Nittos for a daily driver
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: NC
Nittos for a daily driver I've been dying to get some new rear tires on my TA ever since i got 4.10s. I'm tired of burning through 2nd on the BFG KDWS that i have on there now. I want something that will grip on the street and the track. I've been looking at some Nittos 555R and have heard that they are great both on the track and the street, but i have also heard about problems with traction in the rain after a few thousand miles have been put on the tires. I was just wondering if anyone runs these tires on a daily/weekly driver and has had any problems with wet traction. Also i would like to know if there is another good tire that has awesome dry traction and will be able to stand the rain once in a while. I've also heard BFG KD were good but i didn't want to cough up 260 bucks for each tire.
Jimmy
2000 Trans Am WS6
Current mods: Slp long tube headers, random tech high flow cat, borla cat-back, 4.10s, BMR torque arm, BMR lower control arms, BMR Panhard bar, lowered (Eibach pro-kit springs), BMR strut tower brace.
Coming soon: battery relocation, LS6 intake manifold, head and cam package
Jimmy
2000 Trans Am WS6
Current mods: Slp long tube headers, random tech high flow cat, borla cat-back, 4.10s, BMR torque arm, BMR lower control arms, BMR Panhard bar, lowered (Eibach pro-kit springs), BMR strut tower brace.
Coming soon: battery relocation, LS6 intake manifold, head and cam package
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 7,036
Likes: 1
From: Lake Zurich, IL
I'm running 15" nittos on some 15x8 prostars now as my daily tires... They grip a ton better than my other 17" Kuhmo Supra 712s ...
Regarding the wet traction issues... I've heard people say that alot... hell over the weekend it was POURING and I was 50 miles from home in my 382 TA w/skinnies in front, and nittos in back... everyone was saying I was crazy for driving it ... (it was coming down hard) ... I made it home fine... 70mph on freeways ... car didn't float or loose traction at all (I was just easy on the throttle)
Now if you're on bald nittos.. that's as bad as running ET STreets ... but Nittos for normal driving I think will last a while... I don't plan on racing on these at the track at all (that's what the ET Streets are fo) ...
Regarding the wet traction issues... I've heard people say that alot... hell over the weekend it was POURING and I was 50 miles from home in my 382 TA w/skinnies in front, and nittos in back... everyone was saying I was crazy for driving it ... (it was coming down hard) ... I made it home fine... 70mph on freeways ... car didn't float or loose traction at all (I was just easy on the throttle)
Now if you're on bald nittos.. that's as bad as running ET STreets ... but Nittos for normal driving I think will last a while... I don't plan on racing on these at the track at all (that's what the ET Streets are fo) ...
11 Second Club
iTrader: (20)
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,684
Likes: 3
From: Albuquerque NM - The Land of 8000ft DA
I agree with the wet traction.
Its not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. Well I guess if you want to put "wet" and "traction" in the same sentence but I don't think it really matters what tire you have.
In all honestly I have been really amazed at how well these tires hold up in wet weather. I have done 80 on wet freeways with no hint of traction loss.
Just use common sense in when driving your car on wet roads. You'll be alright.
Its not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. Well I guess if you want to put "wet" and "traction" in the same sentence but I don't think it really matters what tire you have.
In all honestly I have been really amazed at how well these tires hold up in wet weather. I have done 80 on wet freeways with no hint of traction loss.
Just use common sense in when driving your car on wet roads. You'll be alright.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Elizabeth, NJ
From what I've been able to gather, the Nitto's are great on the street, good at the track, and decent in the rain. I had BFG g-force DR's on my Camaro last summer. They hooked really well both on the street and the track, and that's with little to no burnout. They were ok in the rain until the end of summer when they had about 7-8000 miles on them. One night on the Turnpike it was pouring, I mean buckets. The car was all over the place and I had to drive literally 35-40mph in the slow lane with the hazards on so I didn't lose it. Thank God Nitto finally made the 555R's in a size to fit my wheels!!! I'll be getting a set soon.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: NC
Thanks for all the info guys. I think i am going to stick with the nittos and get a pair as soon as i can burn this KDWS off 
.
2000 Trans Am Ws6
Current mods: Slp long tube headers, random tech high flow cat, borla cat-back, 4.10s, BMR torque arm, BMR lower control arms, BMR Panhard bar, lowered (Eibach pro-kit springs), BMR strut tower brace.
Coming soon: battery relocation, LS6 intake manifold, head and cam package
.2000 Trans Am Ws6
Current mods: Slp long tube headers, random tech high flow cat, borla cat-back, 4.10s, BMR torque arm, BMR lower control arms, BMR Panhard bar, lowered (Eibach pro-kit springs), BMR strut tower brace.
Coming soon: battery relocation, LS6 intake manifold, head and cam package
get them for sure..i daily drove them in college for a couple years. even with the middles totally bald i made it though some really really bad rainstorms no problem..i was very impressed with those tires
I've had 4 sets of Nitto DR's 275/40/17(on the rear) on my ws6 daily driven and raced every weekend for over 75K miles (I used to preach about how good they are for daily drivers). One day a storm came down hard and I spun my car out through the median toward on-coming traffic on the interstate (65mph). I have TCS and it didn't even come on it just hydroplaned like crazy. I made it ok and the car needed some minor stuff repaired($1000 Broken Rim, A-arm, Wheel Bearing,etc). After that incident I do not drive on them anymore I went back to street tire.
If you do not drive interstate a lot I would recommend them, but rain + 1/2 worn nitto dr's = accident waiting to happen. I've had 4 sets of them and I loved every minute of them on the street, but it only takes 1 time to learn a valuable lesson.
I used to 60' consistant 2.0's with them (M6) and now I only 60' 2.1's with kuhmo's in regards to performance.
If you do not drive interstate a lot I would recommend them, but rain + 1/2 worn nitto dr's = accident waiting to happen. I've had 4 sets of them and I loved every minute of them on the street, but it only takes 1 time to learn a valuable lesson.
I used to 60' consistant 2.0's with them (M6) and now I only 60' 2.1's with kuhmo's in regards to performance.
