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The look good..nice and beefy But how are the Nitto's when it comes to handling/cornering compared to the SC's?? Since they are a drag tire, not sure if they would suffer in the handling dept.
The 555 RII Extremes aren't drag tires they're road course tires and the handling is superb. They have drag tire treadpattern but stiffer sidewalls. I wouldn't fit them if you intend to drive on wet roads though as they aren't really designed for that. I got the following information from nittotire.com. I have not noticed the "rougher ride" they warn about as I was used to the very noisy and rough ride I got from the F1 supercars.
The Nitto NT555RII “Extreme R” D.O.T. approved road race and auto cross competition radial tire was developed through a unique fusion between a race circuit oriented stiff sidewall construction and the popular Nitto Drag Radial tread pattern. These features combined with the high traction, specially formulated soft racing tread compound resulted in a competition radial that exhibits impressive control and handling, to provide maximum traction under severe racing conditions. The sidewall construction is optimized for handling extreme lateral acceleration; vehicles may experience rougher riding when used for daily driving. The Nitto NT555RII is designed primarily for competition road racing.
I'v got the T1R on also....my only complaint is that they are not as wide as the GY F1 (like jeans, size may vary), so they look a little "streached" over the rims. They do hook way better than old, down to the wear bar, GY's.
I put the Firestone Firehawk Wide Ovals on my 03 Z06 and have been very satisfied with the ride and performance -- but my performance standard is way below some of the folks on this forum..
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
Originally Posted by kbreese
Personally I think the GY GS-D3's are the best choice for a replacement tire (very highly reviewed tire) and they now make them in Z06 Sizes!
Okay, I was about to order some PS2s, but is this true... are GS-D3s now out in Z06 sizes?! I have only seen them in a 285/35/18 size, and I am looking for the stock 295 as a minimum, more interested in 305 or 315s
Tasteful golf applause... Nitto makes some good tires and they're not all drag rubber.
On my WS6 I actually had the 555R's on the rear (315's) and 555RII's on the front. Silly me just forgot the distintion between the two. At the time I just thought the RII's were the newer version lol.
Wonder how the car would handle with that same setup on a Z06, the R's in the back and RII's up front. Maybe the best of both worlds?
I couldn't be more happy with mine. Great ride minimum ROAD noise with Andy's partition. Great Pipe sounds. Nittos and Toyo's are virtually the same tire.
The 555R2's are R Compound tires and not really "street" tires although they are DOT approved. They're fine if you don't mind getting 10K miles or less out of a set, picking up rocks from the road and kicking them up on your car or having a greater tendency for tire punctures.
The GS-D3 sizes for the Z06 are the 275-40-17 for the front and the 295-35-18 for the rear. That's the same size I'd get for the PS2 as well. The slightly larger fronts with the stock size rear give the car a better balance IMO.
The Goodyear GS-D3's do have a softer sidewall than the F1SC tires, so it's up to you. That probably accounts for the better ride and better straight line traction. After all, drag tires have softer sidewalls for better straight line traction. If the GS-D3's are your street tires and then you have another set of track wheels and tires, it might be a good option. Plus, you'd have a set of wet weather tires in case you get rain at the track event.
I don't know why so many people look to get wider rear tires than stock, especially if they keep the stock sizes up front. All they are doing is creating more understeer.
Six months ago I was having the same delema. After tons of research I decided to go with Michelin PS2s. Absolutly the best street tire I have ever driven on. I have had several different tires on my Z06 and felt that nothing ever delivered the crisp handling of the GYSCs untill I bought the PS2s. This will be the next tire I by for my Vette. Unless the way better comes rolling along. But I can't see how that could happen.
Michelin PS2. Go with the 295's in the rear and the 275's up front.
If you're on a budget, go for the Firestone Firehawk Wide Ovals.
GSD3's are a good tire, but the sidewalls are a bit soft.
- i have pilots on my z06, and wideovals on my 85.
about 11000 miles on both the pilots and WO's, and both wearing very good. not sure about the sidewals on the D3's, but from what i've read, a very highly rated tire -