r888's or nitto invos
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2008
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r888's or nitto invos
I have a minor dilemma i need to replace the rears on my car im currently have bfg kdw II's285.35.19's. I'm thinking of toyo's R888's 295.30.19's or nitto invos 305.30.19's. I go to the strip 2-3 times a year and take 3-4 road trips i guess im looking for the best tire to acommodate both street and occasional strip w/o having to buy d/r and swap out everytime I hit the strip...any suggestions
Last edited by Big Nas T; Apr 1, 2011 at 10:28 AM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,331
Likes: 61
From: Port Huron MI
Neither of those are going to do much for you at the strip. The r888 is more of a road course tire with a stiffer sidewall, and the Invo isn't more than a good street tire. I would suggest the Invos for your daily driving and pending how much you hit the strip and if you really want something worth while, get a second set of rear wheels and mount some actual drag radials on them to mount for when you go to the strip
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Neither of those are going to do much for you at the strip. The r888 is more of a road course tire with a stiffer sidewall, and the Invo isn't more than a good street tire. I would suggest the Invos for your daily driving and pending how much you hit the strip and if you really want something worth while, get a second set of rear wheels and mount some actual drag radials on them to mount for when you go to the strip
My Invo's are 2.0 60 footers. No good for the strip. And I have big 345/35/19's and not that much power.
My 555RII's weren't much better on the strip either.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 569
Likes: 73
From: Colts Neck NJ
Neither is a drag tire. I have 305 35 18 r888's on my car with 715 whpr and 4.10 gears. Still gotta limp the launch but if the tires are warm I can get the power down from 2nd gear on. love the tires on the street. If I was going to the 1/4 and was looking for a good launch, I'd get drag radials. then again, That's unrealistic bc you won't always have your drag tires handy for those unscheduled races in Mexico.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,014
Likes: 2
St. Jude Donor '09-'10
???
No Mention of NT05s out front and NT05r's out back? I have been running these since the r's came out (about 1.5 years) and havent looked back. The NT05R will hold 700 WHP easily and 800 with a bit of finess. 900 WHP will require a bit more care when it comes to slamming the gas peddle but still very capable of holding the power. The set-up does well on the track (RR) and very well on the strip. Price is reasonable also but availability is sometimes a PITA but only is a testiment to their great performance. Street legal but requires common sense that you will loose traction on wet roads. My second choice would be R888's but the noise may bother you a bit and it will require a wheel change if you want to run 345's on the back.
IMHO the best deal going would be the NT05(F) + NT05r (R). You will be pleasently satisfied.
BTW: Looked back at your sizes and still would stick with the Nitto Nt05's x NT05r's. Just be careful in the rain. I was running 900WHP and 800 FT# with the Nittos and staying street legal mind you still the best deal going. Others will disagree while others will agree 100%.
Finally - Joe G is a wealth of info and would defintely consider his suggestions.
IMHO the best deal going would be the NT05(F) + NT05r (R). You will be pleasently satisfied.
BTW: Looked back at your sizes and still would stick with the Nitto Nt05's x NT05r's. Just be careful in the rain. I was running 900WHP and 800 FT# with the Nittos and staying street legal mind you still the best deal going. Others will disagree while others will agree 100%.
Finally - Joe G is a wealth of info and would defintely consider his suggestions.
Last edited by CPG1962; Apr 3, 2011 at 07:58 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,596
Likes: 19
From: Portland Oregon
When I dyno big powered cars on my chassis dyno. Cars with the Nitto Invos always have problems with wheel spin on my dyno. And we are not talking about 800 or even 700 whp cars.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
No Mention of NT05s out front and NT05r's out back? I have been running these since the r's came out (about 1.5 years) and havent looked back. The NT05R will hold 700 WHP easily and 800 with a bit of finess. 900 WHP will require a bit more care when it comes to slamming the gas peddle but still very capable of holding the power. The set-up does well on the track (RR) and very well on the strip. Price is reasonable also but availability is sometimes a PITA but only is a testiment to their great performance. Street legal but requires common sense that you will loose traction on wet roads. My second choice would be R888's but the noise may bother you a bit and it will require a wheel change if you want to run 345's on the back.
IMHO the best deal going would be the NT05(F) + NT05r (R). You will be pleasently satisfied.
BTW: Looked back at your sizes and still would stick with the Nitto Nt05's x NT05r's. Just be careful in the rain. I was running 900WHP and 800 FT# with the Nittos and staying street legal mind you still the best deal going. Others will disagree while others will agree 100%.
Finally - Joe G is a wealth of info and would defintely consider his suggestions.
IMHO the best deal going would be the NT05(F) + NT05r (R). You will be pleasently satisfied.
BTW: Looked back at your sizes and still would stick with the Nitto Nt05's x NT05r's. Just be careful in the rain. I was running 900WHP and 800 FT# with the Nittos and staying street legal mind you still the best deal going. Others will disagree while others will agree 100%.
Finally - Joe G is a wealth of info and would defintely consider his suggestions.
Oh and your avatar got a lot prettier!
Was asking Roger at HPS the other day if you'd been in. In case you didn't know, his dad died a couple of weeks ago. Very sad for him, it was bad the final month or so.
I'd asked Roger about these NT05R's just the other day and he similarly said that he's got a lot of customers loving them, though he hadn't heard any drag strip times with them.
I think the NT05R's would be a great choice for the OP, so long as he's not forced to drive in rain often. As I daily drive mine, I went with the Invos...they have excellent wet weather performance. And they do look good.
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Pro
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 554
Likes: 1
From: Evington VA
Toyo R888 and nitto 555r2s are basically the same tire (toyo owns nitto) I run the R888s on my DD and they stick 425whp off the line no prob. However in Cold weather they are awful, but performed nicely when I got stuck out in the rain 3 hours from home! No slippage whatsoever at 70mph on the interstate, not something I could say about the GY Runcraps! I love these tires, but the life of the tire may scare you away! I expect to get maybe 8000 miles out of this set.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 118
Likes: 1
From: Austin Texas
I have RE-11s on my 07 z51 and I like them a lot better than the stock tire. I'm getting ready to add an eforce so I'll tell you how that works out.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,106
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Neither of those are going to do much for you at the strip. The r888 is more of a road course tire with a stiffer sidewall, and the Invo isn't more than a good street tire. I would suggest the Invos for your daily driving and pending how much you hit the strip and if you really want something worth while, get a second set of rear wheels and mount some actual drag radials on them to mount for when you go to the strip
Actually they aren't real great in snow.I'm on my second set and am getting mid 30K miles on stock sizes.
You can use them at the track, but you'd need to learn their limits and you can't do that running 2-3 times a year. I think Joe forgot that I stopped to play at his track in the middle of my 6500 mile road trip. On all 4 passes the 60's were under 2 seconds, with the best a 1.75.
But Superman09 is correct, that you should buy DRs for track use only. Considering you'll only use them for about 15-20 runs a year, you could buy someones used pair already mounted and have more fun safely for less.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 223
Likes: 0
From: Casper WY
I have ran Invo's in 305's and then 345's with the wider fenders. I have also run Pirelli and Michelin and the Invo's are bar none my choice for a street tire if you are going to use your car under normal conditions that include rain, cold, long trips etc. They look great and perform and wear in my opinion much better than the other choices. They cost less and last longer. Now you are on a quest here for something that really doesn't exist. A tire to do it all! I have found to do all things well you would need at least 3 sets of tires. A set of Invo's or comparable for street use, then a set of road race tires like r888's or other choices and finally a set of rears with Mickey Thompson drag radials that can really hook when you want to play in town or take it to the strip. If you don't road race then an option is to buy an extra set of rears and put some MT's on them and swap them out when you want to get serious on the street or in the 1/4 mile. Another option unless you get crazy with hp levels like some of us is to install Zo6 rear fenders so you can run wider tires such as the 345's. Just my thoughts......
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,014
Likes: 2
St. Jude Donor '09-'10
I have heard the same about NT05r's. It matters what roller cover is on the dyno.
Last edited by CPG1962; Apr 4, 2011 at 06:44 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,014
Likes: 2
St. Jude Donor '09-'10
Well...what a nice thing to say! Thank you!!
Oh and your avatar got a lot prettier!
Was asking Roger at HPS the other day if you'd been in. In case you didn't know, his dad died a couple of weeks ago. Very sad for him, it was bad the final month or so.
I'd asked Roger about these NT05R's just the other day and he similarly said that he's got a lot of customers loving them, though he hadn't heard any drag strip times with them.
I think the NT05R's would be a great choice for the OP, so long as he's not forced to drive in rain often. As I daily drive mine, I went with the Invos...they have excellent wet weather performance. And they do look good.
Oh and your avatar got a lot prettier!
Was asking Roger at HPS the other day if you'd been in. In case you didn't know, his dad died a couple of weeks ago. Very sad for him, it was bad the final month or so.
I'd asked Roger about these NT05R's just the other day and he similarly said that he's got a lot of customers loving them, though he hadn't heard any drag strip times with them.
I think the NT05R's would be a great choice for the OP, so long as he's not forced to drive in rain often. As I daily drive mine, I went with the Invos...they have excellent wet weather performance. And they do look good.
I have actually switched over to P cars and bldg a 1000WHP GT2 and increasing the displace from 3.6 to 3.8. It will be a monster and being built by Porsche Racing
I bought a ZR1 and sent it to LPE for a STG 3 upgrade along with Akropovic titanium exhaust and x-pipe, Caravaggio interior, and dropped pulley to 2.38" from the std 2.60.Putting down ~ 715 WHP and 675 FT# - I really like the car as it is very smooth and clean. My 911TT (NOT the GT2) is not super fast but is quick as bloody hell running 2.5 sec 0-60 on a Tiptronic tranny. Also bought an "ugly" Panamerra but man its fast...had it tuned to an extra 90 WHP and 80 FT# - much faster than my CTSV's.My avitar is 42 YO - not bad hey?
Last edited by CPG1962; Apr 4, 2011 at 06:43 AM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Please pass my condolensces to Roger. I knew he was very close a few months ago.
I have actually switched over to P cars and bldg a 1000WHP GT2 and increasing the displace from 3.6 to 3.8. It will be a monster and being built by Porsche Racing I bought a ZR1 and sent it to LPE for a STG 3 upgrade along with Akropovic titanium exhaust and x-pipe, Caravaggio interior, and dropped pulley to 2.38" from the std 2.60.Putting down ~ 715 WHP and 675 FT# - I really like the car as it is very smooth and clean. My 911TT (NOT the GT2) is not super fast but is quick as bloody hell running 2.5 sec 0-60 on a Tiptronic tranny. Also bought an "ugly" Panamerra but man its fast...had it tuned to an extra 90 WHP and 80 FT# - much faster than my CTSV's.
My avitar is 42 YO - not bad hey?
I have actually switched over to P cars and bldg a 1000WHP GT2 and increasing the displace from 3.6 to 3.8. It will be a monster and being built by Porsche Racing
I bought a ZR1 and sent it to LPE for a STG 3 upgrade along with Akropovic titanium exhaust and x-pipe, Caravaggio interior, and dropped pulley to 2.38" from the std 2.60.Putting down ~ 715 WHP and 675 FT# - I really like the car as it is very smooth and clean. My 911TT (NOT the GT2) is not super fast but is quick as bloody hell running 2.5 sec 0-60 on a Tiptronic tranny. Also bought an "ugly" Panamerra but man its fast...had it tuned to an extra 90 WHP and 80 FT# - much faster than my CTSV's.My avitar is 42 YO - not bad hey?
I have a good friend in Chicago who is a P-nut (but a drag racer at heart, running a '70 SS 396 at Route 66 back in the day). He is a walking encyclopedia of all things P if you need any information. Nice guy too, he and his buddy track about every weekend when the weather is nice.
His former setup...I need to make a poster with the caption "In support of higher education" from this pic....
And his current setup.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I have a minor dilemma i need to replace the rears on my car im currently have bfg kdw II's285.35.19's. I'm thinking of toyo's R888's 295.30.19's or nitto invos 305.30.19's. I go to the strip 2-3 times a year and take 3-4 road trips i guess im looking for the best tire to acommodate both street and occasional strip w/o having to buy d/r and swap out everytime I hit the strip...any suggestions
Just know that when you go, if you get any wheel hop, just let off and abort the run. Your rear end will be a lot happier that way.
And I have one of these little ContiKit compressors with sensor safe goop for road trips, fits behind the waterfall in my vert, or in the cubby. I also carry a plug kit. Can you tell I was a boy scout?
http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=38
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,004
Likes: 68
From: Cincinnati OH
I have the RE-11's as well with an A&A kit and really like the tires a lot for a street tire. The weather is still cool here so I haven't been able to put them thru any good 1st gear launches but hopefully soon.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
From: tulsa ok
I would rec the R888's as long as you dont care about replacing them every 10,000 miles. At the strip, properly warmed up, there was only .2 sec 60ft time for me. The invo's are great for highway but nowhere near the traction of the R888. Btw, I use Invo's for winter driving and put the R888 back on as soon as spring arrives.