GOTTA HAVE IT
NITTO NT555 Ultra High Performance Tire
By Ari Rubin
Posted on Sep 16, 2004

So, you put a system into your car, tricked it out, tuned the engine, and now it’s ready to roll. You can destroy anyone in the neighborhood in stop-light drag racing, and can our blast anyone at red light soundoffs. The problem is that you never take your ride out to show it off in the rain, or the sleet, or the snow. You don’t take it out the day after the rain either for fear that all of your expensive equipment will end up adorning a local tree instead of your car. What you need is an ultra high performance tire that will let you show off your ride no matter what the weather is. A tire upgrade would also improve your ride’s handling and traction no matter what the weather is like.

The Nitto NT-55 Extreme ZR features one of the biggest contact patches available, the company says, which results in superior traction and handling. It offers three circumferential grooves to channel water efficiently, and lateral grooves to break up the water wedge, which reduces the chances of hydroplaning.

The tire also features high tread block rigidity to ensure stable contact with the road under all driving conditions and a high grip compound to deliver superior mobility on wet and dry surfaces and anti-wear performance.

The Nitto NT-55 Extreme is rated ZR-W (up to 168 mph), and has a ring guard designed to protect against wheel damage. The tread block size diversity along the circumference disperses pitch variations to help reduce pattern noise, and a high modulus carcass and hard bead filler ensure superior performance and a smooth ride, the company reports.