** NITTO NT05 Review, Great Tires**

[n2bimmer]

I picked up a set of the Nitto NT05 in 235/40/17 & 255/40/17. First off the Nitto NT05 is a great looking tire. It is an extreme performance street tire meant to be driven on the street and beaten on the track. Before the NT05’s I had a set of Dunlop Z1’s in 245/40/17 all around. After I got the Nitto’s mounted on right away I felt a big difference in steering response, the front turned in so much better, it was much sharper, crisper and nimble compared to the Z1’s. Comfort, noise and performance is a big concern for me as my car is daily driven and also tracked/spirited driven. On the street the one thing I noticed was that it was driving smoother on the pavement, they were much quieter than the Z1’s, however I did notice a firmer ride with these tires when it came in contact with imperfection’s on the road and this is due to a firmer side wall, but you will benefit from this on the track. Overall this is a great street tire and Nitto has impressed me. Over the past weekend I was able to push the car & the tires and I can say I liked what I felt, like I said before the front turns in so much better, it’s so easy to toss the car into the corners, the rear sticks along very well, the tire’s provide more than enough hint’s via screeching before they break loose and they are very predictable. Unlike other tire’s the NT05’s stick very well when cold, you really don’t need to heat them up crazy to get the max grip. Keep in mind I only have a few hundred miles on them and they are not fully broken in, I can only image how awesome it will be once they completely break in. I have not ran into any rain/wet road’s yet (California) but I’m confident that these will do great due to the thread design. Also may i add that im getting better gas mileage, I am getting 25+ more miles on a full tank compared to the Dunlops. I will update the thread with track impressions after the 12th.

Summary

The Nitto NT05 is an awesome extreme performance tire that does great on the street with almost no downside’s and performs even better all at a great price.

[n2bimmer]

Ill get a better pic shorty.

[Dougy Fresh]

What center caps are those in your rcs? I want to do that to my set, to keep water out, since I don't like the stock rc caps.

[z31maniac]

Interesting. They only thing that turns me off about these is since I wouldn't be shaving my street tires, the NT-05 are molded at 6/32" tread depth vs 10/32" tread depth like most other tires.

That could account for the sharper turn-in, but also means they aren't going to last as long.

[Lance Racing]

This tire has no intention to give high miles. Anything going out on the track shouldn't be more than 6/32 to begin with. Too much tread squirm. Expect 10k-15k miles in order to enjoy a softer compound.

[n2bimmer]

Ya you cant really expect alot of miles out of a performance tire. The center caps are BMW, the wheels are APEX ARC-8

[Wh33lhop]

Interesting. I saw these awhile ago, decent pricing if they really are that good but it seems that they only come in 17+ inch sizing.

[z31maniac]

This tire has no intention to give high miles. Anything going out on the track shouldn't be more than 6/32 to begin with. Too much tread squirm. Expect 10k-15k miles in order to enjoy a softer compound.

I'm not saying I expect high mileage out of an "ST" class auto-x tire. But if they are going to serve double duty, ie street and AutoX, and you aren't competing for trophies, I don't see givng up the mileage.

I'm waiting fir GRM to test these vs the other tires in the class to see how they compare.

Although I'm really looking at these or the Star Specs in 235/40/17

EDIT: Is DTD the cheapest place online to get these?

[n2bimmer]

I'm not saying I expect high mileage out of an "ST" class auto-x tire. But if they are going to serve double duty, ie street and AutoX, and you aren't competing for trophies, I don't see givng up the mileage.

I'm waiting fir GRM to test these vs the other tires in the class to see how they compare.

Although I'm really looking at these or the Star Specs in 235/40/17

EDIT: Is DTD the cheapest place online to get these?

Thats how im using these, street and track. Trust me, you want these rather than the Z1's,

[Bishop]

Why? Do you have first hand experience with both tires? I had Star Specs on my last car and was planning on putting a set, 235/40, on my 17" Apex ARC-8 wheels get here next week.

z31, DTD = Dicount Tire Direct?

[z31maniac]

^Yup, in fact, that's the only place I can think of where I've seen them for sale. Although I'd love to know if anyone has them cheaper.

Thats how im using these, street and track. Trust me, you want these rather than the Z1's,

Really? That much better, huh? I figured with the development on these tires where its at now (ST class that is) that is was kinda like sport bikes. They are all so close it's splitting hairs.

But I like that they seem to be the cheapest.

[Bishop]

I'm checking right now, and looks like DTD has the Star Specs for $142 each, Tire Rack has em $133 each. NT-05 at DTD for $139 and I can't find another site that carries em. Is there any reason why people would pick DTD over Tire Rack? I've always seen Tire Rack's prices to be the cheapest, and if you take a quote to a Discount Tire in person, they'll match the quote.

I agree it's splitting hairs though. They're both going to be great tires for multi-use. If you want to use em mainly for racing, buy an R-comp, you wanna use em on the street, buy a michelin or something comfortable.

[z31maniac]

Because Tire Rack doesn't sell Nitto/Falken/Toyo, otherwise they always seem to have the best prices.

[Bishop]

Just wondering If DTD offered something Tire Rack didn't, other than brands. I used to work for a local Discount Tire, but honestly, it's hard to beat Tire Rack. I'll usually print out Tire Rack's quote, get it matched, and the labor and everything is covered, shipping is free lol...

[n2bimmer]

Why? Do you have first hand experience with both tires? I had Star Specs on my last car and was planning on putting a set, 235/40, on my 17" Apex ARC-8 wheels get here next week.

z31, DTD = Dicount Tire Direct?

Just like the original post states, i had Dunlop Z1 before this, they are still sitting in the backyard, Id have to hit the track to be 100 percent, will report back