Coulthard Fan

I noticed today that Nitto has released a new tire, the NT 555 RII that is supposed to be for road racing and autocross use. According to Nitto, it is a variation of the NT 555 R drag radial that has been around for a couple of years now. If you look at the Nitto website for these 2 tires, the "features" descriptions and images are EXACTLY the same. The only difference I can tell so far is the logo on the side of the tires.


Check it out at: http://66.54.67.57/tires_555r2_features.asp and http://66.54.67.57/tires_555r_features.asp

I'm thinking that this seperate branding may just be PR spin. It is widely rumored that Nitto's sister company, Toyo, essentially markets this same tire (with a slightly different tread) as the Toyo RA1... which is the tire I've been using for a year now. Anyone else think these RII's are the same again?

The reason it's important is that the old NT 555 R is available in some sizes I'm interested in that the RA1's and RII's are not, and I need new tires.

93redFD

I believe vosko is using the rII. From what I understand is the 555r and rII are the same but the rII has a stiff sidewall. Thats just form glancing over what I was reading, I could be wrong.

roadsterdoc

I snipped this after doing a search on the miata.net forum:

"The 555R is junk and has a stiff sidewall. The RII is much better, kinda like an RA-1 or A032R in terms of use/compound. Neither are a good drag tire."

Original thread:
http://forum.miata.net/ubb/ultimateb...=008339#000000

Coulthard Fan

Not much on other forums about these either. So I'll ask a different question:

Nitto offers a size for the 555R that I like for the front of my car, a 245/45/17. I have 17x8's up front with 38mm of offest and 17x9.5's in the rear with 42mm offset (I believe). I'm currently using a 235/45/17 Toyo RA1 up front and 255/40/17s in the rear. If I can go up to these 245's up front, then I could run more rubber in the rear (like 275/40/17's) without throwing the balance way off. What worries me is that due to my offset up front, I'll be hitting my rolled fenders up front. Any thoughts? I have 2.5 inch coilovers, so width on the inside of the rim is not a problem... but how about the height of the tires? They are 25.71 and 25.63 inches high, respectively, compared to the 25.4 and 25.1" Toyos I have now.

Any comments greatly appreciated.

redrotorR1

I actually caught the Hi-Rev Tuners SEMA review where they talked about Nitto's new tires ... (why I was watching Hi-Rev Tuners in the first place? who knows ... ) From what the Nitto representative said, it sounded like a bunch of hot air. Looks like a re-badged 555R .... maybe a slightly different belt design. But who cares???

Why are you looking at the Nitto road racing tire?
Kumho Victoracers - 245/45 17's available.
Hoosier A3SO3 - 245/40 17's available.
Yokohama A032R - 245/40 17's AND 245/45 17's available.
Hankook Ventus Z211 - 245/40 17's available.
Toyo RA1's ......

If you're really that strapped for cash, just go to any of the SCCA regional races and hang around in the pits. Plenty of used R-compounds floating around there .... you're bound to find something in your size. And FREE!!!

Coulthard Fan

redrotor1 - It's not a cash thing... its a space thing. I live in the city in a condo with no storage. Thus, I live on one set of wheels at a time. So I use "streetable" R compounds for street use, autocrossing and driving schools. The streetable requirement rules out Hoosiers and Kumhos. I had Yoko's and hated them. I like the RA1's but wanted to go to a slightly wider size that they don't currently offer. Will look into Hankooks. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cups are also on my list... so obviously price is not my primary criteria.

redrotorR1

Well, I won't lecture about the pros & cons of running your race tires on the street .... but, if it means anything, I used to store my race tires in my apartment. It's not that bad. Just store on top of some cardboard to avoid getting brake dust all over the place.

Coulthard Fan

So did I - then my girlfriend moved in. Does that explain anything?

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

Scott,
24.7" diameter up front (245/45) is gonna rub like hell. 235/45's on a lowered car already tear your liners up.

You should be looking for 245/40 or 255/40 up front, and 275/40 rears (RA1s are available in 255/275).

Problem for you is those 8" front wheels. I just unloaded my SSRs because of the 8, and 9" widths. If i were you, i'd splurge on a set of real nice wheels (seeing as how you aren't on a budget), and stick w/ the RA1s. Talk to radial or PFS about some Fikse's. Get a 9" +45 up front, and a 10" +44.5 rear, and those RA1s will be real happy. I just picked up a used set of FM-10's myself.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

Oh yeah... and the Sport cups are really only available in 18' sizes, and coilovers + 18" + R-compound sidewalls = kidney belt in Georgetown.... never mind the price of good wheels.

Coulthard Fan

You are right about the Sport Cups, I was considering them mmore for the available sizes if I went to 18's http://michelinman.com/assets/pdfs/d...otsportcup.pdf

I'd like 255's up front, but those damn 8" rims won't hold them. Of course you are right, that I should get new wheels, but I'm only doing one big splurge at a time. Right now I'm "upgrading" the exterior to 99 specs, next is probably brakes, then 18" wheels. For now I'm just trying to pick a tire size that will work for my last season on my current wheels. (I'm getting them from Radial as well.)

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

I'd stick w/ the sizes you have now then... 235 is about as wide as you want to go on a 8" wheel.

Coulthard Fan

Interesting - their website says only 275/40 and 335/35 are available in 17's. Do you have some inside info?

DamonB

Yeah. Tell her to stay in the kitchen

FWIW you can get rent a small storage unit very cheaply (like $20 a month). Store the tires there along with a jack an lug wrench. Change them there when you need to run them and then stop on the way home to change them back.

Coulthard Fan

1) She doesn't cook. I forgive her for this transgression of the natural law of such things because she is in medical school.

2) I thought of the storage unit (and have one in mind), but this would require me waking up even earlier for autocrosses. I'm frequently out until 2-3 am the night before an autocross, so getting up for a 8:30 Sunday or Saturday morning tech inspection is already nearly impossible. I'm lucky to get there in time to walk the course one time.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

He he. You don't live around here do you Damon? :-)
The 5'x5' bin i rented WAAY out in the sticks outside of town about 8 years ago was $75/month.

I georgetown, Scot would get gouged something terrible, if he could find anything within a convenient distance to his appt.

DamonB

Really??? I live in a large metropolitan suburb of Dallas and am renting a large 10x25 foot unit right now for not much more than that. It's full of furniture and racecar stuff, but I could park cars in that thing and still have room to live if I wanted

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

My 10' x 10' two years ago while i was waiting for my wife's lease to run up, so we could move in together was $145/month!... way out in the 'burbs!!

Dcrasta

Hey dude I live in DC too. Let me know when you go to the races next. I usually go to Budd's Creek or Capitol (Crofton), but I want to vid some autox. Cool DC!

redrotorR1

Tires make good TV stands! Put some plywood on top and they can provide a make-shift computer desk ..... there's always a way!

On the Hankook's, their website is a little misleading. It says 275's and all the other sizes listed in that pop-up window are in development.


And on the auto-x note ..... I used to continue partying the night before auto-x events. Can't do it anymore. Especially not at big events like Divisionals or the National Tour. I guess my age is catching up with me ..... that or I just don't like having the Shiner ***** with portapods being the only source for relief. Nothing like being hungover and trying to figure out where to make up those extra tenths of a second ..... ughh.

Coulthard Fan

That's right - you are from Shiner Bock country!!!!

I went to my first autocross of the 2003 season with 45 minutes of sleep. No course walk, no checking tire pressures...and actually did ok.

OC_

well, about that tire.
http://www.musclemustangfastfords.co.../0310mm_nitto/

look like pertty good tires. a better compairson would be against some other DOT race tires. Of course there going to be better then a street tire!

they also come in 3 sizes, too..

275 - big
285 - bigger
305 - frickin' huge!

Coulthard Fan

Thanks for that article. That's the most detail I've seen from someone at Nitto which explains exactly how they changed the 555RII from the 555R. Sounds like thay are slightly different after all.

On thew sizing front - Peter you are probably right that a 245/45 /17 is likely too tall. I did a search for 245/40/17's and all I see is the S compound Yoko A032R's in that size. I'm considering that, but worry that I will destroy the S compound tires at the track (and on the street). The H compound looks better for my needs, but again I hate the "mudder sound" of these tires, it was really annoying on the highway. It appears that I'll be staying with the 235/45/17 Toyo RA1's up front then, and maybe going to a 275/40/17 in the rear (from 255/40) to get a little more traction out back.

Coulthard Fan

Paul at Radial Tire in Silver Spring, MD (who I spoke with today as you will soon find out Peter) thinks I will be able to fit 255/40/17 Toyo RA1's on my 8" wheels* up front, and is willing to test fit them for me if I drive up there. As soon as my car is out of the shop I'm taking him up on it. Another example of excellent service from that shop.

*Again, I have 17x8's +35 up front with rolled fenders and Tein 2.5" coilovers.

He also agrees that the Nitto 555R is basically the same as the RA1.

Carl Byck

RA1, the nitto compound goes hard like a V700(I have driven all 3 on the street). The RA1 is the only R compound that tolerates all the heat cycles a daily driver puts them through. As for size, I like my 255-40-17s on an 8" rim better than 245-45-17s. I know that flies in the face of proper sizing, but that is my experience. That is on my Supra which weighs 3650. Carl