Quote:
Originally Posted by garyhugo
I was just told by a man at Tire Rack that the 275 40 17 GS D3's would not be made again by Goodyear. Do we think that is really the case? If so what tire should I use going forward? I have and want to keep ,the '90 salad shooters. I mostly put interstate miles on. Sometimes in the rain here in Florida. Then once a year in the mountains for a couple days. Thoughts.
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Objective skid pad comparisons aside, my personal anecdotal experience in downpours where water is "sheeting" (i.e., approx 1/4" layer of water on the road surface) the Nitto 555 GS series compares quite well to the former GY GS D3s I have experienced in the past.
Anecdotal example: On one of the Mountain runs I had the opportunity to follow Robert DeMarco who had 555 G2s mounted on his car, in several downpours. I had Nitto 555/555Rs on my Z, and I and a couple C7s with factory tires too were limited to just under ~ 50 mph or less, depending. In identical conditions, I and some others started to hydroplane above ~ 48mph whereas Robert's car on the "G2s" was safely cruising at significantly more speed than I or the rest of the caravan that followed him were able to drive. The difference was quite apparent: remarkable, actually!
Ami and I switched to the G2s with the
555 G2/555R combo which seems to perform significantly better on wet pavement than the 555/555R combo did. And, equally important, the
555 G2/555R combo handled the twisties very well: they were "well behaved" in the curves (traction broke gradually - nothing sudden).
I (for one) would appreciate having some real objective test data comparisons, as the GY "D3s" are well documented, in terms of their wet vs. dry performance: like to know how the Nitto 555 G2s actually stack up in the wet comparison. As for occasional drag racing, the 555Rs stick waaaay better than the GY "D3s" I had before.
I stop way short of attempting or quantifying the performance of the Nitto 555 G2 performance in comparison to the GY "D3s". But, in my experience, the 555 G2/555R combo (so far anyway) does have significant improvement over the 555/555R combo on wet pavement.
Just how much of the "D3s" wet performance do the "G2s" have is an open question. But, I can suggest the Nitto combo as a viable alternative to the "D3s",
especially as a dry weather summer tire or for the occasional trip down the drag strip.
YMMV