After about 5 months of ownership of this car and having the opportunity to drive it in many different situations it has become clearly evident that traction issues are the No.1 challenge. As all of you seasoned owners well know this car overpowers whatever rubber you put on it. I have done a number of searches on this subject and come up with a myriad of answers but nothing definitive. Because I only drive this car for the raw visceral experience of its power, meaning I do not drive it every day or in inclement weather and I am not interested in challenging a true sports car in the twisties, has anyone of the members of this extremely knowledgeable forum found a tire brand that displays some modicum of traction to deal with the awesome torque? I know that drag radials are the best but I do not want to go that extreme. Wear factors are irrelevant as you can not put a price on the sensation you get when these monsters hook up.

 

Nitto NT-05s or Toyo R888s might help. I would personally run MT Et Street Radials for your intended usage.

 

+1 on the NT05's... I loved them to death but they were scary as hell in the rain.

 

Im on drag radials and found the nittos to do well in the summer.The nt05s and invos do well with stock boost!

 

Another vote for the NT-05's. They are great tires.

 

FYI - My last pair of MT ET-Street radials were both separated from the factory. Not a huge fan now.

 

I am running the invo's now, coming from DRs they seem to hook very well, WHEN they are very hot. So a quick burn out of the neighborhood and your good! Nitto had them on a new 458 Ferrari so they have to be good, right?

 

+1 on that..!!

 

+1 on nitto invo's. I hook very well with them.

 

I must say this forum is the real deal, in 24 hours the consensus is that the Nitto NT 05 seems to be the best street tire to handle the torque of the E55.
I have started to price them and am getting quotes around $150 for the fronts and $210 for the rears on a stock size wheel. If anyone else has a good experience with a particular tire please post up, I will be getting new sneakers in a few months. And while I am thinking about it are there any other improvements that can improve traction besides tubing the chassis and putting fat *** drag radials on?

 

this place has free shipping i think.

275/35/18 nt05 $205 each

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=275

245/40/18 nt05 $156 each
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=245

very good tire.

 

Are the NT05's the replacement for the 555's?
Reason I'm asking, I've had very good luck with the 555's. The best 60' (in a Buick) was 1.58 and they last about 15k miles. Oh and rain isn't in an issue either. They're the best all around tire.

 

I like Michelin PS2, I'm surprised no one mentioned them They provide an amazing feel of comfort while driving yet very "grippy" when needed to be

 

+1 on PS2s. I find they work really well with this chassis. Turn-in is crisp and quick. Plus they tend to hold up really well to abuse and poor road conditions. I've yet to have any issues with defects, damage, etc..

Good in the wet, quiet, and track straight on grooved pavement. They don't get greasy when hot, either. The sidewalls are stiff for excellent handling and I think that helps on these cars with all that weight (and not that stiff for a harsh ride.)

Yeah, they do cost a bit more but the build quality/construction is good. I have them on both cars (a P-car that gets lots of tire scrubbing with aggressive driving in the twisties.) I'm kinda addicted to the PS2s.

 

+1 PS2,s 20,000 miles still hooks

 

ps2s are the best tires you can buy,but dont last long and def not a tire you want to abuse at the track.

For the money the nittos are hard to beat,Iv had both the ps2s and the nittos and I dont think they are worth the extra 500 for a set.

 

This is exactly how I feel for how much I burn through tires and change shoes.

 

btw, the PS2 will be replaced with the Michelin Pilot Super Sport as Michelin's premium summer performance tire. It'll be launched next month.

Here's a TR review from a testing event in Dubai:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=141

Here's the press release from Michelin:
http://www.michelin.com/corporate/ne...lot_SuperSport

p.s., sorry if this is a repost......

 

I've got 555's on...first set after the factory conti's...and I grabbed them after pretty good reviews on here and putting a few tire shops here in town against each other and got a great deal.

All that said, I was expecting them to hook a little better. I mean, I know our cars have absurd torque, but they light up with hardly any effort. I'm running the 555 275/35/18 on my stock rims... No performance mods.