Well I replaced my aging 235/40-18 RT-615s on my stock rims. The result...





Couple interesting things.. they have a 'left side' (red stripe) and a 'right side' (green strip). So when you mount them the tires are mounted differently on the left & right side wheels. Therefore only front to rear rotation on the same side is possible, no side to side.



In comparison my NT-01s have only an "outside' mark, so you could move them side to side and front to rear.



Also as you can see the void areas is substantial, but then again they are supposed to have pretty good wet weather capabilities.



I've only just been a short distance, but the tread noise is low, the ride is supple and smooth even with my coilovers ... and they show an aggressive tread .



I'm hoping they'll be a good compromise tire for DD and occasional track use, esp. wet track, but allowing a safe and comfy ride to and from track, while my R-Comps in the back seat will do hard core dry track duty.

I'll report back later on how it's all working out and handling impressions compared to the NT-01s (the tire I've been using for DD/track lately).

 

Nice, I was going to go with these but ended up getting brand new RE-01Rs for $400 less than what I would have been spending on the NT05s, so I couldn't pass that up. Let me know how they are after you've broken them in.

 

You got RE-01s for less than $60 each where was that......? ... these were like $160 each...I thought that was a deal....

 

I'm talking about 265/35/18s I snagged the RE-01Rs off the FS section. While I wanted the NT05s, I couldn't turn down the price difference. Besides, the difference in the tires should be minimal enough for me not to care, especially for the price difference.

 

Dude! what a coincidence; I'm replacing my RT-615s and just earlier today I went to America's Tire website to order and make appointment to install a set of NT05! (but 235 instead of 245). I've heard some good things about this new tire, will be very interested in comparing to the Falken. I have barely 11K on the Falken and the inner half is pretty much bald; still some tread on the outsides. I guess that's what I get for using it more for street than track.
The L/R thing on those Nittos is curious. have u ever seen that before? I've def. seen *directional* tires, or 'Outside' markings (as in the Falken), but 'left/right' is new to me. I can't for the life of me figure what would make a tire Left/right-specific. I'm wondering if they are really designed just like other Directional tires, and the marking of 'Left/Right' marking simply provides more assurance that they are mounted as intended (hence the arrow-like direction graphics).

 

As an owner of both I can assure you the NT05s don't hold a candle to my NT01s but that is comparing apples to oranges. the 615s are junk. I don't think they belong in a comparison with anything newer than RS2s..

As far as the NT05s goes I am trying to compare them to my Kumho XS tires. At this point in time the NT05s have been more consistent from start to finish however once warmed up my XS have felt a little better. In water it wipes the floor with the NT05s and 01s.

No definitive review as of yet but I'm enjoying mine as well. And not that it really matters but the NT05s are considerably more noisy than the XS but leaps and bounds quieter than my 01s

 

wow,

great looking tires. cant wait to hear how they do..

i am still going strong with the dunlop star spec in the same size.. i think i have about 10 k miles and 6 track days on them and they are still doing very well.

i have a set of the same size RE-01R but in the 17 inch i am getting mounted up on a set of forged superlaggras. it will be interesting to see how they compare..

beers

 

Those are some awesome tires...I'm about to purchase a set of Nitto INVOs in 275/35/18s.

 

Keep us updated. I'm almost set on the NT05s as my next tire, but I've been putting off their purchase simply because I don't want to pay the $700+ for a set at the moment and am waiting for my heat cycled to death Sport Z1s to actually become slicks. I'm really curious how they compare to other tires in this category. They're cheaper, but they look like they can be very fast, though the fact that they're molded to something like 7/32nds might mean they won't last as long.

Where did you get these from?

 

Search ebay for "NT-05" look for ebay store results. Cheaper even than discounttiredirect.com including free shipping.

 

Ya know, I found something interesting on Nittos website. I'm posting a link to their tire comparisons, the INVO out performs the NT-05 in all but one category...dry performance but maybe by only 5%. Just found it interesting...

Clicky

 

Yea the Invo looks cool-incidentally similar. Pretty much same tread - more unusual swiping + those two big groves again. Treadwear is 220-260 so the compound must be a bit different. The 245/40ZR-18 93W BLK is the same price as the similar NT-05.

I guess you get that extra 5% stickiness and closer to the NT-01 R-comp OR you get absolute quiet and a bit better wet traction. Nitto's visual marketing symbols nicely shows the whole performance picture of their various tires, rather than just choosing from some words and tread designs.

 

The INVO and TIR are on my short list of tires to replace my KDW2 (suck).

spin9k, how does the sidewall feel when leaning into corners?

 

I don't know yet...we're all experiencing the 40 day flood here in the NE, and I haven't used them except to go the Walmart (for no good reason). So all I know is they're quiet, cushy, and feel fine, but almost all new tires do that. If the sun ever shines here in cloud & rain hell...

 

Looks like you might want to re-think the INVO. New Aug C&D tire test has little good to say...8th of 9 similar tires tested...let's hope the NT-05 (they wanted to include in the test, but couldn't get the right size for the test) would have tested out better .

 

Really you don't like the KDW's? I know the road noise is hellish...but I've never had any issues with them.

 

Road noise sucks and I find the sidewalls a bit soft. I do not like how the car feels when leaning into a corner. Also the response time seems a bit slow. They provide decent dry grip and are awesome in the rain. They wear fairly well and look cool. But no way I buy them again.

 

Thanks for the heads up and will check it out.

 

That Car and Driver test was done in very early spring, all the tires tested are primarily summer tires. Don't really know if that had much to do with the results.

 

just got my NT-05s mounted a couple days ago....now for the fun part: testing 'em out

so far so good...not sure they're any quieter than the Azenis 615s, but it's still very early to tell for sure.

 

WTF?!?

Those two wide circumferential tread grooves have to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen a tire manufacturer do, apparently maximum contact patch area doesn't matter ...

 

Interesting Team ... you deride the circumferential voids, while I see them as genius. Serious water drainage for the solid "slick" center rubber, and the huge side tread blocks. Water has to go somewhere, no?

The excellent Adavan Neova AD08 has 3 nice center voids as well, basically the same void area http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic...VAN+Neova+AD08

...or are we just having a bit of fun again

 

thats super great news. i have these tires and was wondering how long they would last. i was only expecting 10k but knowing ill be fine at the autocross is very nice.

 

The Yoko grooves don't total up to that much surface area, they are clearly narrower even at three total, those NT05 grooves are just ridiculous granted they may work well when the water is 2+ inches deep, but the timing equipment won't

the "good" street tires have enough groove area full tread that disappears when shaved I certainly wouldn't choose those over the top street tires for ST

 

Having compared the StarSpecs to these and a bunch of others, I can tell you that the NT-05 may very well be the best street tires for the RX-8 that money can buy.