Originally posted by Jafro
Damn... I mean... seriously. Are you guys retarted? What data is your NITTO bashing based on? I've been through 3 sets of them. 450's, 555's and 555R extreme drags. ALL of them have worn extremely well. They have a high-silicone content that makes them extremely quiet in hard cornering, a stiff-as-bricks sidewall design that makes your crappy suspension give more than the tire (except for the 555R Extreme Drags which have recently been updated), and a staggered tread design that makes them very comfortable on the highway. They maintain excelent traction in ALL conditions and surfaces, though I've never pushed them off-road (I'm sure that's not one of your concerns). They have BY FAR been the best street-performance tire I've ever used. When I finally get my performance car running again, you can bet they'll be the brand that gets put back on it. I pulled a 1.7 60' time on 555R's and a 1.8 on 450's! That speaks for itself.
I've also had Toyo's Yoko's Pirelli's Kumho's and GoodYear, none of those hold a candle to a NITTO. Kumho's don't wear as long, and they're noisy. At least they're cheap. The Pirelli P7000's don't grip even as good as a Nitto 450 (the touring radial) and cost twice as much, the Toyo's slipped belts causing them to be a balancing nightmare, and the Goodyears didn't grip past 10k miles even though they were supposed to be a 40k mile tire, they got progressively shittier with age.
Please tell me what your idea of a performance tire is based on, and then remember that the guy starting this thread is trying to put rubber on stock 14"s. Performance tires are easier to find in larger-than-14" sizes anyway. A 65-series sidewall is SHIT for performance. Don't blame the tire if it sucks.
what's with the name calling? both me and civicsiracer are going from out personal experience? and to answer your question yes I am physically retarded. I had polio when I was 2 years old and could not walk til I was 4 years old again and now walk with a permanent limp.
I had a set of nitto 450s and they became rock hard after 20k miles. I replaced them after another 10K because they lost grip extremely easy. samething happened to my brother who i bought a set for when he had 2 flats at the same time. I didn't know better at the time and the nittos were very cheap.
i have no experience with the 555r but civicsiracer pointed out that they are the exception.
i've also had dunlop 8080e which were marginal at best and varioius michelines where decent specially the pilot SX (discontinued). right now i have the pilot sports on the 330i and they above average. I still prefer the toyo t1-s for their overall performance in the dry as well as light weight and excellent performance in the wet. very similar to the bridgestone potenza s-03.
i do agree that the P7000 aren't that great. they are average at best.
and once again IMHO Nittos (except maybe the 555R) are horrible tires.