The previous front Invos had plenty of tread left but from an age standpoint, they had to go. Our Discount tire store assisted with the test fit to make sure the extra-wide tires would work out back without rubbing. Everything looked good on the test fit so we set off for some initial impressions.
Evaluation and Conclusion
Right away we can hear how both the Nitto NT555RII and NT05 pick up small pebbles in the road due to the soft compounds used. Surprisingly for semi-racing tires, there’s no excessive noise either. Typical tire slapping noises from freeway expansion joints and hum from the rain groove channels in the road are minimal. This wasn’t a comfort test though so we got more aggressive turning the traction control off.
The rears got a quick first gear burnout to clean them off and get a little heat into them. Pinning the throttle from a standstill provokes some controlled wheelspin and a slight blip on the 1-2 shift. Previously with traction control on the 2-3 gear change full throttle runs would blip the slip light indicating traction issues. Off the line, traction is definitely better but it’s from a roll-on where the Nitto NT555RII really shines. The drama from the car kicking sideways with the traction control on or off is way more predictable. With traction control off in the lower gears, there’s minimal wheelspin in 2nd gear when the tires are warmed up. With traction control on as you’d expect the slip light comes on far less frequently. What’s astonishing though is just how quietly these new tires go about doing their job.
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