UPDATE: Nitto Invo Tire Review

[AZhitman]

It's been a year since I drafted the first review of Nitto's new INVO tires, as tested on NICOclub'd Project G35 Coupe.

I'm happy to say that the tires maintained their amazing performance right down to the wear bars, through over a year of aggressive driving.

With the addition of the supercharger and some significant suspension upgrades, Project G35 needed another set of tires to put the power to the ground.

There was really no reason to purchase anything other than what I'd come to know as a phenomenal product, so another set of Nitto INVO tires was ordered.

Read the original review here: http://www.nicoclub.com/articles/invoarticle.shtml

[tollboothwilley]

Nice..

How many miles did you get on those Greg?

I'm coming back to PHX this summer again. Who knows, maybe I'll stop in and say hi. You still living out there in Surprise?

[AZhitman]

I think I got around 14K out of them.

Not bad considering the mods and how I treat tires.

[RED_DET]

How expensive are the tires?

Where did you get them?

[fatire_mtb]

I also Nitto Invo tires and agree completely. They are great tires. I am at around 15,500 miles on mine and they have a little time left before needing to be replaced. I'm leaning towards replacing them with another set of Invo's - if ain't broke don't fix it. I can't imagine getting a better tire without breaking the bank.

[SneaKe]

I'm looking into INVO's, and I like what I see. However, I keep seeing reviews that the sidewalls are soft. My Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's have very firm sidewalls, and I don't think I could live with anything less. Sometimes the reviewers don't know what they are talking about, but I've seen it said more than a few times.

In your original review, you favored the sidewall of the INVO over OEM. Unfortunately I never drove on the Pilots to have a comparison. Basically, I am very close to purchasing INVOs but am concerned that the quick snap turn-in I'm use to won't compare to the Sessantas.

Any imput on that AZ?

[AZhitman]

I'm looking into INVO's, and I like what I see. However, I keep seeing reviews that the sidewalls are soft. My Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta's have very firm sidewalls, and I don't think I could live with anything less. Sometimes the reviewers don't know what they are talking about, but I've seen it said more than a few times.

In your original review, you favored the sidewall of the INVO over OEM. Unfortunately I never drove on the Pilots to have a comparison. Basically, I am very close to purchasing INVOs but am concerned that the quick snap turn-in I'm use to won't compare to the Sessantas.

Any imput on that AZ?

Absolutely, I'd love to comment on that.

A few thoughts:

While I'm unfamiliar with the Vredesteins, I'm not convinced the tread design is optimized for real-world use... I'm sure the designer is well-compensated for designing something attractive, but that doesn't always translate into pure performance.

What I CAN say is this: When I first got my Invos, at approximately 200 miles, I winged a piece of debris on the freeway at 80 mph that catastrophically damaged the shoulder of the tire (rear one, 285/30/20). At that speed, I expected the wheel to be toast and decelerated to the breakdown lane...

I didn't know I had damaged the tire badly, but this is why: Even with a gash the size of a credit card, zero pressure, the rim wasn't in contact with the road - the sidewall suspended the weight of the car even with no air pressure. I was able to limp it home, another 15 miles, without consequence. Likely due to the short sidewall, but I was impressed.

Another consideration is that I ALWAYS run my tires a little higher psi than the manufacturer's recommendation. Of course, the tire manufacturer won't advise it, but you can blame the beancounters and attorneys for that... I learned this WITH the Pilots, in fact.

Always check pressures cold AND hot , and stay within a reasonable range. On a 50 psi tire (such as the Invo), I run around 52-55 hot. Turn-in is crisp and sharp, with no weird center wear, and comfort is unaffected.