ian996gt3

I am switching to Nitto NT-01s for the final 4-5 events of the season as my MPSC are pretty much toast.

Should I have these heat cycled by discount tire direct? What are the benefits? Is there a downside?

As always – thanks for the help guys.

Best,
Ian

DHI

Great tire.
Gets better as they wear. Right down to the cord.
I don't feel the need to heat cycle mine.
I can get close to 30 sessions out of mine (rears)

gvtesse

the few people I know using nt01's don't get them heat cycled. So, I don't think there is a need.

FEKGT3

Pm sent

AudiOn19s

heat cycling not necessary, shaving not necessary either.

BUT if they are new the first few sessions suck until you get the mold release agent worn off of the tires some. Just be prepared for them to be a little slick the first day.

Oh, and they are fastest when driven with ALOT of slip angle comparatively to other tires. Not advising you go out and tryto drift the car but I learned SOOOOOO much by switching to these tires and becoming comfortable with the car sliding around that I think everyone should drive at least one set of them. They will make me quicker when I go back to a sticker tire.

Some swear they fall off as they age. Mine have 32 heat cycles on them currently and my times continue to drop as they age. I'm guessing I've got 8 more heat cycles before I see cords.

Andy

CT03911

I heat cycled my current set. Yes, they are better the very first run, but they still require a proper heat cycle or day of use to get to their best.
Either way, day two the tire is better.
If you have not used them, expect them to feel slippery that first day, heat cycled or not.

fbirch

Reviving an older thread here. I tried NT01’s for the first time this past weekend after having driven Yokohama AD08’s for several DE’s prior. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to properly heat cycle the NT01’s prior to my first use of them on Sun. I ran five 25-minute sessions, and the tires felt extremely squirmy the whole time. It felt as if the sidewalls or treads were rolling over badly upon initial steering input, then they’d take a set and turn, but the delay was very disconcerting. In comparison, my AD08’s respond to steering inputs instantaneously with no delay or feelings of squirming. My NT01 lap times were 5 sec slower than AD08’s on a 2-minute track. Ambient air temps were hot – about 95F.

Is this normal for NT01’s? I figured they would “come in” before the day was over, but they still felt pretty sloppy after the fifth/final session of the day. I’ve read so many positive comments about the NT01’s from GT3 owners here on Rennlist, I was disappointed at the poor result. I ended up running them at 33F up front (hot) and 36F rear (hot), a pound or two less than my AD08’s. Pyrometer readings looked okay and the wear line relative to the sidewalls looked good, but still the squirmy feeling. Any ideas?

4porsh

Not normal for me. I do try and heat cycle them in then give at least 24 hours to cure. Even then I do not expect them to be the there fastest the first day out. They seem to get faster as the sessions go on and I like them the best when the horizontal lines of tread disappear. Then have fun predictable grip tell the tire shows cords.

Speeds5

Try increasing the pressure (hot) to 38psi all around and see how you like them. I think the squirmy feeling you were experiencing is from low pressures. I feel 38 is the sweet spot for NT01. I really liked them at that psi. Don't have experience with the AD08 so don't have a reference point.

Also don't forget i think the first couple of days they're still new, Once you get a few heat cycles and scrub off that top layer they will get stickier.

fbirch

Thanks. Before I bled off some air they got up to 37F/39R (hot) during one of the earlier sessions and they were very squirmy at that point. I'm hoping they cure and feel better the next time out. I have an out-of-state DE at Barber next month and I'd hate to drive 5 hours and encounter the same poor handling that I got this past weekend.

gvtesse

That's odd. I am on my 4th set of NT01's and haven't experienced the same problem. The first session or two can be a bit squirmy. But they are better after that for me. I don't have them heat cycled. I do, however, drive my car to/from the track. Maybe that helps.

I find hot temps 34-36F/36-38R work well.

Rovman

Thanks for reviving this thread Felix. This is one of the threads I read during my research of the NT01's. Maybe they just didnt quite cure yet?!?! Hope all goes well tomorrow afternoon. Waiting for the prognosis. I was getting impatient today and wanted to buy a set of tires so I looked at all the choices and came full circle back to the NT01's. They seem like the perfect tire for the "usage" and "mission" we have with our cars.

AudiOn19s

They get better, might take another day or so before they do though. I find around 12 heat cycles or so they really start to get good.

I chalk up the early heat cycles as a good way to really get comfortable with the car sliding around, it's great training for understanding exactly what the car is going to do when it comes un-glued...and they're soo forgiving that you can do it without worry of spinning.

A side note I will add though, NT-01's are still what I'd consider the ultimate DE tire, they ultimately handle heat a little better than street tires but they're not THAT much faster than the current crop of really sticky street rubber. Maybe a second or so gap is all that the Nitto's will really have. They're not fast...but they're fast enough for DE.

ian996gt3

I have found the NT-01s VERY slick the first few sessions out on track, but much better once you have 4-5 sessions on them. From then forward they just get better and better right up until they are totally shot (as others have also mentioned). Stick with them.

brad@tirerack.com

While I'm unfamiliar with the track performance of the NT-01 because we don't carry it, we do feel it does benefit a comp tire to heat cycle it first. Here is our writeup on the process and benefits. We routinely find that tires that have had it done benefit in wear from those that have not had it done.