NT-01 Review

The Nitto NT-01 is a DOT approved R-compound tire with a 100 tread wear. On the sidewall, you will note the phrase “Recommended for Competition Use”�; however, they can be legally used on the street. We recently got the opportunity to mount a set on the Project STI and jumped at the chance. The set tested were 245/40/18 and were at full tread (6/32″�). These tires can be shaved down to 3/32″� to reveal an almost complete slick with only two grooves for the track, which offers substantially more grip.

In order to get the most out of a competition tire, it helps to heat cycle the tire by doing one or two mild track sessions. This helps break in the tire and improve its consistency. Once the tires were broken in we tested them at the Carolina Motorsports Park road course where we pushed the limits for two days straight. As you would expect from a tire in this category, the levels of lateral grip are amazing and will pin you to the side of your seat. What you may not expect is how the grip is predictable and progressive - never once did they simply let go. By combining the high levels of grip with predictability, our confidence levels were very high, which enabled us to push our lap times faster and faster.

Another notable advantage to the NT-01 over its primary competitors is the ability to take a beating at full tread. Some tires in this category have a tendency to “chunk”. This is when the tread blocks deform and come apart under high heat and stress. This is partially due to the shallow tread depth, which is 2/32â€� less than some primary competitors.

As the tires begin to wear after many sessions, there is a noticeable increase in grip, especially as they approach a near full slick. Our set has not reached this point quite yet; however, they are getting close. This will probably occur sometime during the next hard track session. Grip under power and braking is equally admiral as expected. With the AWD of the STI, the NT-01’s put down the power perfectly on all but the lowest speed hard corners where throttle modulation is always required.

After we finished up at the track, we drove home on the NT-01’s. Since they are DOT legal, they may be used as street tires. Tire noise is noticeably louder than stock; however, if this stops you from buying a tire like this you may need to reevaluate your priorities. Road manner on the street is similar to the track, and performance far exceeds any traditional street tire even when the tires are not fully warmed up. As one would expect they are really only useable in dry conditions for street use. Our only real complaint with the Nitto NT-01 is that it isn’t offered in more sizes. According to representatives at Nitto, this problem is being remedied.