Serious swaying with 305/35/20 R2 Mickey Thomson ET Street S/S

RedVenom48

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This is true, but on my 2013 GT500 I ran the 305 M/T SS tires on my stock wheels and the car never swayed at all, I than put them on my silver GT500 and they were terrible, the car was scary over 130, I put the NT05Rs on and the car was perfect. I've never used the M/T tires again. I think the sidewalls are way to soft on the M/Ts

Essentially its Cooper Tire (Mickey) vs Toyo Tire (Nitto).

I think Toyo's OE tires wear like shit (Im sure you remember the ES330 OEM Toyo) but the Structure is great, Still have my original set of NT05R's. I think Ill put them back on sometime.
 

04ssssvt

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I had these MT ET Street 305's on stock rims for 2 years. MT advised on 9.5" rims the sidewalls "bulge out" more to accommodate the narrower rim mount. That + low psi could be a sway factor.
I felt only a slight bit of "wiggle" on quick lane changes or spirited sharp turns not necessarily requiring correction. I'd not classify the experiences as "sway"...I ran them at 20-22psi. I agree with advice to try some road experiments at varying psi to determine what feels best. Then..if there's straight line needs do the same type of testing for ultimate traction. When I knew I'd be digging it oout with some buddies on a weekend I actually dropped psi to 18-19...for straight line.
I'm now running the 305 MT ET Street S/S on 11" rims and never even felt or thought of "wiggle" on highway since....at 20psi. I know a guy who actually runs his MT's at 16psi ...11" rims...all the time . He says he does not feel any highway compromise nor does he seem to care !


All great info and thank you for sharing. I checked the tire pressure this AM and they were inflated to 40 psi which sounds like is a lot more than what many of you guys are running. Although, I would imagine less air in the tire would make things worse..
 

04ssssvt

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This is true, but on my 2013 GT500 I ran the 305 M/T SS tires on my stock wheels and the car never swayed at all, I than put them on my silver GT500 and they were terrible, the car was scary over 130, I put the NT05Rs on and the car was perfect. I've never used the M/T tires again. I think the sidewalls are way to soft on the M/Ts

I find it strange there was a difference between your 13 and 14 model years in terms of how the tires performed. Very strange. Good to know about Nitto's as well. I'm leaning towards the 275/40/20's MT but if I go with any other size I will consider Nitto since it sounds like many are having good luck with them.
 

2011 gtcs

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I find it strange there was a difference between your 13 and 14 model years in terms of how the tires performed. Very strange. Good to know about Nitto's as well. I'm leaning towards the 275/40/20's MT but if I go with any other size I will consider Nitto since it sounds like many are having good luck with them.
Dude believe me I said the same thing, when I first bought my 14 I put M/Ts on it right away because how good they worked in my 13, I was really surprised. But I would play it safe and just do 315/35R20 NT05Rs
 

merkyworks

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The different experiences between 13 to 14 car could be from inconsistency in manufacturing of the tire, specifically the sidewall. Like how the belts are layered up, maybe the tire is in tolerance but on one side of the tolerance the tire has a stiffer sidewall and at the other end of the tolerance you have a softer sidewall. This could explain how the same model of tire behave differently, IDK shot in the dark.
 

Chancey

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Hey guys,
I just purchased a set of MT's 305/35/20 and threw it on the factory wheel. The swaying is really bad at highway speeds. Even during normal driving on the highway I have to constantly counter steer through a big turn let alone when I nail it. I hear so many guys running this size on the factory rim so I'm really curious as to what you guys are experiencing, or better yet, what you would recommend. Thanks
I put a set of 305/35/20 Nitto drag radials on my 2013 and it swayed pretty bad. I was disappointed. Told my tire shop and they said match the front tires with some Nitto’s as well. I thought it was a sales tactic, but when I did, they swaying disappeared... blew my mind. When I switched the fronts from the factory to Nitto’s she is very stable and man it hooks real good now!
 

04ssssvt

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Dude believe me I said the same thing, when I first bought my 14 I put M/Ts on it right away because how good they worked in my 13, I was really surprised. But I would play it safe and just do 315/35R20 NT05Rs


315's? Nearly everywhere I look its saying 305's are too wide for a 9.5 inch rim. I would think 315's would be worse. I'm sure the look of the 315 would be amazing but Im just nervous I'm going to have the same issue. Summit racing wont take the tires back since theyve been mounted on the car so Im going to call MT direct to see if they can do something for me. Otherwise Im going to have to try to sell them local.
 

04ssssvt

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I put a set of 305/35/20 Nitto drag radials on my 2013 and it swayed pretty bad. I was disappointed. Told my tire shop and they said match the front tires with some Nitto’s as well. I thought it was a sales tactic, but when I did, they swaying disappeared... blew my mind. When I switched the fronts from the factory to Nitto’s she is very stable and man it hooks real good now!


Ive read changing the fronts can be a game changer. I wont rule that out if I cant find a sollution. Going to run a 275 for now and see if that fixes the issue. Thanks for the tip.
 

Crazyredsvt

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I have a 2014 GT500 that used to ride really nice and smooth with no issue I then bought the 305/35/20 Mickey Thompson S/S for the car and it was the worst mistake I made my 1990 foxbody drag car rides better
My car sways and after 60-80mph it vibrates really bad and pulls left or right terrible I had the front end and rear end alined and it was not the issue but I can’t lie they hook up great lol
 

me32

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The MT drag radials really arent that great of a street tire. There mostly ment for track use a light street use. For street use the nitto 555R or NT05R are better tires with 555 or NT05 fronts to match your setup.
 

Chancey

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The MT drag radials really arent that great of a street tire. There mostly ment for track use a light street use. For street use the nitto 555R or NT05R are better tires with 555 or NT05 fronts to match your setup.
Thats the set I have ( NT555R’s in the rear, with the NT05R’s up front) and they handle well, and hook like glue versus factory setup.
 

RBB

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I'm surprised to see so many of you have had such severe issues with the ET Streets. I running mine with some Nitto 555 G2s up front and I have no complaints. As someone mentioned earlier, I wonder if there are issues with MTs quality control? I can't imagine the variance in their manufacturing tolerances would be so large that on one end of the spectrum the tires are completely worthless for street driving.
 
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biminiLX

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Unless you’re actually running the car semi regularly at the strip, the Nitto is just a much better street tire and not worth playing the gamble you get with MT.
MT is a great track tire. Not so much on street/highway.
-J
 

04ssssvt

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I've had good luck with MT's in the past. I went head and orderd the 275/40 for now and they came in today. I believe this will fix the problem since the 305's are better suited for a 10 inch wheel.
 

tvspower

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I put a set of 305/35/20 Nitto drag radials on my 2013 and it swayed pretty bad. I was disappointed. Told my tire shop and they said match the front tires with some Nitto’s as well. I thought it was a sales tactic, but when I did, they swaying disappeared... blew my mind. When I switched the fronts from the factory to Nitto’s she is very stable and man it hooks real good now!
Happened to me.....best ide now
 

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