I have a low budget and drive only 6000 miles a year in a city like environment (not too much motorway). I was thinking about buying the Dunlop MAXX TT tires. Anyone got any experience of these? I don't want to spend too much such as Goodyear or Pirelli. Or shall I go for Hankook or some new Cheap Taiwan/korea tires?

 

Check Tire Rack. Dunlops are not bad, I would recommend Michelin or Continental over them though.

 

The best cheap tires IMO are the Kumho SPT's I had these tires on my G35 Sedan for 19,000 miles and LOVED them. I would have put them on my XFSC but they were a on back order at Discount Tire and at Firestone. You can find them on line or maybe locally. They are really excellent tires!

 

I did a bit of research on these and it seems like it's not too bad for the price since they have this Dupont Kevlar Technology and are Asymmetric tires. I cannot stretch my budget to Michelin or Continental. So I've gone for these. I am putting them on the 20 inch Draco Rims. I will take some photos and post them up.

 

Only $15 more then the Kumho's and higher score in Tireracks testing. Sounds like a good deal. I have never been happy with a Dunlop tire and have had them split sidewalls before.

For just $4 more a tire you could buy Goodyear Eagle GT's I have put over 50,000 miles on a set of these in 275/60/17 on our Sequoia they are excellent tires that wear forever. Look at the tread rating 400 AA A. They are also all season so if you get into snow or temp below 32 you won't wreck your car. The downside they are only rated to 168 mph so you would not be safe driving faster then that.

 

The original poster doesn't care about tread wear. He needs sticky tires that are also not expensive. Kuhmo and Hankook both do a great job of supplying good quality cheaper tires. Also, Japanese manufacturer Falken makes good cheaper tires.

Btw, high mileage tires are generally very poor handling tires due to the hard rubber. any tire lasting more than five to seven years is pointless as the tire is basically junk after that regardless of tread remaining. After ten years they are downright dangerous to leave on your car. You ought to replace any ten year old tire on any passenger vehicle you own.

 

Hi guys, I went for the Dunlop on the Silver Draco rims. Pretty pleased with them. Here are the pictures. I drove them for about an hour and they are quite sticky. They get quite hot so don't know how long they lasts. I will update here later. They are the SP MAXX TT. Costs me HK$2100 each so price wise they are very reasonable. I upgraded from 18inch rims and in terms of looks it makes a difference. I think worth the extra for 2 inches.

 

Nice job on the upgraded wheel and tires. They are a great update to the car.

 

Cheers. They are very quiet as well.

 

I think Jaguar fits this Dunlop tire as one of the factory supplied tires.

 

BTW the Draco Rims doesn't seem to have a clear coat on top? I wonder if it was resprayed? It is not as shiny as other rims I see. Anyone else have a set of Dracos?

Anyway my question is does having a clear coat on top make it less prone to getting dirty easier? Or is it just looks and easier to remove dirt?
If it helps I might spray it with another layers of Rustoleum High Performance Clear Coat?

Any advice?

 

Great looking color and wheel combo!

 

Generally alloy wheels are painted ( usually silver) or polished and clear coated. Not usually both paint and clear coat unless the polished wheel also has painted accents.

 

Jagular has it right on. The wheels are painted a metallic silver with a base coat then clear coat paint process. There are wheel refinish services that can make wheels look like factory for a reasonable cost. You did not say how you got the Draco Wheels. If they are not painted, then the paint may have been removed and the aluminum wheel polished to give it an almost chrome like appearance. However if they are not then clear coated they will oxidize and tarnish without regular polishing. I am not sure I would take a can of spray clear coat and go at them. It sure a nice car I would recommend a wheel refinishing service for a factory finish or if there's no paint send them to a aluminum polishing service for a polish and clear coat.

 

Maybe I am expecting too much since I compared it to the Rims of a Ferrari and they looked the same finish. I think it does have clear coat on but it is very thin compared to others I see. Others seem to be baked in with a thicker coat of paint.
Anyway I will take them in for an opinion on the finish.

Thanks.

 

Shall I put in brake Caliper covers on these? Apparently supposed to reduce brake dusts on the rims?

 

The solution is new ceramic brake pads. Much less dust, better wear and superb braking compared to the OEM Semi-metallics. Covers do nothing. If you want paint them, usually red or yellow, for a accented look that is a better alternative. There are inexpensive kits available for painting brake calipers.

When I can get some ceramic pads for my XF-SC, it will cut down my washing the car by half.
Those wheels are outstanding. Check my album for pictures of some nice "XF" pedals I ordered from China and my shifter medallion. You might like that instead.

By the way, I'm working on my son's student Visa for Hong Kong today. Would you mind if I "Private Message" you.

 

Edobernig,

If you have any questions on student visas, i can help. I am in the field.

 

HI Edobernig, sure please send me your request. I will see how I can help.

Cheers,

 

I think I will get the EBC Redstuff and try this out. I really just want the low dust from these brakes since the dusts from the OEM ones are just unbearable. I have to wash the wheels every 2 driving sessions.