Just getting my C5Z back from body shop tomorrow & the owner was complaining/warning to me how worn my tires are - running Nitto NT05 275/40R17 in front & 295/35/R18 rear - This is my 2nd set of NT05s for rear the fronts are def toast probably have 25k on em. Its not driving season where I live in MA, but wanted to get the tires ordered as my car still requires a 4 wheel alignment to finish the repairs & the body shop dudes don't feel comfortable driving it to the alignment shop etc. - That's not important, the point is car is making bout 440whp on mustang dyno has cam/headers/intake etc. - this winter completing a "suspension" rebuild including new timken bearings & moog upper/lower ball joints all around. After that, at some point it will be getting an A&A blower installed - more than likely toward the end of next driving season so whatever tires I get now will still have @ least 1/2 tread life left & will be dealing w/ probably 550-600whp instead of 440ish Car will be mostly street driven maybe 1-2 HPDE events or 1 time to drag strip. Would like to take to road course, but if I do would be once a year tops realistically. I want the best compromise of grip while still being sane for street - I avoid rain but can't control the weather, don't want to give up alot of cornering ability for straight line grip since I tend to corner carve more than anything.

I want to keep running stock Z06 wheels since I took the time/effort to powder coat em & they're light - I know eventually a new wheel size/setup may be necessary.

Here's what I'm considering

Nitto NT05 front 275/40R17 & Nitto NT01 rear 305/35R18 - concerned the straight line grip may not be the best - but should be better than an NT05?? Thought keeping NT05 in front may enhance front tire life quite a bit w/o sacrificing much grip

Nitto NT01 front 275/0R17 & Nitto NT01 rear 305/35R18 - concerned may chew threw them quickly and/or not get heat cycled properly on street - not sure running the NT01s in front vs NT05s worth the upcharge/loss in durability

Nitto NT05 front 275/40R17 & Nitto NT05R rear 305/35R18 - only because I was under the impression you DO NOT want NT05R on front - only rear. Think will hook good on street but will lose stability higher speed braking & long high speed sweepers on street

Toyo R888R front 275/40R17 & rear 305/35/R18 - interested in this tire, seems to get good reviews, have no experience yet w/ them, but they also seem most expensive

Nitto NT555R - comes in same sizes as above - not sure what the deal is whether this is same class as the NT05R but newer design? Is it more or less street oriented than the NT05R? Is this also a tire I would avoid running in front & would be better using the NT01 or NT05 in front w/ the NT555R in back??

I even thought about combining the NT05 front w/ a Micky Thompson ET street SS 305/35/R18....................

Any thoughts/recommendations or experience on similar setups?

 

I've had the Nitto's on my C5, and have the Toyos R888R on my C7... the stickiest barely street legal tires Ive ever owned in 50 years of muscle cars. The Proxies will give you 8,000 tp 10K if you are lucky.. but put a smile on your face when you want to put the HP to the ground. You better have hardened output shafts with this choice.. the Nittos are all OK but compromise means they give up excellence in any aspect.
Bill

 

The only tires on your list that I have experience with are the Toyo Proxes. Much like yourself, I needed more traction but didn't want to sacrifice handling. The R888R's haven't disappointed. I've only got around 1k miles on mine, but they've met every expectation. Once heated, they'll hook 600whp from a second roll easily. They are a little noisy, but I rarely notice over the sound of the exhaust.

 

Another vote for R888s. Well, only the R888Rs are available now. I had 305/35/18 and 275/40/17 R888s mounted on OEM Z06 wheels with ~500rwhp and 4.10s (similar to Z06 gearing) and they hooked great even when cold. I've seen numerous guys say they have no issue hooking with them with more power as well. You also have matching F/R tires rather than mismatching for grippier/drag rears. Most of these threads end with the same advice: if you want straight line only, go DRs. If you want to actually turn, while also keeping pretty good straight line grip, go R888R.

If you want a strictly drag setup (or the ability to swap out for more grippy rears any time you want), pick up a 2nd pair of Z06 front wheel and mount a pair of DRs on them. You'll have a relatively cheap "drag pack" that matches your existing set

 

NT555R is all around not that great from everything I've read and heard from guys I know who ran them personally. I think NT01 or R888R would be better all around and same price last time I checked.

NT01 vs R888R I've read that the Toyo tread goes all the way thru/lasts the life of the tire and a better street tire probably. Last time I looked the R888R was cheaper but things shift around

As far as running same tire all around or getting something longer lasting up front.... I think running different tires is fine for street driving but not what I'd want for HPDE/track stuff. Sounds like your primary focus is street driving so sounds like the different tires front/back may be best for you.

NT555 (not the R) is another decent 300 tread summer tire option for the fronts with any of those in the rear. Really 275/40 has tons of options.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you but no plans for HPDE and car is supercharged ~700whp. Definitely R888R for rears is what I'm going to do. Toss up for the fronts between NT05, NT555 or maybe just R888R as well.

 

Thanks for the replies. Seems to me based on my driving style the NT01 or R888R are the tires to go with, corner carving, taking long sweepers @ high speed, & stability when braking trump the extra grip in straight line only scenarios.....especially b/c on the street thats just going to get you in more trouble quicker too. The more I read seems also like the NT01 may be slightly more track/cornering oriented & the R888R may be slightly better on street/rain & straight line grip......so looks like I'll give em a try. I also like the idea of keeping same type tire front/back.

What I may do after A&A is installed is pickup even smalller diameter rear wheel - like a '15"-16" & mount some thick sidewalled DOT legal DRs & see if that helps put power down when I'm more focused on going fast straight....


Lastly - someone mentioned the 1/2 shafts/axles needing an upgrade going to stickier R888Rs?? At my current power level seriously doubt that'd be an issue - maybe once I get SC'd, but I have already beefed up the diff (some C6Z parts/axle seals/vent etc), plan on adding tranny & diff bracing, upgrading clutch & either rebuilding/strengthening the torque tube or replacing. My understanding was the C5Z 1/2 shafts were pretty damn stout?? Thought that some instances they were used as "upgrade" even to C6 cars? Also have read/heard some bad stories w/ G-force products.......at any rate - build is calling for new/additional fuel system, the SC, meth, clutch, TQ tube rebuild, intercooler, upgraded rad (going w/ ECP), & the tranny/diff bracing - if I wind up snapping axle will worry bout it then.

 

I may be wrong, and things may have changed, but I seem to recall when I was originally trying to decide on the R888s, I found people saying that the NT01 and R888 were the same compound (Toyo owned/owns Nitto), just different tread pattern. That may or may not have changed with the R888R.

The R888R is definitely a road racing tire, not a drag oriented tire, they just happen to hook decent.

16" wheels may be doable on the rear, but I believe 15s require work/parts. At around 600whp, you'll be fine with 17s or 16s.

I've rarely/never seen anyone complaining about snapping half shafts, I wouldn't worry about it. Also keep in mind, you want the weak link to be something cheap/easy to replace... If you beef those up, the next weak link becomes something more expensive.

You shouldn't need meth with a basic SC kit keeping the psi at a minimum, but if you want it for peace of mind, up to you. I've considered it since I only have 91 octane readily available, but I'd prefer to keep it simple (less systems with moving parts that can fail or cause failure is better in my opinion) and several of the FI forum guys have had issues with it in the past and done away with it as well.

 

I don't think a centri SC is the greatest idea for a car that is road raced. The non-linear power delivery will make it more of a handful exiting lower gear turns.

 

Meh, I'm not going to be road racing it very often, 1-2x a year tops, w/ a newborn ONCE in 2020 I'd be happy. I just like the idea of having (for me) the "ultimate" muscle vette for street/track - all the power when I want it, still civil on street, little bit of a sleeper (hence the stock wheels & still rocking the stock TI catback) & a roots type SC won't make the same kinda power & would be more of a cooling liability. "BEST" setup for a C5Z road course car would probably be deeper gears, heads, FAST intake best tires you can fit...or a stroker/LS7 swap....but would also be more $$$$ for less power & way more difficult to de-mod & "go back" or recoup $$$$ vs. removing SC

Builder I've been using for years has been adding meth to most of his A&A builds keep things "safe" so he says.....and from my experience thus far seems like Don K/Slowhawk do things right the first time & try & steer you away from spending $$$ on "useless" stuff, but will push ya if they think you're going the wrong direction too.

 

Any kind of boost is not ideal for road course because it adds heat and negatively affects reliability in a big way lol. If you're just getting on track to have some fun and not getting too serious about it should be fine with whatever setup. If anything the power delivery of a centri is nice that is slowly and linearly increases power/torque, not a huge surge of torque like you'd get with a turbo setup. In any case, a lot more power on the track will require you to be gentle with the throttle and respect the power.

 

What you said has not been my experience with my car. Once I installed my A&A kit, the car is SO over powered in the first 2 gears, much of the driving joy has been gone compared to my previous H/C/FAST/ EWP, etc. At 483RW NA, it was plenty fast and predictable. Drag radials are not much fun in the rain, either.

 

In comparison to a PD blower or turbo setup, the centri blower power comes on a lot smoother and gradually.... of course you're going to have traction issues with more power vs your old NA setup. I'm not sure what you're getting at.

PS I started to spin my tires top of 3rd gear yesterday around 80-90 mph, that was no fun. Cold temps and summer tires aren't working too great right now. Definitely have to pay attention and respect the power. Once summer rolls around I hope R888R will do the trick and get some of that "driving joy" back as well.

 

I'm with aaronc7, I'm not sure what point you're trying to make? You added a supercharger to a 480whp motor and are surprised that you have a lot less traction in 1st and 2nd gear now? Lol.

The key point he made, and what a lot of people don't seem to realize, is that the right pedal isn't just an on/off switch... Respect the power and use partial throttle where needed. It's not 0 or 600.

I don't know of a tire in general that can hook 500+whp and is good in the rain lol. Performance tires don't like all seasons and all season tires don't like performance...can't have your cake and eat it too

 

Cake and eat it too ??? sure you can..
You can make a real performance tire, street able. but you can never make an all season tire a real performance tire.
The trick is to drive your car in a non performance mode when the conditions aren't right...
Here is an example,, an analogy... AS a Corvette design engineer I know that more octane means less horse power, " BUT" have less octane means it will starve off any attainable hp the engine is capable of obtain.. I would much rather have more octane available when I need it then to not have it when I do. Having less horse power when I dont need it ( a good trade off ) means allowing the motor to produce max HP on demand without ping or retard advance even if its only 30% of the time. If IM demanding Max HP only 10 % of the time, I still want the motor to be capable of doing so thuse my choice is the highest octane I can get.. especially with 11:1 compression.

Same with tire... I want sticky tires that are street legal ( Thus my choice isR888R ) I dont drive4 ***** to the wall in poor conditions.. rain etc ) I dont drive my C7 or my C5 in the snow.. but love those cold crisp morning with a lot of dense air... The Proxies heat up quickly. Its important to know YOUR CAR ( I MEAN REALLY KNOW IT .. AND RESPECT ITS POWER.) I dont need to take my car out in poor conditions but\\\\\\\\know that rain is not a deterrent in getting home safely.

Just my thoughts on my choice to go with great performance tires and respect my car's power, If I get caught in poor conditions.

Bill

 

i was originally going with the NT05 140TW versions for primarily a street focus over the NT01... but i ended up with Falken RT-615K+ because Nitto kept shipping 1.5-4yr old tires. i hadn't got to road course the Falkens yet, but the street use has been great so far.

that's often the case when folks are accustomed to underpowered vehicles prior to driving the vette. when you need to go, you just floor it because you need to... not with a higher power:weight ratio vehicle - that's what causes wrecks.

when i picked up mine from Bret's shop from the last round of mods (somewhere between 650-700 hp, and 630-680 tq now), i had a 3hr rainy drive home on old worn-out Invos. it drove just fine & was stable the whole way... but i also don't remember seeing less than 5" of vacuum, either.

good stuff here. and having been caught in a couple snow storms in the car, it's all true.

 

Jeez some of the replies on here thinking its my first hi-po rodeo lol! As the car sits now @ 440ish RWHP on nearly bald NT05's in 40 degree early January weather it's probably more hairy than w/ 600whp & a fresh set of NT01s/R888R's in the summer lol! I've had 600cc & 1000cc sport bikes, bolted LS1 GTO, stalled/cammed/headers/iintake G8 GT w/ about 360whp I drove 150k miles & would run studded snows in the winter hitting slopes every other weekend (fun car),,,,,my current DD is a tuned Gen 2 Raptor that would put your brain in a pretzel in terms of how a rig that big/heavy/tall can hustle so god damn hard....have not dynoed it, but based on results from guys running the same tunes w/ similar mods & my SOTP comparison to my last GMC 6.2 Sierra its probably sitting around 430-450whp - THAT thing can get kinda scary b/c as the speeds/G's increase on street you quickly realize it doesn't have the tires/brakes/rear suspension to keep up w/ the power. I'm adding stiffer leaf springs in rear and/or TQ arm to reduce the wheel hop & keep the thing more planted.

Anyhow - I've had way too many rides for a guy only 38 years old, but out of more than I can remember my C5Z is the one I've had the longest - 7+ years & counting. I know the thing inside & out & how it reacts very well....there's a huge tarmac lot used to be a dog track near my home that has since been converted for use as tractor trailer driving school, defensive driving, cop stuff etc. Anyhow - I have taken the C5Z on it a number of times over the years as I add mods before getting nuts on the street or track & will take ALL the nannies off & put it through its paces see how it reacts etc. Will do the same once the SC is on.

Def getting the Toyos R888Rs over the NT01 - I did also read they have the same rubber compound, but the groove pattern on the Toyos def seems more "street friendly" - I'd like to be able to put down 70% throttle through 2nd @ 600whp & hook in 3rd-5th obviously. I don't expect 1st to be even remotely useful after adding blower since it's very tough @ my current power level to hook/launch good in 1st....I'm not big into 1/4 mile stuff anymore, but I wonder if guys running stock gearing + A&A blower on C5Zs start in 2nd at the strip or just short the F outta 1st?

 

my comment wasn't directed at you - more of a general observation i've made when folks talk about how PD blowers only burn your tires off below 4th gear.

 

The Toyos will nearly hold 1st for me, and I'm making 613 ft/lbs at the wheels. I am on 13" wide tires, yes, but I'm also running a 19" wheels. On an 18" or smaller wheel, you'll be very pleased with the Toyos grip off the line.

 

I have the last option you mentioned. It will give you the best straight line traction and worst Corning ability. I was at 760rwhp with this. Makes use of the power and is fun, but I cannot turn worth a darn.

next setup will be 800rwhp and I will be going r888r. I imagine I will earn back my ability to turn but give up some straight line traction.

I agree with others... work the throttle and learn your car.

 

Having to be careful/cautious/not drive it at all in "normal" inclement weather is not having your cake and eating it too. I have no problems/qualms going 80 in the rain in my DD on all seasons , but I would be hesitant to do that on R888s. I've driven hundreds of miles in downpour on my R888s, you just have to be more conscious of how you're driving. At the end of the day, we're both saying the same thing in our posts.


Sorry, looks like we kind of hijacked your thread. My comments weren't directed at you either, it was the to the guy saying his car wasn't fun to drive anymore because he added a blower.

I have an A&A kit with 4.10s (steeper than stock C5z gearing) and I'd rather part throttle first to get it moving quicker than to start with 2nd. With fresh, warm tires, you should be fine with something around a 70% launch in first gear. Even with your current setup, just because it's a little more difficult to manipulate the throttle in 1st rather than just being able to brainlessly floor it, doesn't mean it's useless lol.

Be very grateful for the space you have available near you to "practice on", I'm jealous