s2k2nismo

iTrader: (4)

RE11 best tire hands down over 140 treadwear.

halfrice

iTrader: (30)

both re11 and advans would work if i stay in 18's but price is a little on the higher side, both dont make wide enough 17, would be looking for a 275/40/17 unless i can find tires for my staggered 18 setup that wouldnt be too much more than 17s

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Keep you current wheels and try the 275/35 f and 285/35 rear NT05, Nitto pays contingency and 285 is the widest allowed in your class.

halfrice

iTrader: (30)

think im gonna go with a 18x9.5 all around with 265/35/18's. Was reading up on the redline contingency program, interesting only problem is im planning on running stock class which is one below street so not sure if it qualifies and also for most of the programs 5 cars must be entered in your class, and last i saw at big willow only 2 were running rwd stock. Although i will probably do the exedy program, you dont need the product and anyone running the stickers qualifies for a raffle, could always use that towards upgrading the clutch.

mhoward1

Combined Sticky Thread

Germanguy

iTrader: (1)

Im turbobuilt. But for track I use the lowest setup with 420 hp. want to get some trackrims, but did not get a good deal till now / or they dont ship to germany. but got a good deal for the oem rays. im a bit afraid of using a 255f/265r r888 on the rays. can i use this setup for track, would you recommend it ? using also 3.9 gears and 60 % lock nismo.

scotts300

iTrader: (46)

Which stock rays? From the early track models (18x8.5) or the later 18x9/19x10 combo?

Germanguy

iTrader: (1)

early model 8 + 8.5. heard I will be fine with 245/255. but this is a tad too small.
alex#help ?

scotts300

iTrader: (46)

You can run 255s on 8" wheels and 265s on 8.5" wheels, though I'd likely go 255s all around so I could rotate them.

QuicksilverZ33

iTrader: (34)

Still no word on the Hankook RS-3?

RKnight

Just went to the Redline Time Attack finals at Fontana last weekend. Looking around at all the cars the Nitto NT05 seemed to be the favorite street tire for track use. To my surprise they didn't have a factory display with company reps like Bridgestone and Hankook did.
I was told by one person that the NT05 has a peculiar wear pattern.Even if you are not running a lot of camber the solid center tread rib wears at a sharp angle as if you did have a lot of camber.

Clam

iTrader: (6)

I've been running the Dunlop Direzza Star Specs 275/35/18 all around on my Z for about a month for DD/autocross and prefer the Dunlops over the Nitto NT05's I had before.

What I noticed about the Star Specs compared to the NT05's:
-More grip when cold at autocross
-Grips well at large slip angles and aggressive steering inputs
-Better wet traction
-Stiffer sidewalls
-Less likely to overheat
-Less road noise
-Tires measure wider than most 275's

What I noticed about the NT05's compared to the Star Specs:
-Less grip when cold at autocross
-Requires smoother inputs and smaller slip angles to grip well
-Less wet traction
-Softer sidewalls
-Can overheat and get greasy if driven aggressively
-More road noise
-Tires are narrower than most 275's

IMO, the Dunlop Direzza Star Specs are a better tire for daily driving and monthly autocross events compared to the Nitto NT05. I haven't taken either tires to a track so my opinion might change in terms of performance on the tires.

q8z

iTrader: (11)

Z1 star specs all day. Numerous HPDEs and still loving them.

Nothing better than driving to the track .. do your runs leave home after a long day without having to worry about swapping wheel setups

Z3305

Star Specs are fantastic tires for the track and cost less than R compound tires. If they're shaved they'll probably last 4-6, 2-day events where you have 2 1/2 hours of daily track time. They take a couple laps to get to operating temp and then they stick surprising well for a tire that isn't a true R compound. I've found that if you let them go much above 40-42psi hot they lose grip. According to Nitto's website the NT05 is a drag radial and the NT01 is a road race tire. I would imagine the difference between the Nittos is largely in how the tire shoulder and sidewalls are made as it affects turn-in. There may also be a diff in the compound. I don't wonder they "got greasy" if they're designed for short blasts in a straight line. I'll be trying a set of NT01s this year to see what they're like. They're the same price as the Dunlops and don't have to be shaved before track use.

RZander

Removed my post.

drivesolo

iTrader: (6)

Following the format of the O.P., here's my take on the Nitto NT01's

Vehicle: 2007 Base 350Z
Tire Brand: Nitto NT01
Size: F:275/35-18, R:275/40-18
Favorite psi: F:42 hot, R:36 hot
Mods:Stillen sways F:mid setting R:full soft setting, 18x9.5(F), 18x10.5(R) wheels, Nismo S-Tune suspension, K&N drop-in filters, Project U HC+ pads, Motul RBF600, VLSD equipped
Wear rate: 1 track day, ~20 autoX runs, ~300 miles of street driving. They have 70% life in them.

Review:
The Good:
- Overall grip was (expectedly) not as high as the top tier R-comp autoX tires, but transitioning was good
- Very predictable break away during cornering
- Showed not signs of chucking when used at full tread depth
- Never got greasy on the track (60 deg daytime high)

The Bad:
- Completely useless in the cold (below 50 deg)
- Needs a far amount of heat in order to come alive, never got up to optimal grip levels in autoX on a 50 deg day even when doing 3 back-to-back runs on a 50+ second course.
- Road noise much greater than V710's and R6's IMO especially at speeds below 30mph.
- They seem to wear a little quicker than expected.

These tires seem to beg for heat. They seemed to gain grip even during the short period (~2 sec) of heavy braking from the straights into tight corners. Which made me have to second guess my braking zones. After the cool down lap I would measure them in the pits and I would never get a reading above 110 degs, I regret not being able to have my first experience w/ them during the summer time but I'm looking forward to warmer weather. They are faster than RT-615's by about 2-3 seconds which I used on the same track last summer (275/40/17 square). Possibly more when the weather is warmer.

Z3305

After 3 years running Star Specs I went to this season's first track day on Nitto nt01s. Difference is night and day. Nittos gripped well beyond Star Specs in every instance- threshold braking, corner turn-in and mid corner acceleration. I ran down and passed people I've run close to but never passed before.
40 degree morning at Putnam Park with cold pressures at 36psi and grip was surprisingly good. By the 10am run group it was 48 degrees and the tires reached an optimum pressure of 40-42 psi quickly. Once they hit 44 to 45psi they gave up most of their grip under cornering and also under braking so I reduced pressures about 6 psi. As the day warmed to 58 or so I reduced tire pressures again so the hot psi didn't go above 41 and they were phenomenal. A friend who drives an E46 M3 and used to run on Star Specs had the same reaction.
I was running 255/40-17s on stock wheels. On a 60 degree morning a good cold psi to start with might be around 30. On my car the front and rear tire pressures matched on each side of the car with the left side a pound higher than the right (more hard right turns at Putnam). Spectacular.

Z1NONLY

iTrader: (2)

^^^Star specs are street tires. NT-01's are in the gray area between street tires and race tires.

I have always considered them high-milage race tires.


Great tire though.

Gator

You might be interested in the discussion we had on the Time Attack Forum board http://www.timeattackforums.com/foru...ite-tires.html.

I'm about to go with the Hankook R-S3s for HPDE use and RE11s for street everyday use. Modified Dave in the Time Attack forum post has some very interesting things to say about various tires including R compounds. His favorite seem to be Nittos NT-05 and ToyoR888 or RA1s.

I currently run Toyo T1-R of a street 350Z. They do not do well when you really push them. I am a relative beginner and I got them hot enough to get greasy once at Summit Point on the Shenandoah circuit. That's a tight very technical track with a lot of turns. When I got good enough to push the car to get audible feed back from the tires (squealing tires are happy tires), I noticed they got greasy in a 30 minute session about 2/3rds through. I like the tires for the street, but Toyo has a reputation for not liking heavier cars, such as my Z, on the track.

armt350z

iTrader: (6)

Anyone gotten hands on experience the falken 615K's? I went from the original 615s to star specs but im wondering if this new offering from falken might make me switch back.