I thought I would do a quick write up of my experiences with the following tires.
First set: Stock Bridgestone RE40’s
Second set: BFG KDW’s new tread
Third set: Nitto NT 555

Bridgestone RE40’s:

These were the tires that came stock on my z in a 245/45/18 rear and 225/45/18 front. Upon taking delivery of my car I of course didn’t know how to drive the Z. I found these tires to be very good if I wanted to slide my car around. I really enjoyed the stiffness of the sidewalls, this stiffness became more evident when I installed my nismo suspension and sway bars. There was absolutely no body roll with this setup, although now I found it even easier to break the rear end loose. After 2500 miles I thought it was time for some new shoes for the Z.

BFG KDW’s new tread

After receiving these tire I was amazed at how hot the tread design was and how soft the tread compound was just to the touch. I quickly had these tires mounted on the stock wheels. The sizes were 255/45/18 rear and 225/45/18 up front. One thing I immediately noticed about these tires was the amount of grip they had in the rain. I was spinning less in second gear on wet pavement than I was on dry with my stock tires. These tires were nothing less than perfect when it came to traction. Handling however was a different story. I’m guessing that it might have been the lack of ply’s in the sidewall but I had a lot of bodyroll with this setup. I attributed it to the increased sidewall height of the rear tires. After 7000 miles it was time for a change.

Nitto NT 555

Ah a new set of tires once again. After purchasing a set of rays g-games wheels I opted for bigger tires front and rear. I am now sporting 275/35/19 rear and 245/35/19 fronts. I have given these tires roughly 2000 miles before I did the write up but sadly I am very disappointed in them. These tires are very different from the kdw’s. I would say that they have less traction than my stock tires did. Now after learning how to drive the Z (sort of learning how to drive it) they are a lot of fun though. I guess it’s the lack of traction but these tires are predictable when you are sliding, much more so than the kdw’s. The sidewall’s are really stiff but that’s expected when you are running such a small sidewall.
Another issue is these tires in the rain, Do not buy these tires if it rains a lot in your area. They have absolutely no traction on wet roads, so be careful

Conclusions

After all 3 tires have been tested I think I may go back to the KDW’s and try them in the new sizes. I know that this isn’t a scientific test and its just my opinion. Does anybody else have anything to add about any one of the tires? Sorry for the long post

 

good write up, thanks. I like the Re040's despite all the negativity they get(or have gotten especially with all the feathering issues). they do handle great and the sidewall is ultra stiff which i like.

 

Three different tires in how many miles? You should be a professional tire tester.

 

You would think i was a tire tester, i just havent found anything that i am happy with yet.

 

or Z generate enough smoke to burn those tires

 

What was that?

 

I only have 4K miles on my stock Potenzas and have no issues with them. I've driven my Z to an HPDE & autocross and these stock tires have held up well. I like the stiff sidewalls. Also, these tires have great traction whether on dry or wet surface. I've been thinking about moving the 245s to the front and buying 275s for the rear but these Potenzas are so freakin' expensive!