Nitto NT555 UHP 255/35ZR20 97W XL Passenger Tire

The Nitto NT555 is the best street tire I've found for my C4 Corvette and I've owned my 1996 Corvette LT4 coupe since new. This vehicle has always been a non commuter, weekend fun vehicle only. Even though this vehicle is used almost exclusively on two lane mountain and country roads, I have always demanded good wet weather performance from the tires I purchase as weather can be unpredictable, especially in the mountains. After the OEM Goodyear GSCs wore out around 30K miles, I tried Firestone Firehawk SZ50s which I found to be both acceptable and affordable and after those were discontinued, I tried the Gen 2 Firehawk Wide Oval which seemed to be a little softer compound with somewhat better grip, but side wall flex on all of these tires significantly affected steering response, which hinders corner setup and severely affects vehicle speed in linked corners like a chicane. Tires I've evaluated on my other vehicles, 2002 & 2006 Honda S2000, include the Gen 3 Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 which is even worse with respect to side wall flex and steering response as this latest version appears to be optimized for wear and ride. I'm also familiar with the OEM Bridgestone Potenza S02 and RE050 tires, which are original equipment on S2000 AP1 and AP2 respectively. I find the Nitto NT555 to be most similar to the Potenza RE050 as both provide quick and predictable steering response with acceptable wet weather, ride and tread wear qualities. Although the Potenza S02 has the absolute best steering and cornering response of any tire I've tried, I believe most drivers would find its cost, wear and wet pavement qualities completely unacceptable. Before I discovered the NT555, I was disappointed with the cornering performance of my Corvette on canyon roads when comparing it to my Honda S2000s, but a set of (4) four Nitto 275/40ZR17s on 9.5" wheels and Z51 shock absorbers changed all that! (Note: web review page does not allow selecting both front & rear usage under Trim selection)

I purchased the NT555 235/50/18 for the front of my 2012 Ford Mustang GT (manual trans, daily driven) to compliment the NT555R 305/45/18 rear Drag Radials. They look good, drive great and match beautifully! !00% satisfied. They replaced the factory Pirelli 235/50/18 tires.