Performance driving tires have always been a compromise between dry and wet weather performance, tread wear, and cost. Nitto was proud to showcase the latest development in their tire engineering, the NT555, at the 2015 SEMA Show.

Referencing the old Nitto 555, the NT555 borrows many design cues from it’s predecessor but improves on performance and longevity thanks to some proprietary compound engineering. We caught up with William Hong at Nitto’s 2015 SEMA booth to get the scoop on these aggressive new tires, and what’s to come from the line.

According to Hong, “We payed homage to the 555 design, and we actually changed the compound around a little bit. We got the same mileage as a 555 but we upped the dry and wet performance, and cornering. Basically it’s a brand new 555 G2, same miles but more performance.”

In order to achieve these impressive results Nitto had to flex some engineering muscles, and work out a new rubber compound in the lab. “Our developers and engineers worked some magic with the rubber.” said Hong. “We’ve done some product testing with Steve Turner, in the wet it braked 20 feet shorter, and lapped the race track at PBIR 10 seconds quicker than the old 555.” he continued.

The new NT555 will be available in a couple months according to Hong. Sizes will range for a wide selection of applications. Initially 19 sizes will be available, with more as the year continues. Hong was sure to qualify the applications for this tire are very universal saying, “It’s tailor-made for the front and rear of the late-model muscle cars, Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, but we also are in tune with the import/Euro scene.”

Look for the new Nitto NT555 toward the beginning of next year.