Nitto NT555 G2 Review: The NT555 Extreme ZR's Successor

Search for the Nitto NT555 and you still find two names: the NT555 Extreme ZR that a generation of Mustang, Camaro and Charger owners ran, and the NT555 G2 that Nitto sells today. Owners of the old tire want to know whether it is gone, what replaced it, and whether the replacement is any good. Here is the honest answer, with Nitto's own specifications, our catalogue data, and the sizes and prices we have in stock right now.

Disclosure: New American Tires Hub is an independent tire retailer. We sell the Nitto tires discussed on this page and we make money when you buy from us. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. or Toyo Tire Corporation. The views below are our own, and we say where the tire falls short as well as where it does well.

What is the Nitto NT555 G2?

The NT555 G2 is Nitto's summer ultra high performance tire for cars, the kind of tire fitted to performance sedans, coupes and muscle cars rather than to crossovers or trucks. Nitto describes it as "the next generation ultra high performance summer tire", and every claim on its product page is measured against the original NT555. G2 simply means second generation.

Nitto itself is a brand of Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., founded in 1949 and aimed at enthusiasts under the tagline "Fueled By Enthusiasts". The brand belongs to the same company as Toyo: the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association lists Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas as the wholly owned North American subsidiary of Toyo Tire Corporation of Osaka, Japan, and notes that it makes, imports and sells both Toyo and Nitto tires in the United States and Canada. Nitto says many of its tires are built at the group's plant in Bartow County, Georgia. If you want the full picture of the parent company, our review of whether Toyo tires are good covers it.

Is the NT555 Extreme ZR discontinued, and what replaced it?

The NT555 Extreme ZR was the original NT555. Nitto's current catalogue lists only the NT555 G2 in this family, and the G2 product page compares itself directly with "the original NT555 tire". In practice that means the Extreme ZR is no longer the tire Nitto builds for this slot, and the sizes you find online are old stock. The NT555 G2 is its replacement, sold in the same positions and the same kind of sizes.

What changed, according to Nitto: the tread blocks grew, with sizes 275 mm and wider getting larger blocks than the narrower sizes, the center became twin ribs for straight-line stability, the shoulder blocks were reinforced, and the compound moved to a high stiffness silica mix with a bonding agent. Nitto's stated result is more traction, better handling and shorter wet braking than the original. Those are the manufacturer's claims, not test figures of ours.

Is the Nitto NT555 G2 a good tire? The honest verdict

For what it is built to do, yes. It is a summer tire that puts grip and steering response first, it comes in the wide and staggered sizes that muscle cars and modified sedans need, and it is priced below most premium summer tires in the same sizes. In our catalogue on October 28, 2026, NT555 G2 sizes run from $186 to $419 per tire.

The trade-offs are the usual summer tire trade-offs, and they are real. It is not a tire for cold weather or snow, it will not last as long as a touring tire, and Nitto's own ratings mark quietness and ride comfort as average. Buy it for the driving it is made for and it delivers; buy it as an all-year tire in a northern state and you will be disappointed.

What the NT555 G2 does well

• Dry grip and cornering. Nitto rates dry performance 4.5 out of 5 and credits the large tapered blocks and reinforced shoulder blocks for cornering stability. This is the reason to buy the tire.
• Wet handling. Nitto also rates wet performance 4.5 out of 5. Center and shoulder circumferential grooves move water out, and the silica compound is designed to hold on wet roads. Wet is still summer-tire wet: above freezing, on a tread with depth left.
• Sizes for real performance cars. Nitto lists 66 sizes on 17, 18, 19, 20 and 22 inch wheels, including the 275 to 315 section widths that staggered rear fitments need. We stock 58 of them.
• W speed rating on every size. W means the tire is built for sustained speeds up to 168 mph. Many sizes are also marked ZR. Our guide to speed ratings explains what the letters mean on your placard.
• Price. It sits well below premium summer tires in the same sizes, which matters when the rears are 305 or 315 wide.

Where the NT555 G2 falls short

• Not for snow or ice. It is a summer tire. Nitto does not rate it for winter use, and summer compounds harden in cold weather. If your winters bring snow, pair it with a winter set or choose an all-season tire. Our all-season vs winter tires guide covers that decision.
• Tread life. The 320 treadwear grade is typical for an ultra high performance summer tire and well below the 500 to 700 grades of touring tires. Some sizes, marked by Nitto, carry a 200 grade. Nitto's NT555 G2 page lists no mileage warranty, so check Nitto's warranty terms before you count on one.
• Noise and comfort. Nitto's own ratings give quietness 3 out of 5 and ride comfort 3 out of 5. On a daily driver with a stiff suspension you will notice both.
• Wear on staggered cars. Rear tires on high horsepower cars wear faster than fronts, and the tires cannot be rotated across a staggered fitment. Budget for rears sooner.

NT555 G2 vs NT555RII vs NT420V: which Nitto is which?

The NT555 name covers two very different tires, and shoppers who search for the old NT420S find a third. Here is how Nitto's current lineup sorts out.

Nitto rates the NT555RII at 2.5 out of 5 in the wet and 2 out of 5 for quietness, with 6.3/32 inch of tread. It is a tire for the strip, not a replacement for the G2 on a daily driver.

NT555 G2 sizes and prices we stock

These are the sizes with the deepest stock in our catalogue on October 28, 2026, with the national price per tire. Prices change, and your checkout price can differ by delivery ZIP, so treat the figures as a guide. The full list is on the Nitto NT555 G2 model page.

Sizes 275 mm and wider carry Nitto's larger rear tread blocks. Nitto's approved rim widths run from 6.0 to 8.0 inches on the narrowest size to 10.5 to 12.5 inches on the 315 section sizes, so check your wheel width before you order a wide rear.

What the 320 treadwear grade means

UTQG grades are assigned by the manufacturer under the federal Uniform Tire Quality Grading rule and printed on the sidewall. Treadwear is a comparative number from a controlled test course, not a mileage promise: a 320 tire is expected to wear slower than a 100 tire on that course, and that is all the number says. The AA traction grade is the highest wet braking grade in the system, and the A temperature grade is the second highest resistance to heat. Our guide to load index covers the other number you need to match on the sidewall.

Who should buy the Nitto NT555 G2

Buy it if you drive a performance car in a warm or seasonal climate, you want grip first, and you need a wide or staggered size at a sensible price. Mustang, Camaro, Challenger and Charger owners are its core market, and so are modified sedans on 18 to 20 inch wheels. Skip it if the car is your only vehicle in a snow state, if you want a quiet long-life tire, or if your wheels are on a crossover or truck, where the NT420V or an all-season tire fits better.

How the NT555 G2 compares to other brands

Against its own stablemate, the Toyo Proxes line covers the same summer performance ground from the sister brand, so a shopper weighing one against the other is choosing between two tires from one company. Against the rest of the market the NT555 G2 sits below premium summer tires on price and, by Nitto's own ratings, behind them on quietness and comfort. Every tire legally sold in the United States has to meet the same federal safety standards, so the choice between the NT555 G2, a premium summer tire and a value import is a question of grip, tread life, noise and price for your driving, not of safe against unsafe. Our Nitto brand page lists everything else from the brand that we stock.

The verdict

The Nitto NT555 G2 does what the NT555 Extreme ZR did and, by Nitto's account, does it better: a grippy, wide-size summer tire for performance cars at a price that leaves room for the wheels. Its limits are the limits of every summer tire, cold weather and tread life, plus an average score for noise and comfort. Confirm the size, load index and speed rating against your door placard, check your rim width on the wide rears, and the NT555 G2 is an easy tire to recommend to the drivers it was built for.