tommypenguin

Hey guys, apologies for beating a dead horse regarding tires but I could use some help. I have an 01 corvette c5 supercharged putting down 730whp corrected at sea level, fortunately I'm a mile high in elevation and uncorrected numbers given my altitude are 613whp.

I am running CCW 20 X 11 in the rear and 19 X 10 up front I don't have the offset handy but can contact CCW to find out. The tire sizes are 305 30 20 and 275 30 19 respectively.

I don't ever plan on taking my car to the track and never intentionally drive in anything but dry weather. Ideally I would like to be running a set of tires that I can punch in 2nd gear and hooking up to red line and do a few days of canyon carving a year with a little spirit on the turns.

Currently running toyo t1r tires that will need to be replaced this year. I won't say they are a bad tire as they perform ok on turns with light throttle but are scary if trying to go WOT in 2nd and a little squirrelly after 4500rpm in 3rd.

I have considered going with nitto nt05r or toyo r888 but neither offers a size that matches what I'm running. The regular nitto nt05 are offered in the same size as my toyos but I believe they would offer comparable performance to my t1r based on what I've read unless others can deny that.

Any suggestions on what tires I should be looking for given my goals, if you are aware of a tire that is in the size I'm running that would be even better, thanks for the help.

SquatchMachining

Toyo R888 is likely the best option for what you want, but no 20" tire is going to worth anything traction wise... If you want traction you will have to step down to a 18" wheel, at least that gives you some options. A 305/35/18 R888 will hook up that power pretty well.

tommypenguin

That's a bummer, I'm not planning on getting rid of the wheels. Based on the research I've done throughout the day I'm leaning toward going with michelin pilot super sports, they do make tires in the sizes I have now. Hoping they would get me close to my goals when it's warm out.

SquatchMachining

Those tires are overpriced junk and will just spin..

leo12

opinions,opinions,opinions,
gee i run the Michelin super sport 345-20 with over 800 rear wheel hp
with good results,but then again anything over 700hp on street tires thats all you're going to get, good results!

tommypenguin

How are your michelins on the turns/twisties?

leo12

that is where they out perform most other street tires,very sticky

Fastbird

OP I just did some checking and unfortunately didn't find anything in a 305/30-20 size for the rear that I'd recommend. Closest I found was The Toyo R888 @ 315/30-20 or the Nitto NT555R at 350/35-20.

Either way, at 730 RWHP I'd strongly recommend a drag radial like the NT555R for how you describe your driving of the car. You could also look at the Mickey Thompson ET Street II or S/S as both are available in the 305/35-20 size. I was running the noted Eagle F1 GSD3's on my car when it got the turbo's and at 500/521 to the wheels they IMMEDIATELY became useless. Upgraded to the NT555R and at 760/760 they were perfect on the street with just a tad of give. Now at over 800 I was on ET Street II's which were super sticky, and due to availability just switched to NT05R's which feel stickier to the touch. ALL have plenty of sidewall firmness to run around on the streets.

Your conundrum is going to be sizing. The Toyo while a good tire isn't as sticky, and the 315 will probably stick out some. But if you go to a 35 aspect ratio, you're talking an additional approx 1.2" in diameter.

RobWilson

I have been running Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires on my ZR1 for the past year. They are very sticky.

neverstop

nt555r is a great option, you can get 10k miles out of them and when they first came out the Autox guys were using them so if you air them up they do pretty well in the turns too. super sticky and I can't imagine any normal street tire having more straight line traction although in 20' size they'll all be a compromise

Fastbird

They're good but you really start to overpower them at about 750+. Mine were at the point of giving in at 760 RWHP and I weep to think what would become them at my current 825+ level.

Feedback on my 305/35-19 NT05R's. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM. And I've really laid it to them recently too, and have been just stunned at how good they've been.

Atrain59

That's good to know! I switched to the 315/40/18 NT05R's for my new setup and hope they hold up with 900+rwhp

PEETYZ

Very happy with my 305/35/19 NT05R's as well just bought another set for under $525 shipped . I got about 10k miles out of mine. Mostly street driving and a few 1/2 mile track events but not too many burnouts which are generally not needed in the 1/2 miles stuff.

What pressure do you guys run in them? I've found 25-27 to be the sweet spot for traction, wear, and handling. If you really want to grip drop to 20ish or less but the handling will suffer.

Jeffhoff89

I have the zo6 17" wheels to put on my rear with a set of radials.. Just wanting to know a good size and tire brand to put on the rear that will be close to the stock size wheel 18"s I have on there currently?

TXGS507

Guess I am on the other side of the spectrum. I am running the MT ET Streets 345/35/18. Recently completed a 1/2 mi roll racing event and they hooked nicely in 3rd gear all day long... All 750/793 to the ground.

PEETYZ

Nice! What PSI did you run in them for the 1/2? What was your mph btw?

TXGS507

Like you said... 25lbs....

Darion

Hi, what tire are you running up front? I'm due all the way around and leaning toward nt05r in the same size you run oit back. I have 18 inch up front.

Thx

Weekend car, occasional quarter for fun.

PEETYZ

Darion I run a Sumitomo Z3 275/40/18 up front.

To match you should run NT05R 305/35/19 rear and Nt05 275/40/18 front if you can as well.

Front should be 26.57 diameter and rear will be 27.44. My rims are 19x10 rear and 18x9.5 front. I got about 10k miles out of my NT05R rears ( mostly street driving) which isn't bad at all.

Darion

Thanks! Appreciate the the info, time to find best prices.

PC