Tire Testing
Road Course
While the NT05 performed very respectably and felt strong, this test was where the NT01 really shined. With us averaging over 3.5 seconds better per lap, the NT01 is the clear choice for track supremacy. The more we pushed them, the more they talked back to us. Evan Smith was able to get a best of 1:06.09 on his runs, all of which were 1:06 range. With more time behind the wheel, Evan felt confident that there was another second or two in the car.
| CHART 1 |
| Session |
NT05 |
NT01 |
| 1 |
1:12.01 |
1:07.87 |
| 2 |
1:11.63 |
1:08.40 |
| 3 |
1:10.83 |
1:06.85 |
| 4 |
1:11.50 |
1:07.75 |
| 5 |
1:10.41 |
1:07.24 |
| AVERAGE |
1:11.28 |
1:07.62 |
Difference of 3.66 seconds per lap avg.
200-Foot Skidpad Testing
With our previous testing, we found that the Hotchkis sway bars were extremely beneficial to lateral grip and overall vehicle control. We didn't adjust the bars so that our testing could be an out-of-the-box comparison, but we will in future testing as our quest for 1.0 g lateral grip continues. One of the things we found out was that the NT01 didn't outperform the NT05 until they had plenty of heat in them. The first few laps around the skidpad had the NT01 looking very close to the NT05. After our third trip around, we saw our best lateral grip numbers of 0.98 g counterclockwise and 0.95 g clockwise, for an average of 0.965 g. Proving that the NT01's super soft rubber compound is extremely sensitive to tire temperature versus grip.
| CHART 2 |
| Best Pass |
Tires |
Lateral Grip |
| 1 |
Hotchkis Swaybars |
0.945g |
| Nitto NT05 Tires |
| 2 |
Hotchkis Swaybars |
0.965g |
| Nitto NT01 Tires |
Autocross
| CHART 3 |
| Session |
NT05 |
NT01 |
| 1 |
52.446 |
49.590 |
| 2 |
50.048 |
48.530 |
| 3 |
49.602 |
48.458 |
| 4 |
50.242 |
49.586* |
| 5 |
51.427 |
48.465 |
* DID NOT FINISH: We experienced some brake fade and missed a cone, resulting in a 2-second penalty. The brakes were a little hot from hot lapping and not receiving enough air to properly cool between runs and heavy brake zones. We were on pace for our fastest run of the day, as indicated by the time with the penalty added. It had the potential for a 47.586.
Tire Dimensions
NT05
$179 each
Tire Size: 245/40ZR18 97W
Stock Number: 207-030
Tread Depth: 5.7 mm
Inflated Overall Diameter: 25.59 inches
Overall Width: 9.65 inches
Approved Rim: 8.0-(8.5)-9.5 inches
Maximum Load Pressure: 1,609@50 psi
Revolutions Per Mile: 812
NT01
$218 each
Tire Size: 245/40ZR18
Stock Number: 371-020
Tread Depth: 5 mm
Inflated Overall Diameter: 25.55 inches
Overall Width: 9.72 inches
Approved Rim: 8.0-(8.5)-9.5 inches
Maximum Load Pressure: 1433@51 psi
Revolutions Per Mile: 813
The tire swap wasn't fun,...
The tire swap wasn't fun, as you can see in this photo. What you can't see is the jackstand used to support the car for safety. The lug nuts were torqued down to 100 ft/lb using a star pattern, and then re-torqued when we came back in to adjust tire pressure once there was heat in them.
The NT05 may have performed...
The NT05 may have performed well, but after our first lap on the road course with the NT01s we had totally forgotten about having to mount the wheels in the hot sun.
The NT01 tires were able to...
The NT01 tires were able to best our NT05 times with ease on the autocross. As we learned the tires and got more heat into them, we began to trust them more. As fast as they were going, we didn't even bring them to their limits in some instances.