I'd like to introduce you all to the Nitto NT05....Being soo strict with which tires I choose for my vehicle, I'm always on the lookout for the next best tire. I have finally come across an awesome set of performance tires that serve a great purpose for the most spirited of street/road course drivers. Nitto sent me a set of NT05 maximum summer performance tires in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My driving habits and geographical location cover: canyons; rain; long distance; icy roads: and more. The areas I will cover on my evaluation of the tires will include: comfort; noise; traction; tread wear; handling; appearance; overall street performance; and overall canyon performance.

Comfort: These tires will definitely give you the "feel" of the road at all times. To me, this is how tires on a performance oriented vehicle should feel and gives me a sense of maximum vehicle control. While to others it may feel a bit too rough, it's definitely a big improvement over the stock run flat tires. Over bumps and road dips they don't transfer any sort of "shock" to your back or jolt as some other tires do as they absorb road imperfections fairly well.

Noise: Believe it or not these tires aren't very loud at all. You can barely hear them and any form of noise making modifications(exhaust, intake,etc) will completely mask the sound they make. I'd say that the loudest noise being caused by the tires are the little rocks being thrown up on the panels as these tires are extremely soft and sticky. Outside of the car from others' perspectives the tires are definitely tame and quiet with just enough sound to let you know they are glued to the road.

Traction: This is a big factor to most auto enthusiasts who have a mild to high powered vehicles. These have grip that will blow your mind! They grab the road from a dig and honestly feel like mild drag radials. Putting 620rwhp to these are a test that many tires would fail in but these held up very well granted my vehicle is AWD. In the rain they perform great and they will keep you at ease unlike many tires which will have you white knuckling the steering wheel. The wet performance of the NT05's is surprisingly good. Not only do the water channels serve their purpose but they make you feel planted to the road even at higher speeds in which I'd rather not say. Recently having 3 days straight of on/off rain, I never at any time felt any loss of traction even at the power levels I drive around with.

Tread wear: This category had me worried at first seeing as I daily drive my vehicle and take it on long trips. With the tread wear rating being 200 I was concerned on the life of the tires. I have put approx. 3,000 miles on mine so far, so I really can't give a long term evaluation on their longevity. They will without a doubt will last a while granted you don't do burn outs at every stop light. I'm guessing around 15k miles easily.

Handling: These are the first tires I have driven on that I could not outlast no matter what through turns and twisties. I took a 30 mile long stretch of winding canyon roads and I couldn't make these tires break a sweat. I let out of the throttle and on to the brakes way before the tires made as much as a 1/2 second chirp. I definitely need to step up my vehicle control to push these tires to the limit as they have serious handling and are a road course drivers dream. I don't think I have the guts to take them to their cornering limits.

Appearance: The Nitto NT05's have the most extreme and aggressive tread in the market hands down...in my opinion. The appearance of the NT05's are definitely a huge selling point but an accurate precursor to the performance they provide as well. One other point I may add is that the are very soft to the touch. People at the track and car enthusiasts will touch the tires after seeing the shallow tread depth and almost always comment on how soft and sticky they feel to the touch. These feel soo soft you can dig your fingernail into them like a pink eraser from elementary school.

Overall Street Performance: These are my top choice in my long and ongoing search for street tires because they come with all of the attributes a horsepower junkie craves on the street and then some. The grip and bite on the roads is very impressive and the wet performance is an extra bonus for those of us who have generally warm weather with the occasional rain fall. No worries or need to change out tires for weather as these can handle dry and wet with ease. To be honest they have no flaws for the street but the one thing i mentioned....the tread wear rating. They will last a great while, but not as long as many other performance tires as you must make that compromise for performance.
My score for this category is 8/10

Overall Canyon Performance: For this category I felt that canyon driving is basically the same as road courses as they both involve a combination of curves and straights. These are where these tires really shine and provide amazing handling, grip, and durability in all aspects. The sharpest turns and curviest roads are a cakewalk for the NT05's. As my canyon runs progressed the tires grabbed better in the 40 degree weather. I'm confident to say that the NT05's on a high powered vehicle with an extremely skilled driver could do wonders on the road course or through the canyons. The scariest part of going through the canyons with these tires is..."to what limit can these tires really go???"
My score for this category is 9.5/10

All in all...whether these were given to me or purchased from the local tire store....they are the REAL DEAL.

Thank you Nitto!!!

 

Great review! I like how you broke it down. I run these on the back of my M3 and they have been loud!! Maybe the heavier weight and bigger size of your srt8 dampens the sound a little bit? Other then that, they are a pretty decent tire. Definitely better traction then the PS2s. Just wish the Nt-05r was available in my size!!

 

Great tires indeed. So sticky for a street tire. I've got 245/40-18 and 275/35-18.

I'm surprised you did not mention how bad they smell in your review. My garage smells like a farm. Hoping that odor eventually wears off.

 

Interesting. I might have to check these out. I plan on getting a set of Style V's for summer and track use and maybe I'll look into them.