8" spacer, there is almost 1/2" between the tire and the Koni strut body. I have almost an 1" of clearance to the sway bar end link which has been trimmed and shimmed back for clearance.The tires extend beyond the fender about 1/2" with -2.1 camber, mainly due to tire bulge, which also means you have to take a second look to really see this.

I am going to switch from my Steeda Boss to H&R race springs later this year, so I will dial in something closer to -3.0 of camber which should tuck the tire in nicely at the top. I may also run the tires with a 1/4" spacer depending on how much brake duct rub I see. Steering limiters are also a option if rubbing becomes too much of a concern.

My biggest issue with the setup is the tire is a little squeezed on the rim. It is not unusable by any means, even Nitto says the minimum rim width is 10", but a 10.5" or 11" rim width would be better. Wider rims also present other issues like equal front and rear backspacing.

Steve, Pics? I was thinking of ordering these since the NT01 in 305 are still not available. We need to all be on spec tires for Watkins in August.
Steve

 

[2012-Boss]

I can get pics of the tires mounted on the rims this weekend. I will email the pics to you and Pete while I figure out how to post them. I won't be able to get pictures of them on the car for a week or two. I dropped the car off at Revolution Auto this morning for a new Mc Leod RXT clutch. I was starting to have issue with the pedal sticking to the floor at NJMP last month. I am also having them do the brass shift stop, pads, etcetera while the transmission is out.

Once again, though, the wife does not see it as saving $1,000 on a wasted track weekend via preventative "maintenance."

 

[VoodooBoss]

Neema has posted many photos of his square setup 305 NT01's mounted on 10.5" wide Enkei PF01's.

The clutch will not fix the clutch sticking to the floor. The only known fix for that is to remove the helper spring.

 

[steveespo]

I can get pics of the tires mounted on the rims this weekend. I will email the pics to you and Pete while I figure out how to post them. I won't be able to get pictures of them on the car for a week or two. I dropped the car off at Revolution Auto this morning for a new Mc Leod RXT clutch. I was starting to have issue with the pedal sticking to the floor at NJMP last month. I am also having them do the brass shift stop, pads, etcetera while the transmission is out.

Once again, though, the wife does not see it as saving $1,000 on a wasted track weekend via preventative "maintenance."

Steve
How much for the trans freshening work? Might want to bring my original down there when we got Summit in the fall.
S

 

[Mad Hatter]

Any one have any insight on the Hankook ventus Z221 (hard) vs the NT01. I was looking at the 295/30-18 at US$1152 for 4.

 

[2012-Boss]

Rick,

I am planning on pulling the spring when I get the car back. I know you still had problems even after you got a new clutch until you pulled the spring. With the light pressure plate on a dual disk clutch, I can understand how the spring could cause an issue.

Steve,

Rev Auto charges $899 for their Stage 1 build. That gets you a rebuild with brass stop, shift pads, fully welded shift forks, and hand dressing / deburring of all gears and synchros. If there is any damage, the cost goes up from there. There shop is only a few miles from the I-95 and 695 interchange, so you wouldn't loose much more than 45 minutes on the way to Summit.

All I will need after I get my car back is a little Blowfish shifter magic.