I purchased a set of Nokian WRG2 tires today and so far I love them.

I know they are not a tire for high performance driving, but I don't plan on driving my car that way anyhow.

I've had a set of the WR's on my Wifes Avaitor for 2 years now and they have performed exceptionally well in all types of weather conditions so I gravitated to them for the Jag. (My wife actually complains that in snow they grip to well and she can't slide the car around)

The nice part is I can run them all year they are an all season radial that is rated for ice and snow too. (They have the snowflake on the mountain logo)

I have not seen a post regarding these tires on the XJ8 so I'll try to update this one as the weather conditions change in the Great Lakes Area.

 

pics pics pics!

 

im getting ready to pop 20s on my XJ8 this summer, for all the people that think 35 series tires are rubberbands, all you have to do is watch the road. Tire is 245/35Z/20. I went for the General Exclaim UHPs (best rating on tirerack for a summer tire highest UTQG, Speed Rating, etc)

If youre gonna go All-Season OE 225/60/16 I suggest the General Altimax HP at tirerack, (all-season) best durn tire ive rode since. I had the primacy mxv4s previously (michelins luxury performance tire) and I like these Generals a lot better (98V version at $87/tire).

Im sure many agree 'All Season Tires' are no dice. They don't accel in any one category. If you're serious about tires, get summer and winter tires seperately. You'll save money on tread life and will get the real deal.

Michelin = Gimmick
General = Continental
Nokian = Nordic Tires (guess they know winter)

that 98H Nokian tire is only available in H-rated softer sidewall versions, so at least they'll be quiet.

It appears they're about $150-180 per tire, that's pricey for the reviews.

I'd imagine for a 102V rated tire, youre gonna lose some gas mileage as well as it's a heavy tire! Goodluck

Nokian WR G2
420 A A 225/60R16 XL 102V

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

However I'm not really interested in having another set of tires and wheels around in a garage that's already full.

I went that way on my on another vehicle and it seems like I'm constantly moving and re-stacking tires to get at things behind them.

Based on two years of exceptional performance on my wifes Aviator, I decided on the WRG2's for the Jag. The dry handling, wet traction and performance in snow is more than adequate for the average driver in normal conditions. If it's a blizzard, I'll stay home because if the snow is that deep the car will turn into a plow anyhow. If there's a Monsoon or Hurricane is SE michigan, I'll stay home then also.

As far as the speed rating goes, I never plan to run 90 MPH sustained for any period of time. I've got a clean record and like it that way. I also don't need to corner like it's on rails. My 5 yr old daughter's sippy cups would likely go flying.

I guess if I were running rallies all the time and needed a performance tire for ragged edge driving, I would have chose a different tire.

FWIW my selection was based on the test Consumer Reports did a couple years back on snow/ice tires. They rated the Nokian WR 3rd and noted that it was the only true all season tire in the bunch.

I have not seen the reports lately but I'm sure this "compromise" tire is still tested with the big boy snows and performs well in that pack.

BTW 20's with such a low profile would stay round for about an hour here on the Detroit pot-holed roads. That is if the car didn't vanish first.

Ken