Admiral Blue

I'm hoping to get new tires and wheels in the rear. They'll be 315s on 17X11 wheels. Is autocrossing with a Nitto 555R tire in back completely out of the question? Wouldn't the soft tire in the rear mess up the handling with Dunlops in the front?

I should mention that I plan on autocrossing a few times this year...it's not like I'll be out there every weekend. It would be nice to have that extra traction on the street, but I don't want them to be useless for autocross.

Also, I have 275s up front, if that matters.

Thanks for any advice,

Jeff

ZD1

from this weeks reading....The Nitto555R would be an okay tire to autocross, but you're gonna have two problems with your set-up:
1) first what-ever the pressure settting is on the rear, you're gonna have un-equal handling between the front and rear.
2) The nitti555R is intended for low pressure (10-25 psi?) for extra traction for the straight. The sidewalls are therefore less rigid than the standard tire (and much much less rigid than an autocross tire like kumho and Hooseir). The pressure/sidewall stiffness should create some good fun as the tire gets grip just as the sidewall lets go.

Suggestion: keep all the tires the compound for racing


THe Wood :conehead

Nathan Plemons

Let me tell you from first hand experience that it probably wouldn't be a good idea. I autocrossed on a friend's BFG drag radials. I had been using them on the straights and thought I would run it around the autocross course a time or two just to do it. I was too lazy to switch the tires back. BAD IDEA. I still had racing pressure in the drag's so they were real floaty and soft. The rear just didn't have the feel that it should. Under full pressure they might have been ok, but your car should be more predictable with matching tires all around. I'll run it next year on my 4 matching tires and I think I'll do a lot better.

Admiral Blue

Ok, doesn't sound like a good idea based on what you guys said. I guess the only chance I'd have would be if I inflated them to 30 psi. Anyone have different experiences?

Thanks,

Jeff

EvanZR1

The Nitto 555 R is a TOTALY different tire from the BFG drag radial. They basically took a street tire and gave it larger tread blocks and a stickier compound. While this sacrifices ultimate straight line grip compared to say the BFG DR, it makes the tire very useable as a high performance handling tire. I have run this tire on the street in a 275/40 and it was a very good handling tire. As a matter of fact, it handled better in the rear than the stock GS-Cs. As to the sidewall, it is actually very stiff, stiffer in fact than many Z rated street tires that I've seen. In my opinion any handling it may sacrifices is made up for in traction. It is much easier to get on the power coming out of a corner with this tire as the forward grip is much better. I have actually talked to several f-body owners who have used this tire on the rear in autox and roadracing and they were very impressed with it.

As an FYI I will be running this tire in a 315 on my rear 17x11s and the new road race version of this tire on the front in a 275. They only make the roadrace version in a 275 for now, but from all the info I can find the only difference between the drag and roadrace version is a little additonal sidewall stiffening.