[sn95gts331]

Currently running Nitto 555 G2's all the way around with 315 35 17 in the back. These tires are several years old and are ready to be replaced since they are starting to dry rot even though they still have plenty of tread left. The tires don't hook at all anymore. I have a brand new set of Nitto 555 R2's in 305 35 19 for my GT350 and they hook extremely well. The R2's will dead hook from a start on the street. I am very impressed with their street performance. However, I don't want drag radials for my 1995 GT with the 17 inch rims. I noticed that the R2's felt floaty on the GT350 and I know it's sacrilegious to even put those tires on a GT350 but I don't daily the car with those tires. It currently has the Michelin Super Sports installed.

What tire choices do I have with the 17 inch rims that can hook, and take corners?

Are NT05's or R888 tires my only choices? I would prefer not to use drag radials. It's getting harder to find 17 inch tire sizes.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Falken 615 and 660 are light years better than ANYTHING Nitto makes. I hated my NT05’s. 275/40/17 615’s will stick If I gently roll in second gear with my power level. I also do open track.

 

[sn95gts331]

Falken 615 and 660 are light years better than ANYTHING Nitto makes. I hated my NT05’s. 275/40/17 615’s will stick If I gently roll in second gear with my power level. I also do open track.

I may have to step up to an 18 inch wheel size if I want to use better brands, and the tire widths that I desire. The 17's are really limited to only a few brands with the correct widths.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

I may have to step up to an 18 inch wheel size if I want to use better brands, and the tire widths that I desire. The 17's are really limited to only a few brands with the correct widths.

If you get the right compound you won't need to be hung up so much on size. My 615's have way more bite than my friend's 315 nitto 555's. If you want to stick with a tire that can corner you'll need to ditch the concept of any drag radial and look for auto-x/open track compounds.

 

[pkstang]

I may have to step up to an 18 inch wheel size if I want to use better brands, and the tire widths that I desire.

17s make your options limited and frankly 18s look better on both foxes and SN95s
but that's my personal opinion

like anytime else you have to balance between...

tread wear VS the amount of mileage you put on the car VS how frequently you're willing/can replace the tires

i'm sure just about anything will be an improvement over some old dry rotted junk

 

[cwstephens]

+1 for stepping up to an 18x11 wheel and an AutoX/track type tire if you're looking for the BEST grip and have a high limit on your credit card. These are called "Extreme Performance Summer Tires" by places like Tire Rack. They will typically be 200tw rated and they're very sticky.

I have used Falken RT615K+ and Nexen SUR4G. Neither of these is a "top tier" tire in AutoX, but they wear fairly well for the 200tw category. Of the two, the RT615K+ are faster and wear was better (last longer). The Falkens here are about $1200 in 315/30/18.

I've also driven my cousin's 99 Firebird with an LS3 and AutoX-only suspension setup on BFG Rival S1.5 and Falken RT660 and both of those tires are good. The RT660 will be faster on course, the BFGs will wear better. The non-S1.5 (regular Rivals) will last even longer, but not be quite as fast as either the . These are around $1500-$1600 for 315/30/18.

Yokohama A052s are THE fastest tire for AutoX. They're also the most expensive option, around $1800 for 315/30/18.

The new Continental ExtremeContact Force is supposed to be fairly good. It's not made for AutoX, so it's not gonna be the fastest tire here (tires made "for AutoX" are generally softer compound; they can lay down some faster times on the track, but they can also overheat. They may not handle the heat when tracked hard and start to chunk earlier). On the flip side, it will be pretty fast on the track and last longer than some of the stickier/faster tires above.

Everything is a tradeoff with tires; the stickier it is, the less you can drive on it before it needs replacing.

GrassRoots Motorsports has a great tire test. These are their recommendations:
We’ve assembled this chart to be a quick reference to choose the proper tire for the proper venue.

• Autocross: Choose A or AA for Warm-up and B or better for Pace.
• Time trials: Choose by Pace and Wear.
• Lapping days: Choose by Heat Tolerance and Wear.
• Street and Track: Choose by Heat Tolerance, Wear and Wet.

Fwiw, the 555 aren't very good, even as far as Nittos go. The NT01 are a GREAT tire for track days.

All of this assumes, of course, that you don't do a lot of driving in the rain, snow, winter, etc. These are summer tires and aren't made for those conditions.

 

[sn95gts331]

I will say that the Nitto 555 G2's were a great daily driver tire before they dry rotted, and they had decent grip. I drive my cars all year round. If I were to upgrade my wheels to 18 inch, I'm honestly not sure what wheels I would get or what's even available for my car.