I wonder if it is not due to your huge wheel size and thinnest tires on your XJR100 - I've got the dire-opposite x308 with smallest rims and tallest sidewall, the VDP with 225 60 R16. I think I've got Michelin Pilot's (don't honestly remember) and there is not enough tramline-feeling to even make me conscious of it (and I've experienced substantial-tramlining in a prior vehicle to know what it is like.)

 

So what are peoples opinions on these 2 different brands for the x308?

Toyo Proxes 4 Plus .
or
Kumho Platinum Ecsta LX

I want to go Japanese this time, enough of the Europeans.

Peter

 

Kumo's aren't "Japanese" they are a Korean based manufacture. Have had no luck with them. To me the difference between them and Toyo is night and day in terms of overall quality. My neighbor has had three Kumo's ecstas separate on his wife's car.

 

Tramlining happens when the tire and wheel are pulled in a certain direction by imperfections in the road.

What makes it better :

1) More toe-in, as the road wheel has to turn more before it pulls the car to one side.

2) More flexible side wall, as the tire can flex more with less torque on the road wheel. Obviously this is better with higher profile tires.

3) More flexible tread, as the tread deforms in response to road imperfections.

4) Stiffer suspension bushings etc, and no wear in balljoints, as there is less geometry change with lateral load from the tire.

A new tire has much more flexible tread. There is the well known phenomenon where new tires have worse steering feel than old, worn ones. This is exactly what reduces tramlining in new tires.

 

The Platinum is a touring tire not a performance tire. Kuhmo is one of the best current manufacturers of track tires in the world today. Never heard of any major issues with the brands reliability which leads me to believe that operator error resulted in 3 bad ones by a neighbor. I would look at the 4xII over the LX. Toyos aren't bad tires but they are horribly over priced for what you get.

 

Wasn't "operator error" my neighbor is a meticulous car guy. I've had two sets of kuhmos too on a Firebird we had and on a Lincoln LS I had, wouldn't buy them again. Didn't get near the mileage promised, rotated and balanced every 6k.

 

According to who, Kuhmo?

 

According to people who race. I have owned well over 20 sets o Kumhos in my life and bang for buck they are one of the best tires on the market. Never had one fail and only got one screw in a single tire. If you want long tread life, horribly expensive prices with crappy performance. Contis and Mich. are your ticket, for a performance tire that gets reasonable wear (no max performance tire provides a wear warranty BTW). I have zero experience with their touring tires (which it sounds like you put on your cars) and I have taken every set of touring tires off every car that came with them immediately upon purchasing as they are completely useless for putting on a car you intend to enjoy driving imho.

 

Please quit "speculating" what I put on my cars. Thanks.

 

I put on some Uniroyal TigerPaws. I almost didn't get them just because it seemed like an old person tire. I bought them anyway after doing about a weeks worth of research. I must say I was surprised. They are quite and handle better the the Michlins that were on there. The ride is smooth and if you've ever driven on the SoCal freeways you know that's saying something. Driving up and down the mountains they grip the road and handle well in rainy situations. Can't help you with snow driving. They've got about 7800 miles and still look new. I also like the tread pattern. Just my experience with these tires.

 

well a few opinionjs that differ here in regards to kumho vs toyo

Personally I'm after a touring type of tyre, I don't race my jag. I'm sick of the michellins and pirrellis at $2000 or whatever ridiculous price.
Something quiet that gripps and lasts

so do others have opinions on the kumhos and toyos or anything else for the x308.
One thing I know for sure is NEVER buy the FALKNER tyres.. I had them on my XJ6, what a disaster in every aspect... ride, noise etc.

I want to avoid such a mistake again.
so advice is appreciated
Peter

 

I never heard of the uniroyal tiger paw.... I see there available in Australia
so we have
uniroyal tigerpaw
toyo
kumho

any first habd experiences with these?
Peter

 

These threads always turn into the same thing, everyone has their own preference which are way better than everyone else's.

I suggest doing some actual research. Consumer Reports do testing, so does Tirerack. I can tell you that Michelin and Pirelli are pretty much always top or near the top when it comes to unbiased testing.

The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that Hankooks are awful.

 

Well I also know that test can be biased by name brand. Not saying these tires aren't good. I have used a a lot of different brands on my cars over the years. What I have found is generally speaking most of the brands are good. Depends what a few db's of sound is worth? Same with handling. Most people aren't racing around. So with that being said all brands have a tire or a run of tires that have issues. Firestone comes to mind. Hell I had a set of remington's on my Cougar that were awesome. I usually drive about 60K per year.

 

I have Continental DWS on one and the P-Zero's on the other. The P-Zeros are still the best - it's not the same tire as the original OE. They don;t last very long -- especially in the rear. The X308 is an old school design that does not like larger tires. Jaguar had a heck of a time getting them to work -- it was a problem when they wanted to do larger on the X300R. I forget what they did to make the X308 a little better -- it was a known problem when new. Same with the XK8

Jaguars don't like hard sidewalls -- Michelin tires are problematic.

The DWS are too soft -- I don't really like them ... but they are all season. The cars is not much fun with the all season tires

I have tried two sets of Kuhio's -- both on older MB's that we use in the fleet -- they have worked out well.

I actually liked the Firestone/ Bridgestone performance tire (made in Germany) -- I had them on a Porsche SUV and my Jaguar that now has the DWS's -- summer only.

 

There are so many variables of type of car, driving style, personal preference, application & goals (e.g. performance, long life, multi-season, etc) ... that many different makes and models of tires might work out.

I leveraged Tirerack's tests and buyer reviews quite a bit to help make my choices, and of course price and longevity is a major factor for me, but may not be for others where a $300-400 high performance and low mileage tire may be just fine.

Specific to my experience, I've used Kumho tires for many years on a several cars and they generally have worked out well, but I have experienced that they very often wore out well before their advertised treadwear. This was particularly true on the XJR6. I've had one Kumho fail somewhat catastrophically (not a blowout, but rapid deflation), but that is out of probably 20 tires.

I've had great luck all around with Michelin tires, wearing great and performing very well. I was convinced by Tirerack reviews and feedback from friends about Michelin, but for a long time I had avoided Michelin tires due to their higher cost. But they are starting to pay for themselves by outliving the Kumhos by a large mileage margin.

On the XJR6 the Kumhos were completely worn out by less than 20k miles, and the Michelins have 30k on them and look nearly new.

I also have Michelin Defenders on the Riviera, and they have about 40k miles on them and still look nearly new too and have performed well.

Unless I discover some unwanted surprise with the Michelins, I'm sold on them for all my cars going forward.


.

 

Larger rims/tires on the X300 are a problem. I put a set of first year XK8 wheels on my 1995 VDP .. I hated the OE wheels. The OE wheels are 16" -- the XK8's are 17's ... my dealer fooled around with the suspension to get it as best as they could. After the X300 was sold i used the rims XK8 rims for winter tires on my X308 XJR

 

Who speculated? I simply stated that max performance tires do not come with treadwear warranties. They do come with manufacturers treadwear numbers but that isn't the same but touring tires come with warranties and also last longer at the expense of handling, braking and roadholding. Those are simple facts that not everyone understands. If you want me to speculate. I would suspect that you like most Tr6 owners are using 50 year old designed rubber on your Triumph with your redlines. Now that would be speculating. LOL

 

"Sigh"

 

That "sounds" like your "assuming" I've used their touring tires (neither the Pontiac nor the LS had their touring tires on them) I'm pretty sure I asked nicely for you to not speculate on what tires I run on my cars and your response is to wise crack on my TR-6, nice.