danh52

I need to order new tires ASAP for my 2002 ZO6. I will be using a set of rear ZO6 wheels (10.5" X 18") for all 4 corners and need tires that will work for both street and track. I only have one set of wheels so won't be using a dedicated track tire. This is NOT a DD but only driven for fun, estimate about 2000 miles per year.

Current tires are NT05's at 275/295 sizes. They were on the car when I bought it and are heat cycled out so not much traction. I want to stick with either 275/295 or 275/305 sizes as how they look is also important (don't want to go too short on the rear for visual reasons).

From research I've done I think I've narrowed it down to the following.

NT05, 275/35 R18 front and 296/35 R18 rear. Cheaper (not the main concern for me) but reviews aren't very good in general.

NT01, 275/35 R18 front, 305/35 R18 rear. Slightly taller in the rear than the NT05's but they should fit ok. They get the best track reviews but not sure how they would work for me on the street. Cost higher but similar to the last option.

PSS, 275/35 R18 front, 296/35 R18 rear. Great tire, I had these on my 2013 Camaro and loved them on the street. I did track them a couple of times but only when cool out or wet/damp conditions. I had two sets of wheels/tires so never used them on a hot track.

I want the NT01's if I could get 4k to 5k miles and 6 to 8 track days out of them. Second choice would be the PSS if they would be usable for the hotter tracks days I'll see in Aug and Sept, high 80's to low 90's. That's the big unknown for the PSS's.

I will be running -1.5 to 1.8 deg camber front and -1.0 rear for alignment and plan on taking it easy for this season until I get comfortable with this car's abilities.

63Corvette

MPSS

Conesmacker

BF Goodrich Rival S or Bridgestone Potenza re71r

Quickshift_C5

If you want that many miles and track days, I'd also recommend the Michelin Pilot SuperSports, or even the RE-11's.

i'd steer clear of the RE-71R. They have a lot of stick for a few laps, then they melt like a popsicle unless you slow way down...and that's not fun. They are a great autocross tire, but not so much for track use.

danh52

Thanks for the input but neither of those have the sizes I am looking for.

danh52

Thanks, I picked that mileage as that would get me close to 2 summers of use before I have to look at buying new tires. By then I might be ready to invest in a second set of wheels for street use and then go to a square setup for track use.

I did find an older post where the OP had the PSS's slightly shaved to reduce the chance of chunking on a hot track day. It was never settled whether it was necessary or not, any feedback?

Rx7Rob

I have the NT-01's and really like them. I'm running those sizes with a similar alignment and currently have 8 days at Summit on them. There's still a lot of life left in them but I need more negative camber up front.

I use them on the street as well but barely do 1000 miles / year. I got caught in a MASSIVE down pour on the highway (driving to the track) and it wasn't deadly.

bj1888

PSS are pretty poor track tires.
NT-01 are great track tires, but really sketchy if you ever have to drive in the rain.
After getting caught in the rain driving to or from the track a few times with NT-01s in my M3, I compromised with NT-05s for my C5Z track car (it's 100 miles each way to Sebring, and I end up driving in the rain about 1 in 3 trips).
If you don't live in Florida or somewhere else where it rains consistently, you'd be fine with the NT-01s.

tireshredder

If you are running the same size rim front and back why not get the same size tire front and back so you can rotate tires?

VettesRule

Consider the Falken Azenis RT615+. I have almost a month on them, both as a daily driver and monthly autoX and they are great so far. They are quiet and track straight on the street and grip like crazy on the course.

I purchased them because they come in sizes for the OEM C5Z wheels.

rabrooks

sometimes its funny all the opinions. I think the Mich. PSS are the best for the track and street. I had NT01's and they were no where as sticky. I was not impressed. I was at Daytona recently. I have racing slicks. I was amazed at how sticky the Mich PSS was compared to mine. The car with the Mich PSS was getting up to 183 mph at Daytona on the Rolex 24 course. You cant do that if your not killing it coming thru the bus stop and other places.

TheProsecutor

I was on Daytona recently. NT01 were amazing. But PSS were too. Two separate C5s. At my level of driving, I can't tell much difference.

Quickshift_C5

If you honestly think that, I absolutely agree with your statement.

Soloontario

I have owned both NT01s and PSSs on the same car with the same wheels in a square set up. The Nittos were 315/30s and the PSS were 295/35s but were not all that much more narrow ie the difference when mounted was no where near 20 mm.

The Nittos were consistent and significantly faster then the Michelins but certainly don't last as long. The Nittos were also more confidence inspiring but really aren't a street tire and go very hard when cold or wet.

The Michelin PSS is a very good all round tire and the Nitto NT01 is a track tire. You need to decide what you want.

TKOGTO

Given street and track use, from these 3, I would choose the MPSS hands down. The NT-01s are a track tire so they're out. The NT-05s are quite good on track but so are the MPSS'. On the road, there is no comparison in terms of NVH. The kicker is the MPSS' will last a fair amount longer making the price difference moot.

oharal

After blowing through a set of NT05s in about 14k miles, and now having MPSS, I can say I am 10x happier with the Michelins on the street and on the track. They wear better and honestly probably have more grip. They can get greasy on a hot day but it's a street tire. In the end, the PSS is a better track tire than the Nitto is a street tire. MPSS 10/10 would buy again.

danh52

Thanks for all of the input, I decided to go with the MPSS. They are on order, I should be getting them mounted later next week.

What is a good starting point for air pressures? Both for street and HPDE?

Bad Karma

Couldn't agree more, as for that greasy feeling, I only found that on hot days when the pressures got higher than normal.

STANG KILLA SS

i run that exact setup. 18 X 10.5s on all 4 corners wraped in BFG Rival S in 315/30/18
absolutly love it. in fact my second set of Rivals just came in this morning.

oharal

I should clarify. That greasyness I'm referring to is only in track use on hot days. On the road even on 105 degree days they do just fine.