Nitto Invo Review & Rating for 2024: Ultra High Performance Street Tire

The Nitto Invo is probably one of the most unusual (yet totally good-looking) tires in the market. However, we’re talking about a design that’s more than ten years old and counting. But why fix something that isn’t broke in the first place? The Invo belongs to Nitto’s original tire lineup. Back then, the company needed a product that will win over the hearts and minds of performance enthusiasts.

And they got it with the Nitto Invo. In some parts of the world, the Invo is a premium choice and competes head-on with other stalwarts like the Bridgestone Potenza and Goodyear Eagle F1. But in North America, the Invo was a more affordable alternative offering OEM levels of all-weather traction and grip.

Nitto Invo Review: Test Drive

A large majority of our test drive was on perfectly dry roads. We encountered a slight drizzle on the way home, but it’s enough for us to get an idea of how the tires behave on a wet highway. Right off the bat, we were impressed with the ride silence and ride comfort, something which the owner loves the most about Nitto Invo. The springs and dampers are tuned for street driving, but the firmness is there. However, the tires were able to cushion the many blows we encountered over pockmarked city roads.

Dry Traction

We made it clear the Nitto Invo is a high-performance touring tire, which means the tire will lean more towards long-distance comfort over outright sportiness. And you know what, we’re right. The Invo offers sure-footed grip, strong braking, and confidence-inspiring stability when you’re going fast in a straight line. The tires also tend to squirm for grip if you really push it, but it takes a lot of coaxing and wild steering corrections to upset the composure of the tires.

For fast driving, the Nitto Invo is one of the best. However, if you demand precise handling or if you have a muscle car with the torque output of a jumbo jet, you better look elsewhere. For example, if you have a Mustang EcoBoost or V6, the Nitto Invo is a good choice. But if you have a Mustang GT, GT350, or GT500, you’re better off with the Nitto NT05.

Wet Traction

It’s the same banana over wet roads. But in all fairness, the Nitto Invo tires felt good on a wet highway. We never felt the tires hunting for grip, nor did we notice a loss in braking performance. The handling remained rock solid all throughout our test drive, and we noticed this whether the roads are dry or riddled with water puddles.

Snow Traction

There was no way for us to test the tires over snow, and the owner of the vehicle keeps the car in his garage whenever cold weather starts creeping in. But since the Invo is an all-season tire, we’re expecting negligible performance over light snow, and that’s basically it. Anything over two to three inches of snow requires a proper set of snow tires, and that’s a fact.

Comfort

There’s a huge difference between stiff or jarring suspension. Of course, our BMW M3 belongs to the former, which is one of the hallmarks of what makes this vehicle great. Equipped with aftermarket springs and dampers, the ride is noticeably firmer than stock, but there’s a certain amount of compliance along with the omission of harshness inside the cabin. The Nitto Invo tires are one of the comfiest sport-touring tires you can buy, and we’re not just saying this out of thin air. Remember, touring tires are all about comfort and longevity. As it turns out, the Invo is infused with a ton of touring DNA despite the sporting apprehensions.

Noise

With such a radical tread design, we weren’t expecting the tires to be this quiet. But for a sporty tire, the Nitto Invo delivers an almost whisper-silent ride. Of course, this may also have something to do with the NVH tuning of our ride, but the Invo gets a high score in terms of refinement. You’ll still hear road noise as the speed builds up, but it wasn’t enough to distract us from the real chore of piloting such a marvelous vehicle.

Treadwear

Our test vehicle is a low-mileage example and was handed over to the owner by his eldest brother. The Nitto Invo tires fitted on our ride were more than a year old, but the treads still had approximately 8/32” left, which speaks highly on the longevity of Nitto Invo.

However, the Invo has no treadwear warranty, which is the norm for sporty performance tires. Remember, your driving habits play a huge part in tire wear, too.