What is the secret to running Nitto NT555 Extreme ZR's?

[swoop1156]

Bought these in the stock 245/45/17 size, and the stock Goodyear ZR45's hooked and held better than these do!

Sure, they look nice but breaking loose in 3rd gear is not good! Second is all over the place and forget about taking off with any amount of power applied.

I hated the ZR45's as they were loud and stuff -- but Nitto can suck one.

I've ran them at 35, 32, 30, and 28 psi... Nothing helps.

Do I just have a bad batch of tires?

[03SHKR]

I run the Notto 555 extremes on the road course. They are pretty good once they are hot. When they are cold, they are not that good. On wet roads, they might slightly better than skatorbacks, but not much.

[swoop1156]

What is your definition of hot/cold? I've run over 100 miles on the highway with them and they still blow balls at the next light. I've done a burnout on them and they suck. I think they just suck!

[HotRod]

Maybe you should have bought a bigger size?

[swoop1156]

Bigger size won't help if the tires are no good anyway...you know?

I'm still running the stock wheels for now, but very shortly going with some 18" I think. I think I want to go 18". Anyway, they were cheap and darn near new. I'll burn them off for fun for all I care, but I would like to see some more grip from them.

[HotRod]

I have run the 555s on many different vehicles with good results. On most of those cars, I do run nitto DRs on the drive wheels though. We even had DRs on the front of our GTP.
The 555s are a great tire for the price. They arent nearly as expensive as the Goodyears, but not quite as sticky either.
If you want to hook, your not going to do it with a 245 on stock suspension.

[HotRod]

Originally Posted by swoop1156

they were cheap and darn near new.

Cuold they have gotten hard (dry out) from sitting? It doesnt take long for tires to harden up and not hook at all.

[swoop1156]

Hear ya on both accounts. They haven't dried out and dry-rotted. I checked them out pretty close, and as a fact -- my Mach1 has only 8,000 miles on it with the stock Goodyears, and they hook fine. The Mach sat for a while, just like the Nittos, but the Nittos aren't over 3 years old like the ZR45's, either.

As far as "hooking up", I am referring to the stock ZR45's vs. the Nitto's. Not looking to pull the wheels off the ground or anything.

[StangIT]

The problem with them is that the compound they're made of is too freaken HARD!... I replaced my rear ones with Firestone Firehawk WideOvals and will never look back.

I still have them on the front wheels, but who cares?
They're so dang hard that they front ones should last another 30k+!

[swoop1156]

There is another guy who thinks like I do. That's what I was considering. They are a decent enough tire, just thought they'd be a little grippier.

[TRMach1]

Dude, I completely agree with you! I never understood why people raved about Nitto 555 tires! I put a set on my 98 GT convertible that I traded in on my Mach 1, way back in '02, and they were the scariest tires I ever had!

It was constantly like driving on ice or oil. They had zero traction in the rear, and the fronts would slide across the road during any kind of mild turning! I was almost in constant fear of wrecking the car everytime I drove it. I would never recommend Nitto tires to anyone.

Right now, I have a set of Falken Ziex ZE-512's in 275/40/17 all around, and they are a surprisingly good all season tire for the price.

[03SHKR]

Originally Posted by swoop1156

What is your definition of hot/cold? I've run over 100 miles on the highway with them and they still blow balls at the next light. I've done a burnout on them and they suck. I think they just suck!

OK. They suck. You asked if you got a bad batch and I gave you my experience with them on the road course. I wasn't trying to change your mind.

I think the best all around tire I have used is the Goodyear GS-D3. I'm on my 3rd set of these on the Mach 1 and I also had them on my 67 fastback. It's a more expensive tire. But, I think it's worth it.

I just put the Firestone wide ovals on my 67. I don't have a lot of miles on them and this is a show car. So, I don't know how well they would perfrom on a daily driver or a race car. But, I like them. They seem to hook decently and they have a good ride.

Another tire I like is the Khumo Ecsta MX. I have these on my SVO. They work well hot/cold/wet. They perfrom very well on the raod course and the price is good.

FWIW. I have 7 cars (6 of them Mustangs) and I do a lot with them. I've bought about 8 sets of tires over the last couple years. I won't claim to be a tire expert, but I've tried a few different types on a few different cars.

[swoop1156]

Originally Posted by BrianWannaMach

OK. They suck. You asked if you got a bad batch and I gave you my experience with them on the road course. I wasn't trying to change your mind.

I think the best all around tire I have used is the Goodyear GS-D3. I'm on my 3rd set of these on the Mach 1 and I also had them on my 67 fastback. It's a more expensive tire. But, I think it's worth it.

I just put the Firestone wide ovals on my 67. I don't have a lot of miles on them and this is a show car. So, I don't know how well they would perfrom on a daily driver or a race car. But, I like them. They seem to hook decently and they have a good ride.

Another tire I like is the Khumo Ecsta MX. I have these on my SVO. They work well hot/cold/wet. They perfrom very well on the raod course and the price is good.

FWIW. I have 7 cars (6 of them Mustangs) and I do a lot with them. I've bought about 8 sets of tires over the last couple years. I won't claim to be a tire expert, but I've tried a few different types on a few different cars.

I wasn't trying to bust your balls or anything either, bud. Hence the reason I asked, as I don't know everything and never will claim to do so.

Also, FWIW. I own three cars, two of them Mustangs and my family has five between us all. Two Mach1's, '03 GT Convertible, a V6 Convertible and a '90 Hatch. Also have a truck and minivan, but anyway -- we are talking sports tires.

I've been all over the place with BFGoodrich T/A's, KDW's, Goodyear ZR45's, Kumho's, Cooper's and other makes/models of tires in a plethora of sizes. Hell, I had 17x9 Cobra R's on my Ranger with 275's on it. Had Ecsta 711's on those with no issues.

This was my first time using Nitto and before I go telling the general population my opinion about how I think they are horrible, I wanted to get some other opinions of people whom have the same model car that I do. Maybe it's a 245/45 thing, maybe it's a Mustang suspension geometry thing, maybe it's a hard rubber thing, which I am hearing lots about.

Seems that I'm not the only one that dislikes, or one who has heard bad things about them. That's what we all are on here for.

Thanks for your assistance in the matter, it's always good to have some debate going on, you know?

[Ralph Greene]

They are designed to be all around performance tires. They have a 300 tread wear rating, which is a fairly hard compound. So they can last a while.

You just bought the wrong kind of tires for your intended use. Nothing wrong with 555's.

[Hmbre97]

Originally Posted by Ralph Greene

They are designed to be all around performance tires. They have a 300 tread wear rating, which is a fairly hard compound. So they can last a while.

You just bought the wrong kind of tires for your intended use. Nothing wrong with 555's.

+1. I have them on my Mach and trying to hook up is a joke. I did manage to cut a 2.0 60ft with them but that was with some fancy footwork and a super prepped track

[Charles236]

I agree with Ralph, the 555s are a general purpose low profile tire. I am on my second set, they do great for my style of driving and have good tread life. If I were going to drag race, though, I would use the 555 drag radials if I wanted to stay with Nittos.

[HotRod]

^^^ In a nutshell.

[swoop1156]

See, that's where I am getting confused. I'm not wanting to drag race. I'm wanting to be able to pull out in traffic and not worry if I have to apply half-throttle to get going. Half-throttle and these things burn.

Ah well, more the reason to get new wheels/tires sooner!

[HotRod]

If your burning them at half throttle, they are either:
Too narrow
Old tires (dry)
Over-inflated

If this is in 1st gear, then welcome to the wonderful world of the Mach1. Thats why we love them.

[swoop1156]

They could just be dried out. They're hard to the touch, moreso than that of the Eagle ZR's. 'Eh, burn 'em off and re-mount the others if I don't have new one's by then on new wheels.

[HotRod]

Have you done a good burnout with them yet? Maybe a heat cycle will help the situation? Or at least your frustration!

[swoop1156]

I've done a decent burnout with them. Grabbed quite a bit in first and about 20 feet in second. Or are you talking just sitting there and roasting them? Either way, it's either fun or beneficial -- so it's a win-win situation!

[wchamberlain]

The secret is too burn em and go get some mt drag radials or ET streets!!!!!!