[T-101]

I am thinking of getting some Nittos for my 03 cobra with stock tenth anniv 17x9 rims. I am thinking of NT555R 315/35/R17-102V drag radials rear, but NT555 245/45ZR17-93W summer UHP for the front. I would go with the summer 'ultra high performance' up front to maybe have better control than the drag radials offer in rainy conditions. I would go with the narrower tire up front because with wider tires I often feel the steering wheel being tugged around in my hands and the car pulling to one side or the other.

Is it OK to have the different fronts and rears? Does it make any sense? Any other comments? Do I need to worry about the 240kph speed rating of the drag radials if the car might ever be at 250-260kph? Will the drag radials REALLY crack if I use these tires when the temperature is a little below freezing*? I am in Canada and 'below freezing' can happen somewhere between 8 and 12 months of the year.

Car is pretty stock, with CAI, flowmasters, and a tune.

Thanks


* I can't post a link to the Nitto site where they warn about cracking because this is my first post. If anyone is keen to see it, remove the space after ".com" in the following, that URL will take you to the NT555R page. You then have to click a link immediately above the picture of the tire, near the top right, in tiny letters: "IMPORTANT USAGE AND HANDLING INFORMATION".

nittotire.com //#index%2Etire%2Ent555r

[Ryan Paymaster]

Uhm, you have to run different fronts and rears with drag radials. You should be fine??

[Mustang RacR94]

its not going to hurt anything what so ever if thats what you mean, its fine ALOT of people do it, my friend runs 315s on the front and 225 or 245's i forget but its one of those on the front

[Doc8224]

Yea I do it. I am currently running 245's up front and 275's out back. i am going to something like a 295 or 305 out back when I get done with the tranny swap.

[drazga97]

i think he means he is running the nitto 555s up front and the nitto 555Rs in the back. i did the same thing the local tire guy told me not to do it but it makes no sense for me to spend the extra money on drs for the front when those wheels arent the ones getting the power to the ground.

the only thing is it may look a little weird that your fronts are 45mm tall while your rears are only 35mm. it may not be noticeable but it will definitely make your front end higher. i recommend using the 245-275/35-17s for the front. the sidewall is going to look so stupid if you have two different heights once u get them on there.

[Doc8224]

Originally Posted by drazga97 i think he means he is running the nitto 555s up front and the nitto 555Rs in the back. i did the same thing the local tire guy told me not to do it but it makes no sense for me to spend the extra money on drs for the front when those wheels arent the ones getting the power to the ground. the only thing is it may look a little weird that your fronts are 45mm tall while your rears are only 35mm. it may not be noticeable but it will definitely make your front end higher. i recommend using the 245-275/35-17s for the front. the sidewall is going to look so stupid if you have two different heights once u get them on there.

Sorry man but your info is off. Don't think I am flaming you but you got it wrong on tire math. The 245/45/17 and the 315/35/17 will be the excat same side wall height and overall tire diameter. From the side they will look identical. As for using DR's out back and regular 555's up front its fine man. Alot of people do it.

[drazga97]

its ok but can u please explain?

[1998_svt_cobra]

The middle number- as an example, 315/35/17 - is the aspect ratio of the height of the tire's cross-section to its width. On the example, 35 means that the height is equal to 35% of the tire's width.

I have 245/45/17 on my fronts and 275/40/17 on my back and you can't tell a difference so don't be worrying about it IMO.

[Doc8224]

Originally Posted by drazga97 its ok but can u please explain?

Originally Posted by 1998_svt_cobra The middle number- as an example, 315/35/17 - is the aspect ratio of the height of the tire's cross-section to its width. On the example, 35 means that the height is equal to 35% of the tire's width. I have 245/45/17 on my fronts and 275/40/17 on my back and you can't tell a difference so don't be worrying about it IMO.

Thats pretty much it right there. Here is a link so you can visualy see. Just enter the different sizes and you can see the actual tire height and tire diameter.

Tire size calculator

[zolen]

I have 265/35/18 front and 295/35/18 rear with no probs. The only issues i see you having are as follows. Both 315 and 245 are gonna be tight fits for a stock 9 inch wide wheel. Im sure you can do them, but they are at the upper and lower limits for fitment. I would go with a 265 or 275 front. the bumpsteer and tramlining you talk about might be due to a bad alignment (you might be toed out). Steeda makes a bumpsteer kit that will reduce those symptoms, especially if your car is lowered. Also, there is a bolt that, I believe, mounts the IRS subframe to the frame in the rear that gets really close to wide tires. When the suspension extends (like after a bump, when the car lifts up) the control arms naturally pull the tires/wheels inboard about an inch. This causes them to get really close to that bolt. To check for clearance, jack the rear of the car up and let the rear suspension fully extend. This will let you see how close they get. I had about 3-5mm of clearance with my 295s, so a 315 will likely hit. I know some people get away with using them, and while the suspension is compressed, the tires are nowhere close to hitting the bolt, but if you hit a big dip at high speed and the suspension fully extended . . . . well use your imagination. They will definitely fit while at rest, but be aware of that clearance issue.

[zolen]

also, I had nitto drag radials on my old 2001 GT, and while they are incredible once you warm them up, they are like ice when they are cold. Being in Canada, I would not buy them unless you frequent the track. Get some 295 Goodyear GS-D3s. I bought some when my friend recommended them, and they are awesome. I could dump the clutch at 3000rpm and they would spin about 2 rotations then hook like mad. what's more impressive is that I could floor it in first IN THE RAIN without them spinning. They are BY FAR the best tires ive ever had. They also won a 12 tire comparo in Car and Driver a couple of years ago. They tested the best tires from 12 manufacturers: slalom, braking, skidpad (all three wet and dry). The Goodyears got first in all three wet tests, and no lower than 3rd in the three dry tests.

[Rich4922]

265's in front 295's in back

[T-101]

Thanks everyone.

I'm sad that the Nittos don't work so great when it's cool out. I'll probably give them a shot though.