My S-Type's got the 18" Pirelli P Zeros. They are not particularly worn but they are noisy and rather sensitive to tracks and unevenness on the road. Yesterday I had the chance to drive an S-Type with 18" Continentals (the exact tyre model escapes me atm) and there was a *radical* difference in noise.

I had no idea the difference would be that noticeable. The Continentals were silent and a lot easier to handle.

It looks like I'll be switching cars, to the S-Type with the Continentals, mostly because I want to move from a V6 to a V8, so I have to say I have every reason to be pleased.

 

I agree with Mikey's comments whole heartedly. Competition is the basis of our economic systems and when you try to protect yourself from competition, it undermines your economy. Being Canadian, our tire prices are as much as double the US prices. Yesterday I took delivery of a set of Blizzak LM-60's mounted on Sport Edition A7 alloy wheels and a set of Continental ExtremeContact DW summers, which I had mounted on the original Jag wheels. All purchased from Tire Rack and even after delivery, customs and taxes, at a significant savings. I "drive" my car and want good performance and above all, safety. If buying Canadian was competitive, I would buy Canadian first. But they are not even close. If this keeps up, it will cost all Canadians. I hope to see it eventually ballance out.

2003 S-Type, 4.2 Sport

 

I've recently replaced the tires on my 2000 S Type V6. The originals were Pirelli 6000s. 3 years back I replaced them with Yokohama S - quiter, firmer, good wet/dry tyre but a little noisy.

Have now replaced them after 65,000Km with Michelin Primacy HPs - fantastic. Meet all of the above and are quiet. Haven't completed my fuel comparison yet, but suspect they have improved that too.

And with the Aussie dollar now on parity with US and Canada, $700 a set sounds fantastic. In July I paid $800 from an eBay dealer [Local pick up]. The Michelins can be $1200+ normally.

The recommendations you've got from others are all soundly reasoned.

What I did when I started my search on the forum in mid 2007 was to try to match the conditions of use with the recommended tires. That worked for both the Yokohamas and the Michelins.

 

That is very interesting. I wonder if part of the difference can be accounted with Canada's VAT. It sounds like that Canada could cut some of its duties on tires. Don't forget that the US dollar is extremely weak. That could account for the other part.

Do you like the DW summers? I am thinking about them.

 

There are no import duties on tires made in North America, as part of the NAFTA agreement. Tires brought over the border are subject only to federal and/or provincial sales tax (approx 15%) no different than if purchased locally.

Tires made outside of N. Am are subject to import duties but this figure is relatively low at 7%.

The strong Canadian dollar should make tires less expensive, not more.

There is no excuse for tires being twice the price in Canada than in the US, especially when the tires were made in Canada in the first place. I'm all for supporting local business, but I'm not stupid either. My local retailer pays more for his tires at wholesale than I can buy them retail at Tire Rack. I can only think that's there something very corrupt in the distribution chain here.

 

I've got a set of Michelin HX MXM4 which were on the car when I got it with 44,400 miles, now 53,500 niles on the car. They're round, quiet and smooth and I'm trying to keep the tread wear above the minimum when it may be turned in at end of lease in a couple of years.
Most comments on Tirerack are about the price which is a bit higher than it should be. I don't see why these are priced so high, but.......
If I do end up keeping the car, I would switch to something far less costly.

 

Reply to Florida Jag, post #24. I am now running the Blizzak winter tires and will not change out the Conti DW's until spring. We have already had our first light snowfall, although it melted by morning. So running the original treadless all seasons was getting a little risky. I purchased the Conti ExtremeContact DW's based on the performance reviews and secondly the price. I have never had much success or faith with tire warranties. As the S-Type 4.2L Sport comes with 17" rims, steal rims are not available to fit the car. Wanting to have both my winters and summers on rims, ready to swap myself, I purchased the least expensive alloy rim to fit the winters. When the dust settled, buying through Tire Rack provided me with the Conti ExtremeContact DW's for free compared to the cost of cheap alloy wheels and Blizzak LM-60's from my local tire shops. I checked pricing with a number of local tire shops, including the Tire Rack depot which installed the Conti summers on my Jag rims. So they new the difference in the tire costs and still could not compete. eg: Tire size 235/50R-17. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 cost from Calgary tire shops are $335 each, through Tire Rack are $173 each. Coninental ExtremeContact DW cost in Calgary are $327 each, through Tire Rack are $151 each. Local tire shop has to order these tires in with a 2 to 3 week delivery. I had the tires and wheels from Tire Rack in 7 days and installed the Tuesday after the long weekend.

 

Yeah, you're right. I was thinking in terms of US dollars. It appears that there is something very strange going on in your distribution chain. Those prices are outrageous.

When I talk about supporting domestically manufactured industries, I actually have a broader view. I am thinking in terms of US (or Canadian) versus Mexican and Chinese. (I own a Jaguar after all) Although I am sure that Korean manufacturers are pretty good, I don't like the idea of sending money to countries that pay significantly lower wage rates than we "enjoy" (or used to) here, however are willing to consider them due to my current wallet problem.

 

Its worked for me. £8 to fill them and nothing since. If it is a scam, I don't feel bad about it at all!

 

I Drive a 2001 S type And i use it as a daily Driver and For Some Track Events With hooked on Driving I just switched over to Federal ss595's and have been Amazed With the tires Every one who has used my car agrees that they tires are just as good if not better when you factor in price as the Perelli P Zeros i had on it before, i did switch sizes to a 245/50/16 though.i have done A few Full Track days and with my driving racked up about 5000 hard miles with no signs of wear

 

My 2006 (V6) is still doing fine at 44,000 with the original factory Michelins - the same as mentioned by Jayt2 earlier. They look like they'll be good for quite a while yet.

Just put a set of Kuhmo's on my 2005 X-type wagon at 60,000.

 

Well, today was the big day. In anticipation of the wonderful Fed's program of quantitative easing by the Fed, I anticipate higher prices for tires, which is a petroleum based product, I bought a new set of tires today. I was glad to get rid of the Kuhmo Specials on the front and the Continental EcoPlus Tires. The Contis that were on my car were some of the worst tires I have had since I bought a set of Yokohama AS520's on my 1989 Cougar. While they had an H rating, they behaved more like S-rated Futura specials at Pep Boys. The Continental EcoPlus tires had a nice wobble at 30 mph.

After much research and whatnot, I ended up getting a set of Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires. Based on Tire Rack reviews and on my prior experience with Firestone/Bridgestone tires, I decided on these. At the store, I was able to examine the tires. They have stiff sidewalls and an excellent tread pattern that should draw away rain during the rainy season. The tread depth is 12/32", which could result in long treadlife.

The tires come with a 70,000 mile warranty. Based on my driving, I will be lucky to get 40k.

The tires cost $631 out the door with the road hazard warranty and lifetime balancing. I am sure that I could have done better, but for a near top of the line tire, I think I did okay. I used to think that the extended tire warranty was a waste until I got a nice flat, costing me an extra $100.00. During the time of my last extended warranty, I replaced two tires. I got my money's worth. I don't plan on it, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. This is the most I have ever spent on tires and is a reflection of our daily depreciating currency. On the other hand, I could not opt for less than premium tires for this car. Steering response, grip and noise are all priorities for me; this car has excellent ratings in all categories on the rack.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Thanks for all of your input. I will let you know how these slippers hold up when I write my 5,000 mile review on Tire Rack.

 

That's actually a good price on a set of Serenity tires. Keep us posted on your impressions of them as they wear. I had them on my list early this year, but I eventually ruled them out because I do not believe they can deliver the extended treadlife I want....

 

I'm looking to replace the Contipros with something quieter and less jarring on bumpy roads. It's been suggested that the Serenity tires are the quietest and softest riding tires I could purchase. Even though you've only had the tires for a short while, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the matter.

Thanks.

2004 XJ8

 

I get the impression that that they are going to be pretty quiet over the life of the tires. I base this on my experience with my Saturn with Bridgestone RE960 Pole Positions.

Of course putting new tires on a car will quiet it down (with some exceptions), but, my long term experience with Bridgestone/Firestones is very good.

Putting these on the Jag has smoothed and quieted the ride significantly without sacrifice to handling compared with other tires. I believe that these tires offer the best balance of ride and handling on the market for a reasonable price.

These are the best tires for the money in my opinion, but there are other seemingly good ones. The Continental DWS tires get good ratings. I chose the Turanza's over them because I had Conti EcoPlus Tourings on it and found them to be among the crappiest tires i ever had on a car. I couldn't wait to get them off as the car vibrated at low speeds (tire defect).

 

I can't fault you for avoiding the Conti's. The OEM ProContacts on my X type were pretty much garbage....so I too was a little pessimistic on the DWS. Thankfully they have been a pleasant surprise, they handle great, are quiet, and I'm getting great treadwear.

Not to say you should have picked them Florida, just saying that they are not a bad option to consider.

Congrat's on your purchase and please keep us updated with your impressions of the Turanza's.

 

Thanks, Florida, that was really helpful.

I have the Continental eco tourings currently and I think I'm experiencing the bumpy ride you mention. Glad to see changing to the Serenity's made such a big difference. Now I wonder where I can find the best deal...

 

Tirerack is currently selling them for about $118.00 plus shipping (around 40).

You can probably install them for under $600.00

I ended up buying them from my local Firestone with the warranty for $641.00 minus $10 for answering a prior customer survey.

I have found the best deals at my Firestone dealer. Please note that I don't work for them nor profit from their sale .

There are not too many places I found that sell the Serenities.

 

Thanks again, Floridajag, I'll check out tirerack!

 

Here's an important note on the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tire:

If your preferred tire size is offered in an H-rated version, the tire comes with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. If your preferred tire size is offered only in a V-rated version, the tire comes with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty. To me that's a big difference, particularly since the H-rated version will always cost less than the V-rated version. H-rated tires are more than capable for the S-Type 3.0 and 4.2, but may be borderline for the STR....

Our S-Type's tire size is 235/50/17. The Serenity is built only in a V-rated version for this size. The best deal on this tire that I've been able to find in my neck of the woods was for $685 out-the-door from a local Firestone dealer who always works with me as much as his policies allow him to. Even my Discount Tire buddy couldn't come close to this price - his best offer was for $769 and a $50 rebate debit card....