Nitto NT05 335 on Gen III/IV rear

[FrgMstr]

Seeing that the Kumho XS is going away, I have been looking around and doing some searching here about the Nitto NT05.

I have found several threads about people talking about using these, but not much follow up and no pictures shown.

The NT05 is rated better for dry performance compared to the Invo, but the NT05 does not come in 345 rated width, but the tire sizes according to Nitto are VERY similar. I also see some folks talking about the Invo sidewall being too soft. And I am not worried at all about wet traction. The NT05 is quite a bit less expensive as well.

I have OEM 6 spoke 13x19 wheels seen in my avatar.

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NT05 Specs - 335/30ZR19 Outside Diameter - 26.89 Width - 13.31

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Invo Specs - 345/30ZR19 Outside Diameter - 27.17 Width - 13.35

Would love to hear your thoughts, hopefully some first hand experience and pictures if you have those. The Discount Tire reviews are stellar for the NT05, FWIW. Thanks. Did I mention pictures?

 

[Dom426h]

Alright Frg, I saw your comment in my Kumho thread so here you go

I have had the NittoNT05's on my GTS for a few months now. Coming off of the NittoINVO's these NT05's are a big improvement performance wise for people that like to turn. The big complaint some had about the INVO's is the soft sidewall that is not ideal for us that track/autocross or just go around turns real fast. I was expecting more roadnoise with the more solid tread and stiffer sidewall but did not notice anything. Ive put two trackday on em and about 2,000 street miles on em and am very satisfied.

To be Clear:
-If you are into going in a straight line(dragracing) the INVO is the ticket as the soft sidewall's provide a nice launch(similar to a dragradial)
-If you are into trackdays/autocross or simply going around turns fast on public roads then the NT05 is the tire for you.

It is possible that these NT05's are equally comparable to the (former)KUMHO's and current PS2's but even if they are a 9.5 and the PS2 is a 10.0 i would still prefer to have the extra cash to be able throw a fresh set of NT05's on my Viper every two years as opposed to the average viper owner who has old hard Michelins on their Viper.

ViperPartsofAmerica Pricing for Gen3/4 Vipers
MichilenPS2 - $1,725 (set)
Nitto NT05 - $1,150 (set)

That is $575bucks in your pocket every two years if you are on a tire schedule like me(4or5 trackdays and about 10,000 street miles). To me that equals the price of 2 or 3 trackdays


More reviews on the Nitto NT05 here:
http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...ack-Day!-New-Nitto-NT05..-56k.....yeah-right-....
http://www.modified.com/tech/modp-0906-nitto-nt05-tire-review/viewall.html
http://www.timeattackforums.com/forums/wheels-tires/1230-review-nitto-nt05-street-class-tire.html
http://www.trackhq.com/forums/f296/nitto-nt05-tire-test-1940/





Here is a pic of them ready to be mounted on my car (the pic you have posted above is actually of the NT05R(dragradial)....

on a gen4:

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[bluesrt]

looks like a great tire and lasts a good while

 

[Metalpeddler]

What about the NT05R??

It comes in 345/30/R19...

 

[FrgMstr]

Alright Frg, I saw your comment in my Kumho thread so here you go

You sir, kick much ass. Thanks for such a detailed and informative feedback.

 

[TowDawg]

What about the NT05R??

It comes in 345/30/R19...

The "R" is the drag radial. Not what I would want to be running all the time. I have Invo's now, but I might try the NT05's next time. The Invo's do have a soft sidewall and require a little getting used to when running through the corners. I generally don't drive the Viper in the rain and if I do, I take it really easy anyway. I think the NT05's might be a great tire for me.

 

[FrgMstr]

What about the NT05R??

It comes in 345/30/R19...

That is a drag radial, so you are back in the same boat with a soft sidewall that will not equate to good cornering. The reviews i have read on them for drag racing seem to hold those in fairly high regard. Give those a read, they are worth a laugh if nothing else.

 

[Metalpeddler]

With a planned 1,000RWHP, I am thinking that the drag radials (NT05R) or the Pilot Sport Cup are some of my only options and the price difference between the 2 seems to make the choice for me...

I would like to try the Invo's, but I just don't know about traction issues...

 

[AndyMac]

I'm running the regular NT05's on my TT Gen 1 with Gen3 10 spokes. With my old smaller turbos, I had traction problems. A roll on the throttle in 3rd at about 50mph resulted in loss of traction. I've since upgraded to much bigger turbos, and the onset of power is a little slower than I'd like, but results in full traction all the time. I'm also only sitting at about 6.5 lbs of boost with a VERY conservative tune. (water/****, 10.8:1 AFR, 14-18* total timing. My WG's are triggering my knock sensor when they open, so I need to fix this before getting more aggressive with my tune)

I find them a really nice street tire, but for a strong turbo car, you will have traction issues. I found they handled great in my last autocross event a few weeks ago, and I do like them, but my next set will definitely be NTO5R''s.

 

[TMan]

So what size do you run on the front? ....Well I take that back. I found a 275/35-18 on another search.

 

[bross]

I run a 285/30/19 invo up front and a 345/30/19 nto5r out back. It gets awesome traction for a 1k Hp car and handle quite well for my taste.