Nitto's NT-555...good choice?

[SpikeMT]

I know everyone has an opinion. There are plus's and minus's on traction and wet/dry traction.

I want a tire to drive everyday with as little wheel hop as possible. Pilots are like $300.00...I would rather not spend that. NITTOs seem to be pretty good.

NT555 or the NT extreme II...

Which is best or another tire? Is there another size(wider) I can put on the factory rims? I wouldnt mind that...


I am not racing around corners. I just want to launch off the starting line when those punks with their Mustang GTs and the silly imports line up next to me at the lights..lol


Thanks
Steve

[beerkat]

I run the NT555 street tire on my '03. I use them on track as well. I ran a set on my Lightning as well. they have been a good tire for me

[Texaslawdawg]

The 555R drag radials are great tires and last a decent length... they don't hook as well as a Mickey Thompson ET Radial thats for sure but they last over twice as long!

[RedSnake]

Anyone try the BFG drag radial with the type 2 tread?

Mike

[ausie]

Launching off on the street can be unpredictable as you probably well know by now. Street legal drag radials would make a good choice but probably better suited at the track than on the street although they would hook great if the road surface was in prime condition (clean ) and the tires are up to temperature. Most street legal drag radials are intended for track use as their primary function but can be driven legally on the street but may not do too well if the street surface is covered with small stones or debris. There are some good alternatives like the Nitto extreme's (I have heard alot of good things about Nittos.) Also there are other brands of tires that are just as good. My preference are the Toyo Proxes T1-R's which are excellent in the rain and on dry pavement and not all that bad at the track either if properly prepped. There may be others that are just as good or better. If you like the Nitto tire I believe that would be a better choice than the Pilots and would probably cost less. Talk it over with a tire dealer that sells both and see what they say. Of course it is there job to steer you in one direction but if they want you to return the next time hopefully they will steer you in the right direction. That is how I wound up with Toyo's and have been happy ever since then. Although I am considering some drag radials for the weekends.

Eric

[neckdemon]

i actually just ordered a det of nitto nt-555's for the front and a set of nt-555r's for the back. the drag radials just hook so well i couldn't see myself being happy with anything less. as far as wet traction goes, yeah they aren't aquatreads, that's for sure. but if you take it easy in the rain (which i do in a mustang even with normal tires) you will be fine. there are certain DR's that can't be driven safely in the rain (namely the mickey thompson's), but i've driven nitto DR's on my fox-body stangs before, and so have a few of my friends. no problems thus far and they hook pretty damn good when it's dry. you have your choice. you can have a tire that will get good wet weather traction but not have good traction when it's dry. or you can have a tire that "hooks up" when it's dry but you will have to take it easy when it's raining. i personally don't need to drive fast in the rain, so my choice was easy.

[ausie]

When it comes to driving in the rain, usually best if avoided but since you cannot dodge the weather if you get stuck in it there is no disadvantage in having a tire that performs equally well in dry or wet conditions. Nitto claims good wet traction for the NT-555 (non drag radial) which would be a good overall tire for a daily driver. Then there is the new Nitto INVO tire which is non-directional so you can rotate the wheels if you have the stock rims. By looking at both, the NT-555 appears to have more contact surface area over the INVO. If your tires will see the track on as many weekends possible, then by all means get the drag radials. IT may be an advantage to have an extra set of wheels with drag radials mounted on them for just that occasion. At least that would reduce the wear on the daily driver tires to some degree. That will be something I will do this year is to get a set of rims for the rear end just for the drag racing days and just put them on the night before I go to the track right after work. That would be something to consider since wheels can become expensive as well as having to replace tires every year.