Nitto NT05 vs Bridgestone stock tires, in the rain?
 

Just wondering if anyone can compare traction in the rain between the stock Bridgestone RE050A and the Nitto NT05. I live in Florida and see a good deal of rain, especially throughout the Summer months, and just looking at the tread pattern kind of worries me. I'd really love it if someone could compare them against stock in the rain.

RE50s will by leagues better than NT05s for sure... they are more comparable to the invo's for wet traction...

Where in FL do you live?

Flashburn, I daily drive nt05s in Miami. They aren't that bad, but they can be "exciting".

Central Florida area.

I commute from Deltona to Orlando each day taking I4 + 417, so perhaps the Nitto's wouldn't be the best choice for me? :(

Perhaps it makes more sense for me to get the Invo's. How do they stack up dry traction wise to the stock RE050's?

Your "exciting" might be another mans "terrifying". :) I drove on balding RE-11's during heavy rain and it was pretty damn "exciting" at speed.

NT05's are worse in the rain than stock tires, but not by a lot.

I'm so conflicted! Either the Invo's or the NT05's I'm thinking. Luckily I still have a couple thousand miles (two months or so) before I'll need to replace the rears.

This review of the NT05's makes them sound more than decent in the rain.
http://www.musclemustangfastfords.co...est/index.html

How many miles are you going to replace the stock tires at?

I have had RE11's and NTO5's. Nt's are way too loud IMO. The road noise was horrible, and they sucked in the rain. I love my RE11's. No complaints. Not sure about the RE50

When I drive my NT01's on the highway (only for short trips) they howl like a banshee. Cool, but I wouldn't want to do it for too long.

:wtf2:

Didn't 2thextreme crash in the rain with RE11's?

Do a search for Car & Driver's tire comparison, it had both wet and dry results.

The rears will be off at 12K at the earliest, maybe 14K if I'm lucky. Fronts will probably last quite a bit longer. Not sure if I'm going to replace them all at once or not.

nt05 is far better tire than the invo. dont make that mistake

I'm just concerned that I might be sacrificing too much in ride quality/noise, and wet traction. I don't plan on tracking the car any time soon.

If the Invo's are at least as good or better than the stock RE050's, then that might be a better fit for me.

:iagree: More grip

Umm, with the amount of good weather we get in FL, you should just go with the nt05's. However, they will last significantly less time than the invos, nt05s are louder and stiffer sidewall and they are not stellar in the rain. It really depends on whether you are willing to sacrifice some performance. I chose not to and I couldn't be happier. You might do otherwise. Have you looked at RE-11s? those have better wet performance and are quieter than the nt05s and have just as much grip.

I haven't. I tried looking them up just now, but I can't seem to find any online sellers that have them in the OEM sizes.

Just go +1 on size. 255 front 285 rear.

What about using michilen pilot sport 2's if your going to spend money on tires... all I can say is wet or dry they have been the best performing tires for me, rainy day canyon runs and dry...haven't Acquired my 370z yet but These will be the only tires I will run IMhO once the stocks are worn out.

Would 255/35 be okay on the front? Tirerack doesn't list a 255/40.

Those tires are so expensive though, makes it a very hard pill to swallow!

they are only a couple hundred more(at most) total from tire rack then the price of the stockers, the performance wet and dry that you get from them are worth the extra money...

one question - why sacrifice when it come to what keeps your car on the road?

That's kind of a silly question honestly. Do you always buy the best of everything? The stock tires are obviously good enough to be safe or they wouldn't be the stock tires. There are also other tires that are cheaper than stock that have just as good traction or better than the stock.

Also, with such a low treadwear rating, if I'm replacing my tires every year, an extra $300-$400 does add up pretty quickly.

That said, I'll definitely keep them in mind when I'm ready. It's good to know that I have an easy go-to choice for a superior tire, albeit a more expensive one.

I got my Invo's at Tire Kingdom.. The size I went with was the cheapest they had!!! I love the design on the tires. Very well designed! Plus I think they stiffened the sidewalls cuz it doesn't sag between the rim and ground. I would recommend the Invo's.. Ride is smooth and alot less noise compared to stock.

How is the wet/dry traction on them compared to stock? Mind saying what sizes/price?

Have you looked at the V12's? Great tire for the money. If you don't want to spend a lot. Personally I prefer the RE11's

Yeah, I did check those out, but the fact that they lose a ton of traction once they get hot made me think otherwise. Perhaps it wouldn't really matter unless I track the car, but there is a slight chance I'll do an HPDE event in the next year or so.