Nitto NT 555G2 Tires
 

Hi All, Does anyone have opinions on the Nitto NT555 G2 Tires?
I would like to hear opinions of these Tires for use on my 1993 Base suspension Convertible. I currently have the Nitto 555 which are 6 years old and in need of replacements due to age. The 555s worked fine for me.
Thanks in advance.
Barrier

I am now on the fence.

Mine were balanced twice, then road force balanced and still I have a vibration until they warm up. I don't have but maybe 1000/1500 miles on my set. I am going to shift the front to the back (I have the same size tire option for all 4 wheels) and see if the vibration moves, then switch one more side back to front and isolate which tire it is.

Then take it(them) back to the place I bought them from.

6 years doesn't scare me for tire age.

I have had them on my base 91 for nearly a year now and am very satisfied with them. I've used a wide variety of brands and can say that they would be hard to beat for the price. However, mine is not a DD. Don't drive in rain and the roads around here are not torn up. I would definitely buy them again

Just to clarify. One of my tires has cracks in the outermost groove extending about 2". From that is an additional crack towards the sidewall about an inch. This is not road damage from road debris but are in the outermost layer.
I normally check my tires for any damage every so often, nails screws or cuts. While doing an oil change a couple of days ago I noticed it by chance since the tire tread was visible with the hood open. I do not know how long it was there, but certainly it developed within the last month.
A possible blowout is danger enough for me particularly with the Tires age. I only own this Vette for 1 year and had only 32k miles when I bought it. Driven about 3,000 miles in the last 12 years so it has sat a lot. Average about 1400 miles per year and although stored inside or covered outside. All here on Long Island. With no rust nor oxidation on aluminum parts. All Tires are date stamped 1612. I will try and take a photo Monday.
Any other opinions on the Nitto NT555G2 would be appreciated.
Barrier

I have the Nitto NT555 G2 on my 1992 LT1 and have not found a fault with them yet. I had to replace the original tires which were on the car when I purchased it this spring with only 22,000 miles. I have pushed then pretty hard in cornering and have not had any issues but since this is not a DD I do not know how they handle rain or adverse road conditions. I would buy them again in a heartbeat. These will most likely age out before I wear them out so for less than $630 out the door they were a great deal.

Running into this every day? Generally belts will flatten if you go about a week between driving, after about 5-10 miles the belts round back out. At least in my experiencing, performance tires tend to be worst with this because the rubber is softer, if I drive my vette every day or so, doesn't happen, but between weekends without driving I will notice some vibration until the belt rounds back out.

Tire Photos
 

20170911_103736.jpg

Same for me on my '92. :iagree:

More Photos
 

20170911_103743.jpg (3.26 MB)
The rest of these tires have the same cracks.
Barrier

Yup, time for new tires.

Looks pretty bad for just 6 years. I hope to get 10 years from the G2's, but not if the new compound cracks like that.

I am not sure if the cracks are indicative of Nitto tires or other Brands for that matter. Due to the low miles on my car it was not driven much. Particularly in the last 5 1/2 years. Tire experts describe the need for cars to be driven. When they are driven the compounds that make up the tires get dispersed throughout the tire. When the car just sits they deteriorate much more rapidly. Most resources talk of the need to drive and move the car on a regular basis not only for the mechanical components but Tires as well.
My car probably sat for months on end. When I first located it it was not moved from June until September (2016) except when I test drove it and brought it to my friends shop to be checked on a lift. It may have sat unused for the prior 5 years as well.
I am not worried about Nitto or most other Brands cracking as long as the Tires get exercised.
Barrier

My fronts were the last set of nt555s in 2015. In the back, I have the G2s in 315s. Since May. No issues with them.

They were on the car when I bought it last year - I've 4,000 miles on them - no complaints - smooth - quiet - performs as they should - - - BUT I've not driven them in rain yet.

Tires
 

Thanks for all the responses and comments.
I ordered the Tires NT555G2, should have them this week.
Barrier

Barrier - have you noticed that the ride is any softer/smoother going from your Nitto 555's to Nitto 555 G2's?

I'm in your boat: currently running 555's on my ZR1 rims, for the last 6 years (10k miles), and noticing numerous cracks in the rubber all over the tread.

I purchased two this spring for the front. No issues at all so far. Hope to get a long time out of them but I also don't drive the car very much. I like the pattern and the price seemed good from ebay.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...46c7343cc3.jpg

My gripe about the Nittos isn't that they are awful tires, but rather that people are overpaying for what is a mediocre tire. Nittos have always been budget tires with budget-tire quality and performance. That's okay, but not when you're paying as much for them as premium tires cost. If you have the "staggered" 8.5/9.5 wheels and 255f/285r sizes and insist on staying with that, then you can get Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires for very little extra money. Those are truly outstanding tires with better quality control and construction, as well as great dry traction and possibly the best wet traction available.

OTOH, I would recommend people with the staggered wheels step down to 245/45/17 fronts and 275/40/17 rears. That opens up a ton of tire choices, and the tires are about 0.5" shorter overall, making them look better IMO. These are the same diameters as came on the Z51 or Z07 options for those years, so it's still right in the size range that GM used. In that size, the value leader right now is the Riken Raptor. It's probably every bit as grippy as the Nitto, it's a subsidiary of Michelin so the quality is good, and they are a hell of a lot cheaper.

Many sizes of ExtremeContact Sport are out of stock until late November, thus why I had to buy Nittos a couple weeks ago when my last set of Contis wore out.

If you can wait for the Contis, or find them in a size for you, then do so. But I have no complaints about the Nitto so far.