We put the new Nitto Invo tires to the test on our personal test project
Most of us here at Tunerzine.com have been involved with the industry for over a decade now. We’ve seen its ups and downs and we’ve built our fair share of project vehicles. Like many other enthusiasts, some of us have allegiances to tire brands while some of us always just grab whatever’s cheapest. With today’s oversaturation in the tire market and the continuation of new models coming out, it’s becoming harder and harder to figure out just which tire you really want, or need for your project car. So when it came to figuring out what set of tires to put on our newest Project Porsche Cayman, we turned our heads to Nitto’s brand new Invo tire. The Invo tire has been getting plenty of acclaim across the Internet, so we decided to take a deeper look into it and what makes it so great.
Nitto Tire is not new to any of us here at Tunerzine. Many of us have put their NT450, Neo Gen and NT555 to the test in our prior personal vehicles. Needless to say we were very curious as to what the Invo would be capable of doing for our luxury performance vehicle. On the surface, the Nitto Invo features a tread pattern that is clearly unique to the Nitto brand. According to the marketing materials, the Invo tread is a product of “state-of-the-art computer engineering and digital audio testing equipment to produce a tread pattern that reduces perceived road noise, provides excellent comfort and delivers exceptional traction in both dry and wet conditions.” Well we have to admit, we hear that about a lot of tires out on the market, so would Nitto’s Invo really stand up to our test and back up its claims?
We figured our newest project, a Porsche Cayman, would be the perfect guinea pig for the Nitto Invos. We ordered up a set in 235/30/20 and 285/25/20 sizes, staggering them on a set of custom DPE Engineering S20 wheels in a 20×8.5 and 20×11 setup. We were extremely eager to get the bad boys wrapped up and bolted on. The first thing we noticed was just how unique the tread pattern was on the Nitto Invos. They weren’t kidding when they said it would be unique, it was something we had never seen before on another tire; almost a work of art. Once they were on the Porsche Cayman however, we were overwhelmed and surprised.
The tires are extremely responsive on the road, giving the driver the feedback you’d expect. But again, the overwhelming quietness of the tires almost gives you a misconception of just how fast you’re going sometimes. This may or may not be a bad thing, depending on how throttle-happy you are on the road. On the freeway, the Invos are what we expect out of a high-performance tire: quiet, responsive and no real complaints. On the streets however, we noticed we were able to really push our Cayman on turns, taking advantage of its newest set of KW coilovers. Every bit of rubber works harmoniously with the unique design of the Invo to stick the Cayman tightly on the road.
Surprisingly we haven’t had a chance to test the tires in the rain, even here in Central Florida. We look forward to updating the review in about 1,000 miles to give our readers more feedback on the Nitto Invos, so stay tuned. For now, enjoy the photos of our newest project and its set of Nitto Invo tires and DPE S20 wheels!
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