So, I bought my 1997 Xj6L back in October of 2009. It had a set of Suibitomo HTR T4 tires on it. The rear tires wore out in 5,000 miles (or so). I then replaced them with some Yokahama AVID T4, that already had 5,000 miles on them (I had them on my old Jag on Xj8 rims).

Well, nearly 8,000 (that's 13,000 total) miles later, those Yokahama are nearly gone on the rear of my car. The wear is completely even, and the tire pressure had always been on 30-32 psi. There is no play in the rear wheels, everything seems to be fine. I do drive a bit spiritedly, but a 60,000 mile tire lasting only 13,000 is just ridiculous.

Can anyone tell me what could possibly be wrong? Or suggest a tire that should last. I plan on getting tires from a store rather than ordering them from TireRack in case I have any warranty issues I want them to be rectified with ease.

 

Well first-off you are never, ever, going to get 60,000 miles out of any tire on any Jaguar (unless it's used as a hearse). People have seen 40,000, but I would think that is the absolute limit. However 13,000 seems a bit too low. You say there is no play at the rear wheels, and the tyre wear is all even, so it is a bit puzzling. Is the car on the correct wheels for the car, i.e. they are Jaguar fitment ? Are the tyres you are using sold on a "sporty, wheel-spin to wheel lock" type of use ? If so they probably have a much softer compound to give the grip, but not necessarily the wearability. Other thing is to check alignment and all the bushes in the suspension.

 

I had Yakahama tires on my Series 3. I thought they were great. Yes, they wore extremely fast, but not as fast as yours. Of course, I drive like an old man and they still went away quickly. The grip was great wet or dry, but you "pay" for it with the quicker wear. I'd buy them again in a heart beat.

 

I have had more tire expense and aggravation on my XJR than any car I've owned. I won't bore everyone with details but will add a couple reamrks...none very helpful, though.

1) I am not familiar with the specific tires in question BUT if they are V-rated or higher "high performance tires"....well...that might be part of the problem. Most of the "high performance tires" have substantially lower treadlife ratings than "touring" type tires. In a nutshell, these high performance tires are meant to grip, period. Tread life is not a primary design consideration

2) The rear tires wear on on my car much faster than the fronts. The alignment is well within spec. <shrug>


Cheers
DD

 

Yes, my car is running on the stock rims, and I would think the tires are rated perfectly fine for the car, the sales man suggested them for my Xj40 (which I had Xj8 rims on at the time) and I wouldn't think there to be so much of a difference b/t the two cars. The Suibitomo tires also seemed to wear quite quickly.

EVERYTHING should be fine with regards to tires and the car. I just cannot think of them lasting for such a short period. One interesting tidbit that I noticed earlier today while perusing TireRack was a review for my Yokahama tires by someone in Florida (like me) with a 2003 (or so) Kia that lasted 11,000 miles or so. So, I'm wondering if it's a Florida heat thing???

 

sumitommo's and Avon Ive used both, they wear quickly like 15k, to maybe 20k if your light on cornering and the gas. theyre a good perf tire for the money. but pretty much any performance tire wears quickly....But both of those tires are cheaper than Pirelli, michelins, conti's and dunlops

 

See, I find 15,000 miles to be too few on a set of tires costing so much.

 

As you are discovering, price and treadlife are not necessarily related.

The Yokohama Avid T4 has a treadlife rating of "420"....middle range. The Yokohama TRZ, on the other hand, has a treadlife rating of "700", which I think is the highest rating and is a less expensive tire, as I recall.

Some tires are particularly good in the rain, others have exceptional cornering traction, others are especially smooth and quiet....and others have exceptional treadlife. Most are a blend of compromises and, well, some compromises work out better than others :-)

I just bought a set of BF Goodrich Advantage T/As which have a treadlife rating of "560"...the highest I could find in a tire with a "V" speed rating. We'll see what happens.

Cheers
DD

 

I've got a friend in the Tire business, so I'll have to check with them, and have an extensive talk with the man at the counter. I'll certainty want to check with any warranty information.

 

I think you'll be lucky to get more than about 15-18000 miles (in my case 20-25,000 Kms) on a set of tyres on a car as heavy and powerful as the Jag. Even on Michelin Pilot tyres, which are well known for long tread-life, and driving conservatively, I barely got about that, and my current Yokohama AVS V550s are going to be about the same. Difference was that the Yokohamas were about 60% of the price of the Michelins - but have been every bit as good; probably a bit quieter ride, slightly less good in the wet - if you're in Florida though that won't worry you much, any more than it does me in Western Australia! My brother's XJ40 does about the same on Pirelli P4000s.

Bottom line is these cars seem heavy on tyres if you're used to driving lighter-weight machinery. I got about 40,000 Km/25000 miles easily on my Subaru Legacy's Bridgestone RE050s and they were softer compound than the Michelins or Yokohamas.

 

I have a set of Potenza's on my x300 that I put on when I bought the car. They are coming up on 20,000 miles and there still in pretty good shape. I'm located in Orlando, FL so I don't think it's the heat. However It wouldn't be surprising due to the steam you see coming off the ground when it rains lately.
________
Bmw 3 Series (E36) History