New Nittos 305s DR - Streetable??

[Glenn]

My intent is not to cause flames just to report my observations to the Net that may be helpful to MM owners thinking of buying the Nitto 305 DR. I recently purchased a set of the Nitto 305s mainly for the Atlantic Dragway on 6/17. I did several unreal burnouts with the tires. I left the tires on for several days and noticed the extreme tendency to pick-up stones and everything on the street as I reported in another thread. The stones actually began to make holes in the rubber. I tend to believe that this may be a new rubber composition from Nitto which is very sticky and in my opinion not streetable. If anyone else has recently purchased the DR, I am sure the Net would also like your observations. I will say that the tires help me reduce my et by 0.3 seconds to 12.77 with everything else the same.

O.K. - :flamer:

Glenn

[DEFYANT]

I noticed the same thing after a run at the track. When you get the tires hot and sticky, they are going to pick up road junk. After they cool off and "get a scab(?)", they are just fine.

I'm still a very happy customer. In fact, I plan to buy them again with Nitto front tires too.

[Cheeseheadbob]

Glenn, I have been running the 305's for 10 months now and have enjoyed the versatility and durability of this tire. I run them as a daily driver and have encountered the sticky side of things. After all of the crap works its way off the tire, things are fine. Trust me, the sound of all of the stuff you pick up is a little disconcerting, but it does no harm. Stay the course!:burnout:

[HwyCruiser]

I'm running the 295 Nitto NTs and have found that they are pretty good for street use. In some cases they seem to stick even better than the drag radials because they don't haul dirt around with them. After experiencing how the DRs handled wet and/or cold roads I knew I had to do something else for street use. The NTs seem like a very good compromise.

[Smokie]

Glenn if you get caught on the Interstate during a heavy down pour your risk of hydroplaning and loosing control is much greater. I don't care who gets angry with me on this subject.

Keep the Nittos for the track, not for everyday driving; unless you do strictly city driving, they are ok for that.

[Marauderman]

Glenn if you get caught on the Interstate during a heavy down pour your risk of hydroplaning and loosing control is much greater. I don't care who gets angry with me on this subject.

Keep the Nittos for the track, not for everyday driving; unless you do strictly city driving, they are ok for that.
I agree here^^^^^^^^^with Smokie on this ....I run the 295's for street and I have the 305's for the track.......

[DEFYANT]

For the record, I do not use the MM everyday or in bad weather unless the rain catches up with me.

When the temps hit 55*, I put my OEM rims and tires on because the DR seem to lose traction.

This is my experiance and by no means the "rule".

[SergntMac]

Thank you, Javier, wiser words have not been spoken. Sorry, folks, I am not goint to be as brief.

I don't know why y'all are so shy about this topic. We have had this discussion before and it has become heated at times, but that's more personalities clashing than fact finding. All you need to do is hit a few web sites that sell drag radials, including manfacturers, and do a little reading. It's not always on the front page. Here's some points to consider.

Slicks have no tread. Street/Cheater slicks have only two treads. Drag radials have more treads, but are not street tires. Typically, they have half the treads of a street tire, and that thread is typically 5 to 6/32 deep for maximum rubber contact. This shy tread depth is less resistant to puncture and road hazzard, but this is okay because you're buying a drag radial just for a specific reason, maximum rubber contact.

BTW, legally bald in Illinois is 2/32 deep, and this will get you charged with a felony if you are involved in a serious collision with injuries. Check your local statutes?

Moreover, it's been mentioned in previous discussions that D.O.T. approval implies that the tire is safe to use on the street. It does not mean this at all. D.O.T. approval applies to overall construction and compound, specifically sidewall durability meeting certain US. specifications. The US. Government is not giving you permission to be stupid, it's a free country, be a stupid as you wish. However, drag radials not D.O.T. approved cannot be used in sanctioned racing events, but this is "off road" and not regulated by the D.O.T. This agreement exists to underwrite minimum safety at the track, but we don't drag race in the rain, do we?

Rain. Why is this a problem? Well, for instance, the 305/45-18 Nitto mounted on a 9.5" wide wheel, creates a contact patch to the ground almost 11" wide. There are no treads present designed to vacate water away from the center of the tire, just enough treads to qualify as a drag radial, and only 5-6/32 deep.

Roll through enough standing water at the right speed, and you hydroplane, and this is most likely to occur on the highway due to "ruts" worn into the pavement by heavy vehicles, the same ruts that grab at your front tires when coming to a stop. But, in reality it can happen anywhere, even a 20 MPH gentle curve with a puddle wider than the tire. DISCLAIMER; This applies to all brands and manfacturers of drag radials, I'm not picking on Nitto. Just the only brand I have numbers on.

Another rule of thumb is do not mix tread patterns front to rear, and running matching brands doesn't solve this. A KDWS mixed with KDW2 is a good example of this. Same company, same quality, same compounds, but remarkably different tread patters that vacate standing water in completely different ways. This too, can be a problem, when one end of the car has more (or less) traction than it's other end. Oddly enough, the KDW2 is superior to the KDWS in vacating water and has the larger contact patch in standing water at speed. However, many of us have mounted them on the rear (prolly 'cause the rears needed replacement), and this is backazzwards. The tire with the most grip belongs on the wheel with the most braking power, i.e. the front.

Front tires are most likely designed to vacate water, so, you'll push through the water okay. But, once the back end is floating, you'll feel it, and I'm willing to bet that your first reaction will be applying brakes. Wrong move. Without any contact with the pavement, your azz end will come around, and I bet it's happened to more of us than just those who have spoken up about their personal experience. (BTW, Bravo to those who have!)

Drag radials are a specific "tool", with a specific purpose. Turning them into the "Swiss Army Knife" of tires, is foolish and risky. Besides, they don't work on the street anyway. To be most effective, they need to be hot, which you accomplish in the water box at the race track.

One last comment and this is fully IMHO. We read here often about the OEM rear tires wearing down to the wear bars prematurely. We replace the tires and grumble about that, but toss the worn tires out. Stop that. They may be unsafe for your daily driver, but they are great track tires for N/A cars with 15-20 PSI. Get a set of 18X8 wheels and there you go...Drag Radials strictly for the track. Got Barry into the 12s...

NOTE: I am not making this stuff up, I learned it from Brad Grissom, Kenny Brown's "Doctor Tire" and National Champion road course driver. Anyone taking offense have misread my post.

[DEFYANT]

Besides, they don't work on the street anyway.

I agree with most of what you say. But this is off base. I run these tires on my car, as does alot of folks here, on the street.

They're MUCH better on the warm dry street over the OEM tires. In my application anyway..

[sailsmen]

The Nitto DR feel like jelly roll donuts on the street.

[RoyLPita]

I have seen 2 vehicles come in to my workplace with drag radials on all 4 corners. One is a Mystichrome Cobra coupe and the other a black lightning. :shake:

[SergntMac]

I have seen 2 vehicles come in to my workplace with drag radials on all 4 corners. One is a Mystichrome Cobra coupe and the other a black lightning. :shake: I've seen this too, in Autocross/road course racing. Drag radials on all four corners, and some owners race in the rain too. Now there's a real challenge of a driver's ability, eh?

The Pirelli version of a drag radial is the Corsa, also a four corner system designed exactly for this type of racing, where "weather permitting" is not a concern. Peek here?

http://www.us.pirelli.com/en_US/tyres/catalog/tyre_product.jhtml?selected=de sc&catid=US_UHP&productid=17429

Hehehe..."semi-slick".

[SergntMac]

I agree with most of what you say. But this is off base. I run these tires on my car, as does alot of folks here, on the street. They're MUCH better on the warm dry street over the OEM tires. In my application anyway.. Wow, that stings. I'm really disappointed you took this approach, Charlie. Did you read my next sentence?

I don't like being "off base". To me, this means "out of line", and I don't believe I have been out of line with my advice on this topic. My next sentence after this quote qualifies my position, but since it got snipped, I'll state it again.

Drag radials need heat to function, and not just the heat of the day in sun baked pavement. The rubber needs to be hot and sticky, which is the function of the water box followed by a burnout at the race track. In fact, one of the things another member complains of in this thread, tackiness, is ideal for a race prepared drag radial. Truth is, you don't get a burnout at a stop light, it's entirely "run what you brung". So, what performance do they really deliver on the street?

I have pulled a 1.81 60 foot times on Pirelli street tires on a race track, and I still retain a reasonable margin of safety when caught in unexpected weather on the street. Drag radials need to be heated to function to their full potential, and if you cannot bring the tire to the proper temperature, what are you paying for? Moreover, why chance driving on a drag radial in it's place, when sudden changes in weather can change your day?

From another thread active here today, I snipped this...

I learned a valuable lesson about sudden summer thunderstorms and my Nitto Drag radials....As an after-thought I'm surprised there hasn't been more reports of loss of control with the Nittos on wet roads. I realize that my conditions were extreme, (sudden flash flood with hail mixed in) but when I hit that water I had no control over the rear-end whatsoever. You guys with Nittos please be careful this summer. Doing 360s with your MM is not as fun as it may seem. ;) Quite telling, indeed. And, it doesn't take torrential storms either, just enough standing water to float the tire.

Last call on the bottom line...A drag radial from any manufacturer is a racing tire. It's half worn out when you buy it, and if you're not racing, don't take a hydroplaning risk on the street. Believe what you want, but the truth is, you get nothing for taking this risk, and stand to lose a lot because of it.

And this, my friends, is not off base advice. It's caution due my family of fellow owners.

[MarauderTJA]

I agree with most of what you say. But this is off base. I run these tires on my car, as does alot of folks here, on the street.

They're MUCH better on the warm dry street over the OEM tires. In my application anyway..

I agree. I have had Nitto DR's on both my Mustang and Marauder for years on the street here in Florida. And we have a rainy season here. If you drive reasonable in the rain you won't have problems. Now in the colder weather I cannot comment on the Nitto DR streetability. I also find that the ride is just fine and actually better than the OEM tire.

[DEFYANT]

Wow, that stings. I'm really disappointed you took this approach, Charlie. Did you read my next sentence?

I don't like being "off base". To me, this means "out of line", and I don't believe I have been out of line with my advice on this topic. ....*snipped

I am digging this one up for a reason - I missed Macs reply and need to clear this up.

Mac, respectfully, you took my post wrong. I never intended to come across this way. I simply posted my experience running the Nitto DR. We may have been off base with each other before once or twice, but that was cleared up on the phone or in emails.

Sorry for the confussion.

MarauderTJA, on the street, at and below 50*, the Nittos are useless. Infact, I'd venture to say they are down right dangerous. I keep a set of OEM rims and rear tires on hand for colder weather.

[SergntMac]

I am digging this one up for a reason - I missed Macs reply and need to clear this up.

Mac, respectfully, you took my post wrong. I never intended to come across this way. I simply posted my experience running the Nitto DR. We may have been off base with each other before once or twice, but that was cleared up on the phone or in emails. Sorry for the confussion. En"tire"ly not necessary my friend. Friendly debates often carry the risk of misunderstanding, due to this one-dimensional medium. Here in this thread, it allowed me to further clarify what I meant to say, and I prolly could have said it better the first time.

Thank you for your courtesy here, Charlie, you're quite a gentleman to open it up again, and let us both spell it out better. We're cool, be safe.

Break in thought...

Maybe this doesn't belong here, but there's no better place to say it right now.

To my larger MM family, I often take the "devil's advocate" position when the dollars and sense don't add up. I've done this mostly by sharing my personal experience on the topic, and asking other to think deeper into things, rather than just reaching for "the top shelf" mods every time. There is no "bad mod" on this list, but here are many ways to spend money more efficiently, safely, and with greater bang for the buck.

Tires, heads, blocks, trannys, rear ends, and so on, I've repaired and/replace them all. No, I am not an expert in any of them, but I've done one thing, a lot of personal experience and research into the mod and it's effect on a Marauder. Experience and research of the Marauder, not necessarilly other performance vehicles, and not over my whole adult life.

After 5 years of trying to make it into a semi-pro occupation, I walked away from racing and became a professional cop. Over the next 30 years I never looked back, but it all came back to me with the purchase of my first Marauder in 2002. Since then, I've met a lot of professional builders and engineers and I've learned a lot about Marauders. If this is helpful to y'all now, you're welcome to share in it, as well as invited to disagree.

But, please stick to the topics, leave the name calling behind. When you call someone an azzhole, you don't win anything, you lose everything, including your audience. The "what do you do for a living" thread says we are largely a well educated group, and quite a pool of talent. This sets us apart from the "other" boards where it appears (to me anyway) that somestimes, it's the blind leading the blind. Mods get good props because something goes on sale, not because it's the correct solution. Soon, everyone has to have the latest and the greatest, and they buy a particular mod just because everyone else buys it. I don't want this to take hold among us. This process eventually breaks down, and a lot of folks own the same junk that's not working for anyone.

When I share what I know, I sometimes break it down to a level where I hope 75 percent of the readers get my point. The 25 percent left, are usually closer to "expert" than I, and I'm wrong in their eyes only because I didn't spell it out they way they understand it. But, I'm thinking of the 75 percent listening, not them. Please correct me, I need all the help I can gather. But, I'm not stupid, and that's the wrong approach to respond with. The folks who want to ask more, routinely do not ask for fear of being shot down in public. You may win this round, but the membership at large looses the important discussion.

I'm done, carry on gents.

[jim geary]

Excellent advise Mac. Needed to be said.

[MarauderTJA]

I am digging this one up for a reason - I missed Macs reply and need to clear this up.

Mac, respectfully, you took my post wrong. I never intended to come across this way. I simply posted my experience running the Nitto DR. We may have been off base with each other before once or twice, but that was cleared up on the phone or in emails.

Sorry for the confussion.

MarauderTJA, on the street, at and below 50*, the Nittos are useless. Infact, I'd venture to say they are down right dangerous. I keep a set of OEM rims and rear tires on hand for colder weather.

Good point and advice to be made on the temperture. That is obviously why I have never had any problems with them here in Florida. Rarely gets below 50 degrees here.