East Tennessee Region SCCA

I'm thinking about switching to a 200 TW tire for both street and road course action. I do not have the capability of bringing 4 additional wheels and tires with me to each event, so this is my best option.

I am leaning towards the Nitto NT05, mainly because they make a 275 and 315 for a 17" wheel.

Can anyone here comment to how they are?

If I stick with 275s on all 4 corners, my options open up to a Falken RT615k+ or the Toyo Proxes R1R (which I love the tread design).

However, I love the look of a 315 and the added width, so I am leaning toward the Nittos.

If I go 18s, I also add the options of G-Force Rival S, and Yoko Advan A052s. This is the most expensive route, as I would need to buy 18s, AND the more expensive 18" tires.


The car currently has Nitto 555s in the rear, and although ok for the street, I can't push it as much as I want on a road course. I have also ran the 555R drag radial on my old truck, with surprisingly good success. I think the light rear end and over inflation helped, as drag radials have soft sidewalls. Overall, Nitto has been a fair tire to me in the past, but I have never ran the NT05 before.

And hello to those I have known over the years. I hope everyone is well - its been a while.

Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks,
Derek

So it sounds like you'd be driving to the events on the tires. If I were in your shoes, I'd consider the Continental Extreme Contact Sport in 285/40/17. Yes, it doesn't "look" like a track tire and if you ran them in the dry with all the thrashing around at an autox, they might not wear so well. But for track, it will wear decently and you'll be able to still do your event in the rain (and get back home safely), should that happen. I just bought a set of Michelin PS4S for generally the same reason.

Otherwise, I'd recommend the Yoko's in an 18. They don't wear too well for autocrosses, but since you can align the car however you want in order to help with that, it shouldn't be a problem. Note that they do look a little odd since they don't have the typical wheel rim protector.

They aren't bad - very cost effective for 17"/275 + 17"/315 200TW tires.

The compound is not as "tacky" as the Rivals, and tends to overheat + start washing out after the 3rd aurocross run (I will spray them after the third run next year) - I got to keep tabs on the texture of the compounds side by side with Bradley Allen's Elise at an autocross last year and his Rivals were clearly "tackier" in a very "superior" sort of way for the whole run group. My NT05s were near "new".

You're going to spend a considerable amount more for the appropriate 18" Rivals.

I do not think the NT05s are rain or cold temperature friendly - Not sure if the Rivals at all are or not.

Jim (Simmons) and I ran R888s a few years ago in the 17" sizes, and I liked those a lot - but I think they're 100TW and probably a bridge too far for driving around town.

I have also considered trying the NT01s, but they're definitely 100TW and a bridge too far for driving around town.


Hope that helps.

Good Luck.

Rivals are not good in the wet.

Welcome back Derek . Because of my odd sizing desires, I have been running RE-71R on the rear and the Rivals on the front. They are now 3+ years old with lots of track events and a few autocrosses, but they are about ready to be replaced. I will put the same on again, I feel like these work pretty good on the car, at least with the suspension setup... they are used for daily driving too.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I should note, I don't drive the Camaro in the rain, and can only think of having to drive these tires in the rain would be returning from an event. In other words, wet traction is not really much of a concern.

Bradley - I sent you the SCCA track night schedule link last week. I'm down for AMP with you. Dates are on a Wednesday. I got a lot to do before hand: install new ARP studs, install new front wheel bearings, install rotors, pads, calipers, bleed brakes, install rear sway bar, install drive shaft loop, fix rear air bag leak, buy new tires, buy new helmet, repair body control module, buy new front brake ducting and install, replace battery.

I had to drive my Challenger back from Zmax a couple of years ago.. on almost new 315/30/18 Rivals. It was the exact same time I started looking for another trailer.
Even at 35mph on the Interstate.. it was terrifying.

Yeah, I was thinking "Rivals aren't good in the wet" was a bit of an understatement.

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Yep, and my guess is those NT05's might be just as bad, with as big as the tread blocks are and as shallow as the water evac channels are. I still stand by my recommendations. Those tires would let *me* push a car about as far as I'm comfortable with on track without a prepped car (cage, fire, etc.)

thrdeye wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:23 am Yep, and my guess is those NT05's might be just as bad, with as big as the tread blocks are and as shallow as the water evac channels are. I still stand by my recommendations. Those tires would let *me* push a car about as far as I'm comfortable with on track without a prepped car (cage, fire, etc.)

I just looked up the specs. It's got a 340 TW rating, which is higher than my my Nitto 555s (300 TW) and I want more grip then they offer. I'm not sure I want to chance it and not have any improvement.

I just spent some more time reviewing the NT05. I'm a little surprised to find so many people comment that they perform better in the rain than they expected. With similar cars to mine too: Challengers, Camaros, and Mustangs.

At this point I am leaning towards keeping the 17s I already have and giving the NT05 a try. I was considering jumping to 18" C5 5 spoke deep dishes, but they don't offer them in an 11" wide wheel like my rear 17s.

First question I have is how much are you wanting to spend on wheels and tires or what is your budget?

The Falkens are okay in the rain and cold. Not great, but pretty good for a TW200. They are durable and pretty good laterally. They don't power down or brake as well as the popular autocross 200TW's. They don't take well to blended inputs, but that is more of an autocross concern. In an autocross setting, people complain about them overheating, but I didn't really have that experience. They are great for messing around at Deal's Gap. I'd probably look at them pretty seriously if I wanted a track day tire.

Falken also has a newer tire, the RT660, that is supposed to be better. Not sure on sizing or availability.

Following. I'd like to find a decently compeditive tire that isnt the RE-71r or Rival. Id be doing the same, light autox duty, but still needs to be street/wet friendly

I'm in the same boat as you Ryan. I've got a worn out set of extreme contact sports I'm going to try for the first event. If they do ok I'll likely buy a new set for autocross and daily driving in the summer. I know they won't be as fast as rivals or re71r but I only do a handful of locals every year and can't justify the purchase for events.

Pewter Sonoma wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2020 10:01 pm Bradley - I sent you the SCCA track night schedule link last week. I'm down for AMP with you. Dates are on a Wednesday. I got a lot to do before hand: install new ARP studs, install new front wheel bearings, install rotors, pads, calipers, bleed brakes, install rear sway bar, install drive shaft loop, fix rear air bag leak, buy new tires, buy new helmet, repair body control module, buy new front brake ducting and install, replace battery.

Hey Derek - Get it done ! I will reply to you ASAP with the dates I'm thinking and we can sync up , will do some AMPs for sure.