If you've watched the national weather report over the part few weeks, you know that Colorado got hit with two massive snowstorms. While my Redline track model remained safely in the garage for most of that time, today I had the chance to get it out of the deep freeze. What a joy it was to be back driving it again! Still, I wouldn't have even tried except for the Nitto Neo Gen all-seasons tires I'm testing for Nissan Sport Magazine.

The sidestreets are still filled with snow/ice, but are at least level (vs. heavily rutted) and the Neo Gens offer enough low temperature grip to allow the Z to gain enough traction to manuever. Low speeds and slow hands are the key to getting the car on to the main roads, which are mostly dry (thank you Denver/Aurora Public Works!), but still have patches of snow and ice around. The Nittos were in good shape there, although my seat-of-the-pants impression was that I was still operating in the 70-75% range of normal grip. The OEM 040s would have been impossible in the same conditions.

Besides being affordable, there were some other advantages to this particular tire model that are detailed on page 68 of the just released Winter '07 issue of Nissan Sport Magazine (also available at Barnes and Noble, Hastings and other fine bookstores). Sorry for the shameless plug, but we've got some great 350Z articles (including a supercharged beast and my GT3 350Z project car), the latest Nissan news and plenty more for the crowd here.

David Muramoto
Senior Editor
Nissan Sport Magazine
www.nissansportmag.com

 

I had these tires on my Prelude and I loved them. Not to mention, they're designed to handle some negative camber as well.

I think I'll go pick up the mag if I can find it local

 

never knew of this mag, might subscribe if any good.

 

Nissan Sport Magazine still has a way to go before everyone is aware of us! You can get a preview of what we have to offer by going to the website. You can also pick up a subscription there:

www.nissansportmag.com

 

One more comment on these tires: the parking lot at work is- you guessed it- completely snow and iced over. Driving the Z with the OEM tires on that type of surface would have been a tire-spinning exercise in futility. The Neo Gens gave me just enough traction to get around and find a secure parking space. After I got out of my car, I almost slipped on the (now melting) ice!

The Nissan Sport tire test continues!

 

where can I find these tires? thanks.

 

You might try Discount Tire as a vendor for the Neo Gen. Here's a link:

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/fin...rora&tc=NITHZ6

 

shameless plug for me - i have some nitto neogens with not too many miles on them for sale, they are 225/50/17 and 235/50/17 (OEM 17" tire sizes) and I will sell them cheap, just pm me if you are interested.

Mr. Muramoto, don't know if you know it, but I write for your magazine lol

 

Mr. Pratt- I certainly do know you write for us! lol PM'd

 

Just an update to an old thread. Even after multiple snowstorms and blizzards along the Front Range area of Colorado, I've continued to get the Z out of the garage on several occasions. The Neo Gens offer just enough traction to get me out of my snow-covered Denver neighborhood and onto the main streets (where it's been plowed). That is NOT what would happen with the OEM tires- I'd be stuck just backing out of my garage!

The Neo Gens also provide good performance in freezing temperatures over dry and wet pavement. As stated in the Nissan Sport review of this model (Winter '07 issue), it's impressive for it's quiet ride over most pavement surfaces. While I remain a fan of high performance summer tires for the Z, these Nittos have me appreciating their design, technology and construction that extends the safe driving range I can safely operate my Z in!

 

They are priced pretty well also.

 

Speaking of well-priced, mrpratt's used 17" Neo Gen's (#8 post above) are a real deal! Particularly for those NOVA, DC or MD Z drivers who can just go pick them up.

 

How are these tires compared to the Pilot PS2's? There is not comparison on tirerack.com between the two.. You spoke of cold icy weather. have you any experience with them in sunny So Cal? thanks!

 

i don't live in socal but i did have them on last summer, and I thought they were improved performance from the avon tires I had on there previously.

 

Well, I've spoken with my tire guy. I think I've been sold on the Neo Gens, especially for the price. He told me I wouldn't be able to see a big diff between the Pilot PS2's and the Neo Gens and recommended I go with the Neo's. So guys..... I currently have 19x8 rims. I'm going to stick with a 245/40/19 fronts. My question... Can I go 275/35/19 rears? Can I go that big on the rear?

 

I have about 5k miles on my Neo-Gens. Can't say much for snow (leave it in the garage) but they work well in dry and even rain. Handle very nice in warmer temps. I was sold on them due to the claimed negative camber benefits. We'll see how that works and I'm also curious as to how long they will last.

 

That's a big negative! Using that wide a tire (275) on an 8.0" rim is big trouble. The sidewall will be stretched and distorted. The contact patch actually gets smaller and performance drops accordingly. Stick with the 245s, they are about as wide as you want to go with that size rim.

 

February 1st brought the Denver metro area another snowstorm and really slick roads. The Neo Gens again helped me get the Z home through stop-and-go traffic. The worst was going up some hilly sections covered with ice and snow- the Z wanted to twist sideways but the Nittos offered just enough traction to gain a foothold and keep going!

 

Id like to add! I dont have Neo Gens, but they look nice nice tires. I have Kuhmo ASX tires. I actually couldnt get them to slip unless i tried hard in the snow. I was impressed by these tires, and they were dirt dirt dirt cheap. They dont handle too well unless you up the PSi to around 36 cold however. Also, they become greasy when hot so they are mostly a street use only tire.

 

Good point. All-season tires are designed to work in a wide variety of temperatures, but getting them really hot on dry pavement isn't a good idea.
The "greasy" feeling is due in part to a (relatively speaking) high tread depth (10/32nds when new) with lots of squirm. Use high-performance summer or R-compound tires at the track and let the all-seasons do their best work on the road the rest of the time.

Our temperatures in Colorado are freezing in February, so I've upped my tire pressures to 36# all round to compensate.