Tire Review: Nitto Motivos, 245/45/20 and 255/45/20s

[rayzazoo]

This weekend I swapped out my Goodyear F1s for the new Nitto Motivos on my 392. I had about 13,500mi on my Goodyears, with the rear tires showing outer tire wear and the fronts still in good condition.

I decided to keep a staggered setup with 245/45/20 in the front and 255/45/20 in the rears.

I have a lot of city weekend driving and a long 450 mi trip ahead to round up the review so continue to stay tuned.

My initial feel is that these tires are squishy compared to the F1s, and almost like they could use a little more air for a more solid feel (perhaps sidewall flex and perhaps better in a less than 45 sidewall height). Reading other reviews, more air seems to be the trick. Currently, they are running at 33-34psi. They seem to grip well in turns but I'm not feeling total driver turning confidence like I did with the F1s. To the tires defense and after observing my speedometer multiple times, they have stayed planted with roughly the same entrance and exit speeds as the F1s and managed the same turns at the same speeds. I think part of the difference is tire noise; the Nittos are very, very quiet, over multiple road surfaces. I think this is part of the driver confidence aspect because I'm use to hearing the F1s and was using some of that road noise for vehicle feedback.

My understanding is these tires firm up over time and the squishy feeling goes away with a higher tire pressure and some road wear, approximately 1500mi. None the less, only time will tell.

When accelerating, such as an on ramp, it almost feels like the tires want to get squirrelly (more wheelspin), but, even with a slight squishy feeling and reality kicking in, they remain planted at WOT. I almost feel I have to delay WOT about a hair of a second later to give me the same feel of traction that I had with the F1s at launch but, squishy feeling and all, they still stick. I really need a place to do some quick accelerations to make a better determination.

By next Monday, I should have around 600-700mi on the tires and will be able to provide more feedback.

For now, these tires are my compromise for a daily driver, the Winter and more treadlife. They do provide a very comfortable ride.



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[Roshambo]

Thanks for sharing! Getting ready to buy some new tires myself in a couple weeks.


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[CruzKing]

like to know how you think they perform in the rain, as i don't like mine in the rain at all.

[rayzazoo]

Tire feel is greatly improving and I think it was just getting use to the lack of road noise.

There is still more noticeable sidewall flex than the F1s and it seems to take away slightly from the precision feel of the F1s. I'll air up the tire in the 37-40 psi range and see if that helps.




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[rayzazoo]

Ok, so, 650mi later and here's the latest.

These are very comfortable tires. I really couldn't believe how quiet and smooth these tires were on the 450mi trip. Also, traction has improved greatly which has also improved my confidence in the performance capability of the tires. They have become more precise during cornering and about on par with the F1s. I have one more corner that I drive daily to make a final comparison. I think some person put tire shine on the main tread... and that was attributing to the slippy feeling I was getting during initial acceleration... which is now gone.

I just returned to mid 30 deg weather so I'll get a chance to see how they fair in colder weather.

Overall, I'm really liking these tires now that I'm getting the same traction feeling as the F1s, not as harsh road feel, and a very quiet/smooth ride. I do need to go to a Discount tire to have them rebalanced because I am getting an intermittent vibration through the steering wheel while cruising.

None the less, these are looking to be a very decent tire.


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[Nightmare08]

I've been looking into these...this might be my next set of tires...

[rayzazoo]

27 deg F this morning and traction was really good. Still yet to try in rain, ice and snow but so far, this is turning out to be a good replacement tire.


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[rayzazoo]

Well, I'm updating this and will give better driving impressions regarding launch.

It turns out the Discount Tire I got the tires from put both 255s on the passenger side and both 245s on the drivers side of the car. It definitely explains the wheel pull to the left I was getting. So, more to follow.

This was also the same Discount Tire that installed my 255s on the front and 245s on the rear of my 2010 so needless to say, that one has just lost my business. Luckily there are others.

I feel silly that I didn't catch this sooner.

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[USponycar]

WTF? That's just freaking STUPID! Not on your part, but the installers. On both occasions, each responsible party should have been placed in front of a firing squad afterwards. It would be different if they weren't IN the tire business. I'm going to get my rear tires installed this weekend so now you've got me scared lol.

[Rumblefish50]

Talk about gross incompetence on the part of Discount Tire...like USponycar said, they are in the tire business!! Sheesh.....my grandma could tell you the fat ones go on the back