JeremyGSU

Well, I bought my first Z at the end of October and immediately threw some Nitto NT555 RII's on with the intent to track the car as a street / track car. I'm an instructor with Chin and so far I've done two days at Road Atlanta and 4 days at Sebring. I've been very impressed with these tires considering I just drive to the track with them. I think I've been able to run around 2:25's at Sebring with them and my car is just lowered on bolts with Bilstein shocks so these tires are impressive for a drive to event tire. They really grip well and are very predictable and fit the oem rims nicely.

I will say that they are pretty scary in the rain, even when new, and had it rained the last day I went I would have been in trouble as it was raining on the way down and I was already hydroplanning.

With that said I got 6 track days out of them and I obtained 3,435 total miles. I think those results are pretty good all considering the grip amount and the number of days.

The fronts still look GREAT. I can't believe how little they are worn considering how much abuse I have put them through.


The backs however are completely shot. I even had them swapped before the last two days left to right to help with the wear.


I'll have a new set of rears put on before the next event but the fronts look like they will last some time yet.

The rears would be shot because of all the slip angle.

I'm planning on getting the Johnny O'Connell setup soon so that should help with some more even tire wear.

Anyhow, very happy with these. Too bad they quit making them.

Just thought I would share my results.

Jeremy

doveboat

I am on my 2nd set of rII's on my 02 C5Z and have had similar results.

I ran 6 track days (25 run sessions) along with 4k street miles.

My fronts and rears were both done after day # 6 though.

I run on the tracks in S Cal for the most part.

Ed

GeorgeZNJ

Thanks for the write up. The rears look like hey could go 10-12 more daysJ/KD) I haven't looked at a dual use tire yet, does nitto make a replacement for the R2's?

JeremyGSU

To my knowledge the only other Nitto similiarly compared is the NT-01. One could argue that the RII's aren't really a "dual use". It's really more of an R-compound that I just choose to drive on. I would say the NT-05 is probably a better dual use tire from a life perspective. I'm going to continue to use these until I can't find them anymore. They are still on Discounts website currently.

vms4evr

I've gone through several sets of these dating back to my C4. I love them!

They are technically R-comps that are DOT legal. They're 100 treadwear rating so what I call an entry level R-comp for grip and wear. The Toyo RA1 is similar. 100 treadwear, maily spec racer tire, but you can street drive them also. As you noted they are interesting in the rain. I've run VIR and Watkins Glen with them in the rain at about half depth and the car "moves" a lot! They were never made to be a rain tire.

The rear wear should not be surprising. The fronts come 6/32 depth and are even across the tire. The rears are 5/32 but that seems to be the outside. The inside seems to be 4/32. So you see that wear fast. I found running the rears with less air helps them some for wear. The outside edges still look good when you are going to scrap the tire. Run the middle until it is completely bald. You'll be surprised how long they last. I never got down to the cords on them.

The NT01 was the Nitto replacement but the sizes don't bode well with a Z06 and the comments I've read say it isn't that much better like Nitto hoped. It's almost better as a drifter tire. I'd stick with the R2s until they stop making them too!

The NT05 is not that great in the rain as a street tire either but livable. I've driven them street and track in the rain and they are predictable but not great grip. As a dry tire the NT05 is a lot of fun street or track and you can pick some up cheap.

I've ridden in some C6s with the Nitto Invo and they are pretty darned good on track for a street tire and do very well in the rain. They tend to be more popular with the C6 crowd as their sizes are 18/19.

Can't say as I have ever had a bad set of Nittos. They balance well, roll smooth, and the price is good.

Quickshift_C5

I've been running the 555R II's since last year and have been very impressed with them. I'm also looking for a competent replacement for street/track double duty.

You say the NT05R's do well on a road course? The Nitto site says they are a drag tire, not a road course. Because of that, I've been reluctant to think that would be a good replacement. I don't want to sacrifice cornering grip.

BillY2KFRC

I've overall been pretty happy with my RIIs as well. I agree on the wet, even at full tread, the first time I got caught in heavy rain they scared the crap out of me. I was almost home and drove through a shower on I-84 and nearly floated into the median going 60mph. I now know 50mph is the absolute limit for me with any standing water on the road. Actually it's probably lower now that they are down to about 2/32 tread. I have put 6000 miles or so on them and have been overall impressed by how they have worn. I'll probably end up replacing them in the 8000 mile range. I've done 1 track day and 1 drag strip visit on these tires, otherwise mostly daily driving and highway miles. And the fronts will likely still have some life left at that point.

I'm thinking of trying the Toyo R888 for my next set of tires. Tire Rack now carries these at an excellent price. Apparently they are the same compound (Toyo owns Nitto), but I've read they are better in the wet and have better steering response than the RIIs. The negative I've read is slightly more road noise, however I've never noticed any noise with RIIs and some say they are loud, so it could be a non-issue.

I also may just go back to Michelin PS2s, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to trade amazing grip for a smoother ride and the piece of mind that I can drive my car on a long trip (ie, Carlisle) and not worry about getting caught in the rain.

I believe they are referring to the regular NT05, which is basically between the Invo and NT01 in grip.

JeremyGSU

I have never driven on the NT05's but my last student had them and I was impressed with what they were for a street tire. However, you would be going backwards in terms of grip if you bought the '05's from RII's.

JeremyGSU

I hadn't thought about trying the Toyo's but I just might now. I've driven with them before but that was on a different car and I can't remember how they did. My student at Road Atlanta in a Cayman had them and I thought they handled great. He had driven all the way up from Tampa on them too. Plus the rears are $110 cheaper for a set than the RII's.

I would be surprised if dry grip is better but wet grip would make me more confident driving them too/from events. Plus at $110 cheaper a pop I may just give them a shot. Anyway to save money in this expensive hobby!

J

Quickshift_C5

I was referring to the NT05-R.

I spent the weekend at Road America last week and a track modified new M3 was running the R888's. From what I heard, he was not pleased with them at all. He kept saying they turned into a greasy, slick mess. This guy had a LOT of track experience. Never got a chance to do a one on one with him to get the details. I was considering the R888's until I heard this.

vms4evr

There are very mixed emotions on the R888. It is not the big hit Toyo wanted as the replacement for the RA1. Never run them but run with plenty of people running them. I've been talked out of them.

If you're trying to save $ but still want 100 tread wear Dot-R tires. Try the old Toyo RA1. Very similar to the Nitto R2. But the RA1 comes full tread at 8/32nds. Just be careful running them at full depth on track. Make sure they get good heat cycles first. You'll get plenty of tread squirm in the beginning but that's due to the full tread. They'll be much better in the rain than any of the other tires discussed here in the DOT R group.

As to the NT05, yeah, I meant the pure street tire, something like 320 tread wear. They're fun for HPDE if you are on a budget. Didn't even know they had an NT05R.

Scooter70

R888s are ok but as stated above aren't a worthy replacement for the RA1. They're pretty sensitive to pressure variation and it seems like nobody can agree on what pressure they like. (See the thread in the AX&RR section.) Also, they're not that great in the rain. Look at the tread and you'll see that it doesn't go out to the side of the tire. They just don't shed water like some others. I tried them at MidOhio last year in the rain and couldn't touch the throttle without pitching the car sideways.

When I bought my car last year it came with a set of track wheels with almost new R888s. After a few events I think they're alright in the dry but I won't be buying another set when these are worn out. I have no problem trailering the car to the track or swapping wheels when I get there. Plus when you can get scrubbed slicks at $400 a set, it's cheaper to go faster.

Quickshift_C5

The biggest size for an RA1 is 285/35/18 according to their site. A bit dissapointing...

vms4evr

Wow! Looks like Toyo is trying to choke hold you into R888 on larger cars. You used to be able to get 305/35-18 for the rears. Guess they aren't leaving you much choice.

Scooter - I saw that thread yesterday on the R888 and the comment about how high a hot pressure they really like. That is kinda freaky. Running 45+ lbs hot! Your experience with them seems to be typical. They're ok, but...

Jeremy if you save those rears you can run them on a smooth track. They'll last another weekend. Not so much at Sebring. That track is just brutal on hardware.

JeremyGSU

I appreciate it. I'll be ditching them though as my next track event is at Sebring. haha

I may just buy some more sets of the RII based on the reviews of the 888's. They certainly are mixed.

ysb02

Was told by a guy that races + owns a c5z that RA1 > R888. I'm kinda disappointed Nitto is dropping the 555r2.

Scooter70

That's been my experience as well. The problem is that the RA1 is no longer available in proper Z06 rear sizes.

Quickshift_C5

Exactly. I know it's a good tire, but I would be annoyed going from a 305 to a 285 in the rear. I'd rather keep searching for a competent replacement.

AntonioZ06

I use the R2's as well and love them. I actually had no idea they were planning on discontinuing them until reading this thread. I just checked Discount tire direct where I order mine from and the rears have gone up in price by $100 each!!!! That's absurd! Even the 275/17's went up by about $30. Good lord.....I paid $898 shipped for my last full set, now the rears alone almost cost that much!! Yikes....Time to start researching

Quickshift_C5

I ordered mine over a year ago and they cost that much. Looks like they went up $20 since.