Homebrewbaker

How are the Nitto's working out? I'm in the same dilemma. I have Conti that have 55K on them and need replacing soon. I can get the 265/50 R19 Nitto's for 198 each or the Michelins Latitudes for $271 each. Michelins have been always exceptional. I'm just not certain of a Japanese tire. No way I would pick a Chinese tire Toyo.

minsicomm

Nitto North America is a division of Toyo, which is Japanese, not Chinese. It was founded in 1999 (see, I do my research!)

Overall impressions so far: stickier/grippier than the Pirellis Scorpion Verdes, which means that the two times I have had to manuver (once for a raccoon running across, the other a swerve to avoid collission with another SUV who slammed the brakes on in fromt of me), the movement felt secure. I have seen a drop in gas mileage which I expected, as the Pirellis are LRR tires, and the Nittos are not. Its not significant, maybe 1-2 mpg at highway speed. But my overall expected range display when I fill up is about 40 miles less on average at fill up than it was with the Pirellis.

I had a chance to drive a long drive ( 2hrs one way, climbing in elevation) on a very cold, rainy day last weekend, and in heavy rain, they felt like I was driving on dry blacktop. The tradeoff is that there is definitely a low level buzz or whine I could hear. (I only heard it because my kids had drifted off to sleep, and my radio was at the lowest level where I could hear it. Had the volume been any higher, I am not sure ai would have caught it) Its definitely from the the water, because it didn't occur on that same road when dry later that day on my way home.

Then this current weekend, we had nights/early mornings where it was in the 30s. While A/S tires are always a compromise, I am a conservative driver, so I only felt a slight increase in road/bump feedback from stiffer tires. And it was gone within 10 minutes of driving when the tires warmed up.

Again, my guess is if I had sprung for the Michelins, I'd also be satisfied. But I think that the performance is equal to the Pirellis, and just a notch below what I hear about Michelins, for a pretty good price discount.

In terms of direct comparisons of what I have driven, I think these are better than the OEM Bridgestone Duelers, and equivalent to the Pirellis. They are slightly louder, but offer better grip. (The best A/S tires I have ever had were the Pilot Sport A/S 3 on my wife's BMW.....seriously impressive grip and seriously smooth and quiet for an UHP A/S. But not available for SUV sized tires. These aren't as quiet as those, but relative to the size of the vehicles and the expectations of grip, I'd say the jump in improvement from the previous tire was the same. In both cases, it was so obvious that non-aggressive drivers like us could even tell).

When/if I get any snow, I will report back. Around here, its usually not Noreasters, but fast moving Alberta clippers that bring cold enough temperatures for snow to fall and stay around for a day or two. So, I might not see snow until December or January, if at all. (Noreasters usually bring warm air in behind them, so the snow melts) Michelins have a new tread depth of 10/32, the Pirellis 11/32, and the Nittos 12/32. The Pirellis in snow last winter were very good, and the one day all winter I had ice, they were fair, but at slow speeds. The Nittos extra depth and higher number of sipes should theoretically make up for its slight increase noise in wet conditions by offering better grip in light snow/slush. Since its flat here, its not that challenging a drive in winter conditions for me, having grown up in the Pocono mountains, and also having lived in Erie, PA for a while. Talk about winter driving!

The other feature I like are the tread depth indicators on the water grooves that go around the tires. Similar to the idea behind the DWS markings on the Contis, the markings are set at 2/32 intervals. So since it comes new at 12/32, there are 5 levels of markings as you get further down into the groove. So, when you can only see the last set, its time to think about replacement. If the last set is gone, you know you are at a critical condition.

I'm satisfied with my purchase. Its still very early in the tire life, but based on current wear vs mileage, if nothing in my habits or routes changes over the life of the tires, I should just about get the expected life out of the tire.

I will try to post some pictures in this thread, if I can. I have never tried to do that.


EDIT: For what its worth to any of you (and the level interest will vary by user), Nittos are made in the USA. They make them in California, New Jersey, and Missouri. Its a USA spinoff wholly owned by Toyo, but designed, built, and sold in the US. (I suppose they sell in Canada, as well?)

Homebrewbaker

Thanks for the thorough analysis of the Nitto's! I have 4 of these tires on order now. I should have expanded on the Chinese comment. Just because the company is Japanese or USA doesn't mean the tire was not mfg. in China. Specs and standards are supposed to be the same but some tires made there have had above average failures. I'll report back on my analysis of the Nitto's soon.

minsicomm

Did you get the tires put on? Did you have a different impression?

Homebrewbaker

Just got the 421's installed today. 20 miles on them this afternoon. Couple sprits up to 100 mph. smooth ride. Look good ride good. MADE IN THE USA. I like it! Will report back after 100 mile trip over Thanksgiving. Trip to the NC mountains (hopefully) snow next weekend.

Homebrewbaker

minsicomm

Nice! How have they been since winter came in earnest?

We had our first snow this week.

These tires performed well. I am not going to claim that they are as good as winter tires, but they seem to biased more toward wet/snow/cold weather more than the Pirellis I had. Both are A/S, but the different compounds are coming into play. But it's absolutely flat here, and snow or even sub-freezing temps are only and issue 5-10 days a year. As a conservative driver, I think A/S fits my needs.

Anyway, I had no problem with turns on snow covered/packed roads, never felt that grip or stability was an issue, and stopping was better than last winter. It just feels 'grippier'.

The drawback here is that the Pirelli's were quieter in all conditions. At highway speeds, its not as huge a deal, but at 35-45mph city speeds, the buzz from rain/wet salted roads from the Nittos is definitely more noticeable.

But given the choice between noise and grip, I choose grip.

I'll update in the spring/summer. I am wondering if the Pirelli's were baised more toward that.

Homebrewbaker

Thanks for the report. Nitto's are doing great. No issues and no snow. Smooth on the road and good grip. I'll report back in if we encounter snow in NC this year.

Minndriver

Hi! I seen your comments on the Nitto's and thank you! I am considering the Nitto's or the Perrelli's currently. We do drive in the Minnesota Winters, so I am leaning towards the Nitto's. But when I call Discount Tires they continue to try and talk me into the Perrelli's. I was wondering, since this post was a year ago, if you could give any updates opinions on the tires? I dive mostly blacktop roads between 55&65 mph to work. Was the miles per gallon noticeable? Right now I have the Dullers and have not been impressed with them.
Thank you!!

Minndriver

Hi, I was wondering if you have any winter driving updates? Thank you!!