Nitto Tire NT555 G2 Series Ultra High Performance Street Radial

If you've been around Mustangs long enough, at some point in time, you've probably owned a Nitto NT555 tire. The 555's have always been a favorite because it has good wet and dry traction, they wear really well, they're good at cornering, good at braking, and best of all, they have a really attractive price point.

The NT555 has been around for quite a long time now, and Nitto's ready to launch their next generation tire. This is the NT555 G2. The 555 G2, just like the 555, is a summer directional, ultra-high performance tire designed for sports cars, muscle cars, stuff like that. You can see the tread is kind of similar to the old 555, but everything has been redone, and it's a much more advanced technology.

We'll start off with the basics. The 555 G2 is going to replace the 555, so all the sizes you've come to be familiar with are going to be available in the G2 as well. Going with the basics first. The tread-wear rating went from 300 to 320, so you have an actually better rating with the G2. Traction also increased from an A rating in the 555 to a double A, which is the highest rating you can get, for the new G2, while the temperature stayed the same with an A, which is a top rating.

Now, we'll take a closer look at the actual tread on the G2. The first thing you'll notice is much larger tread blocks than in previous years, going to create more traction. You'll also have the twin center stripes here, very similar to the Endo Tire, do a great job for straight line traction and straight line stability at higher speeds. There's also a lot more reinforcement on the shoulders, which will work great for both wet and dry traction, see much larger grooves in the tire for getting water off the tire, again, much better for wet performance.

Like I said before, I've always been a fan of the 555 tire. I recently picked up this killer set of custom Rovos Durban wheels for my car. When I picked them up, the G2 was my obvious tire choice. I'm running a 255/35/20 in the front, and a 275/35/20 in the rear, which fit beautifully on my staggered Durbans. The Nitto NT555 G2's are going to be available in a variety of sizes, we'll have plenty of tire packages available for different years. We're also going to have some killer wheel and tire packages, including set ups with the Rovos Durban. With the cold roads here in PA, I haven't had a chance to put too many miles on my G2's yet, but so far, they're nice and quiet and they feel really good even on the cold roads. Once it gets warm out, we'll definitely do a full in-depth driving review of the 555 G2.