These rock.

For the first time EVER since I bought this car, I got it to hook up all the way thru 1st gear. The F1's couldn't hold this beast new, and it just got worse as the tires wore out. I still get a good cirp going into second, but it really hooks, with no fishtailing like before. Initial impression, apart from the straight line grip, is that these tires stick like glue in the corners. They are not even scrubbed in yet and they are clearly stickier than the F1s. I'll do a follow up when I go to the canyons and really work them.

Details:

After agonizing over which tire to replace the F1s with, I finally went with these, 305/35-18 rear and 275/40-17 front, on the stock rims. Fitment to the rim looks totally OEM. Apparently Nitto (a division of Toyo) had the Z06 in mind when they made these sizes. Due to the hooking up problem, my objective was to get a tire at least as sticky as the F1's, which is a tall order and pretty much puts you in a race tire. I considered others, like the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (track tire), Kumho V710 or V700 (these either had problems, could not be run full tread on the street, or did not exist in 18), and Pirelli Corsa (insanely expensive. Hoosiers were out of the question since they are not streetable.

Note that this tire is nearly identical to the Toyo Proxes RA-1, but is less expensive. Also, it is not to be confused with the Nitto 555 R, which is a strictly a drag radial and has more flexible sidewalls (not good for hot lappers). The Rs work OK on the street and in normal driving, but if you want utlimate cornering, you need the stiff sidewalls of the RII. These RII's are really street/DOT race tires, with 100AA rating. I'm not sure how long they'll last, but then again, I burned up the F1s in less than 5000 miles...

Discount tire is the only mail order place carrying the Nittos, at $321 rear and $170 or so front (not a typo). I fear what 19" tires will cost for the C6.

IMO, these are THE replacement tire for the Z.

 

Good writeup!

 

Anything to help my Z compadres

I know tire choices can be agonizing.

 

i agree with everything you said. the r2's are a great addition to the z.

they also got me ~.3 better in the qtr.

 

Rutiger,
I noticed that you are from the rainy NW. Do you run the RIIs in the rain? I am thinking about them for my Z, but I drive mine daily except if there is an expected thunderstorm. I have been caught in the rain quite a bit this spring and have not had any problems with the F1s.

 

rutiger, you have excellent taste in cars colors and tires Love the pic!

 

Just wondering, was it a tough choice between the R2's and the Sport Cups. I'm going to be changing tires soon, and i'm having a hard time deciding between the R2s' and the Sport Cups.

I live in Vegas, with some dusty roads, and I heard that the sport cups are even stickier than the R2's, work great on dusty roads, and have 80% of the R2's tread life?

Darrell..

 

Your tires are AWSOME! Looks really sweat....
When do you think 19s will be available?

 

Lutey, the problem with the S-Cups is front tire sizes. The biggest is a 255, which will cause the car to understeer. Also, the price on the Nitto fronts ($170 or so) is simply unbeatable. It is never adviseable to mix F/R tire brands because sidewall stiffness and compounds can be very different, leading to very different handling characteristics.

Also, it is important on this car to preserve front to rear grip coefficients for handling, and it is best to maintain front/rear total diameter delta to within 3-5% of the stock delta to avoid problems with AH. The 275/40 - 305/35 combo achieves this best.

 

Great thread on the tires, give us an update as you use the Nitto's.

 

this is great to hear, i am gettign som toya ra-1's next week for my car.

also was maybe going to get 275/40/17 pilot cup sport for the front of my car. cant pass up the deal i am getting on them

 

I ordered some myself. Install 9/13. Keep you posted.

 

well, i don't ever intentionally drive my z in the rain and i haven't been caught in the rain yet with the r2's. however, the times i have been in rain with the f1's they didn't feel to stable. i would imagine that the r2's can't be much worse.

i have driven my lightning with regular 555r's in the rain and they feel just as good as the stock f1's that it comes with. i'm sure as the tread gets thin on the them it will be a different story.

 

 

Why is it that there are so few choices for tires on this car. I am totally amazed that there is such a scarce selection. You would think that some of the majors would make tires for this market. Had to buy a new rear for mine becasue of a screw near the edge of the tire with lkess than 4k miles .. $400 before I was done..

 

Why is it that there are so few choices for tires on this car. I am totally amazed that there is such a scarce selection. You would think that some of the majors would make tires for this market. Had to buy a new rear for mine because of a screw near the edge of the tire with less than 4k miles .. $400 before I was done..