Hankook Ventus V12 Evo's installed today replacing OEM Dunlops. Purchased through Tire Rack. Will keep you all apprised on overall impressions. Decision was made on comparative reviews and price point.

 

There is a significantly longer break in period with those tires compared to most. I had these on my previous Porsche and handling was not as good compared to ps2's and the car would feel less stable (like you are driving on highway with grooves). However, the jag may perform fine with these tires- I'm interested to hear your impressions.

 

Appreciate your comments. After due Dilligence
On the subject these appeared based on overall reviews
And pricing to be the way to go especially for the conditions and climate in which I reside. Will keep you updated.

 

$850 including shipping.

 

I have them on my '08 XK and just recently put them on my '12 XJL at 3K miles to replace the nearly new Pirelli Zero Nero stock tires.

I'm rather happy with them on my XK and now fully satisfied with them on my XJL. The Pirellis were very noisy to the point of being unacceptable. The V12s were far quieter right out of the start and it took about 1000 miles to break-in the sidewalls so now the ride is just as good as on my XK. I could recommend these tires on either model. For wear I have about 13K miles on them on the XK and hardly any visible wear.

Albert

 

I recently replaced my Bridgestone Potenzas which still had 5-6 / 32 left on them with the V12 Evo because I was getting sick of water skiing with the Potenzas. I decided on the Hankooks because of the reviews, especially about wet traction. What a difference! As a daily driver doing 100 miles r/t I no longer shudder at a little rain.

While I did not think the Potenzas were particularly noisy, the V12s are very quiet. I noticed the difference as soon as I left the shop with them.

Even though I'm just your average (occasionally playful and aggressive) driver I do feel that the V12s are a tad "softer" than the Bridgestone.

I have 2K miles on them and am totally satisfied. Shopped locally and got the dealer to match the lowest price including road hazard warranty. I'm on 20s...gotta' have that.

Overall I think this is a very good tire. Obviously I can't comment on how well they wear yet but if I can get 20 - 25 K I'll be pleased. You certainly would have a challenge to beat the price. No doubt there are better tires for those who drive differently but for my driving style these tires are just fine.

What really sold me was the tread pattern. It is really smokin' just like these little monsters that we drive.

Best to all,

 

Thank you for your thoughts Tom!!!

 

Really nice tire. Have them on my XKR and feel the ride quality, level of street performance needed and wear rate are all good. Price comparison to Pirelli, Michelin is very nice benefit. I don't feel i'm giving up anything to "premium priced" tires for my street aggressive applications....

 

Now if I could get my car back from Jaguar Service I will have the tires installed !!!

 

Hankooks installed. Aesthetically very pleasing with a nice profile. Will comment on ride/handling, noise level and tread wear after breakin period of about 1K.

 

Chakka,

I agree 100%! I recently put them them on my XKR, but it's too soon to write a comprehensive review after only a few hundred miles. So far, they are quiet with a comfortable ride. Not driven in the wet yet. I, too, bought them based on the reviews.

Stuart

 

Good luck with them. You have a beautiful XK. Enjoy!!

 

Stuart how did you add the 2nd pic to your signature??

 

XKGuy,

You have to fool the system to see it as one picture. To do so, I imported both pics into a blank PowerPoint page and saved that page as a .jpg file to my desktop. I then uploaded that single .jpg file (with both pics) from my desktop into my signature. If you want to get fancy, you could add text to those pics on the PowerPoint page before you save it as a .jpg file. I used PowerPoint, but other programs might be able to do the same thing.

Stuart

 

I have the V12 EVO Ventus tires on my XK: very quiet, smooth riding, excellent handling! and they have a greta looking sidewall and tread. Very satisfied with them.

Gregory

 

V12 Evo's in the summer. 15,000 Km on them and seem to be wearing well. Smooth and quiet after they have warmed up. Hard as a rock when cold and definitely not for winter use.
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S in the winter. 10,000Km on them. Good in the rain.
Like them both in the right conditions.

 

I'm at 16,000 mi with my set. Growler05's absolutely accurate in regard to the warm-up period. These cold winter nights in Florida freak me out sometimes, because they definitely provide a decent amount of vibration through the steering wheel for the first few miles (~8-10 @ 40°F @ 65mp/h), but once they're warm they're pretty quiet and smooth. Not a lot of road noise either.

I'm surprised that they're wearing as quickly as they are, but that's to be expected with the compound--as is the lengthy warmup period. All-in-all however, I'd say these tires are worth every penny. Consider the price jump to the next brand/model, and these are a clear winner (in my book). I was planning to switch back to Pirelli after this set, but I'm pretty sure I'll be repurchasing these V12s.

Cheers!

e

 

Glad to hear this! I thought it was just me!

I'm not 100% sure what sort of tires I have, but I know that they are Hankook Ventus V12s. Not sure about the "Evo". They do vibrate quite a bit initially in cold weather (<45ºF or so), but after a couple miles of driving on the highway, they smooth out quite a bit and ride very smooth.

I'm not sure if they're the most grippy tires--I haven't had a chance to try them in dry weather above 60 degrees or so. However, at about 55 degrees, the pavement was dry and I took off at a very quick at some stop lights and there does seem to be a little bit of loss of traction at higher RPMs where the car starts yawing a bit, but it's very controllable.

 

I just got the V12s. I could swear the Pirelli's were quitter though.

 

I'm still in the break in period as such the jury is still out!!