I need new tires for my '03 Lightning, and I don't want to replace them with the stock f1s. I have been looking at Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's and the Pilot sport cup. They are kinda pricey, however I have heard a lot of good things about these tires. Now I haven't heard of anyone running these tires on a lightning. I really want a tire that sticks real good, because with my F1s my truck has always spun no matter how I launched it. I'm looking to go with possibly 295/30s in the front and 315/30s in the rear, so any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

30 series has a very short sidewall.

I'd go with stock F1's up front & Nitto 555r drag radials in the back (305/45/18). I like the stock F1's

 

I went with a set of Nitto 404s on my 03. I got the 285/50/18s. I know they arent z rated like the f1s, they are v rated, but I didnt see giving 260 each mounted and balanced. I like the nittos so far, they have more sidewall which I like. I dont expect them to hook up on pavement like the f1s do, but Im planning on getting a set of drag radials just to play on since I got some old wheels lying around off my other truck

 

I'm running 305-45-18 Nitto 555R's on the back and Goodyear F1's up front. I have been very impressed with the Nitto DR's on the rear, they hook up very well on my L. I'm sure as they wear a bit that traction will become a big issue but for now I'm happy with the set up that I'm running.

IMHO running a 30 series tire on the L isn't a good idea. As Sharpshooter noted, 30 series is going to be a short sidewall. 45 series is bad enough, on a 30 series tire a small pot hole could potentially cause some serious damage. Keep in mind that's 30% of 315 millimeters. Which is about 94.5 millimeters or a little less than 3.75". Not much of a sidewall there.

A 45 series tire on a 305 tire will give you a couple more inches of height on the sidewall which is much better IMHO.

Good luck with whatever combo you decide to run with.

 

im running the nitto 555 up front in 295/45/18 and the 555/R DRs in the back 305/45/18 i havent driven on the new back tires yet but the regular 555 worked great in wet and drry traction.

Victor

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-GOO...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I live in Alaska so tires for the Lightning are real hard to come by up here, so everything has to be special ordered which kinda sucks. I know the 30 series is kind of a really low profile and by potentially going with that size I know it reduces the overall diameter of the wheel/tire by about 2 inches and makes my rims more susceptible to damage. Do you guys feel that by trying to go with 315s that it is a bit overkill? I'm going to look up the nitto 555R's and see what kind of sizes they are offered in.

 

funniest part of that :

"there is nothing seriously wrong with these tires! they do have a little life left on them...pick them up cheap"

its a blowout waiting to happen

 

 

They'll also make your wheels look too small inside the fender wells. A friend of mine just put a set of Hankooks on. He loves them. Inexpensive, too. Well, relatively.

 

Another Vote for the 305 DRs in the back.

 

Her2001,
That picture makes me sick. I spent almost an hour last night trying to get the rubber off that section of my truck. I still have a lot more to get off, mostly up on the fender lip. I think the rubber from slicks is a lot harder to remove, because I don't remember the DR's taking so long to clean. Yours looks so nice and clean.

 

Anybody know how many miles the 555R's are good for?

 

Yeah Nitto 555R's are almost a $100 cheaper per tire than the Michelin tires I was looking at, but the Michelin is essentially a street legal Formula one tire. If I could get them in 45's I would, but it doesn't look like they offer them in that size. Did you guys get a pretty decent improvement in traction with the Nitto 555R's? Should I just stick with the stock tires up front or get a better combo?

 

On my truck the traction difference was night and day. My L would just roast the F1's. It can barely spin the 555R's and on concrete they hook up even better. I love them and will never run F1's on the rear again.

Another positive note is I found that they hook well on wet roads. That was a pleasant surprise as I drove through the pouring rain the other day. However, I am sure that as soon as they start to get a little bald traction is out the window.

This is what I'm running right now but as soon as the F1's wear out I'm going with Nitto 555 Extreme Performance tires up front. They come in 295/45/18 and should mesh really well with the 555R's.

After reading my own response, I sound like a Nitto salesman. That wasn't my intention because you need to buy what makes you happy. I'm just so impressed with the traction difference between the Nitto DR's and the stock F1's.

I'm hoping to get 12,000 miles but this is directly from the Nitto Website:

http://www.nittotire.com/tires_555r.asp

"The Nitto NT-555R Extreme Drag Radial Tire is an exciting addition to the specialty performance radial tire segment of the Nitto Tire Product Line. With the NT-555R Nitto engineers succeeded in designing a DOT approved, drag racing radial tire. Nitto Tire demanded a tire that would outperform all drag racing radial tires, provide impressive control and handling, and still deliver up to 15,000 miles of tread life of normal street-driving use. NT-555R's are manufactured with the original tread depth of 6/32nd's of an inch and are constructed with a specially formulated soft racing tread compound to provide maximum traction. However, this soft and flexible tread will wear much quicker than tread compounds formulated for regular passenger cars. The Nitto NT-555R is designed primarily for competition drag racing".