I have the Hankook Ventus V12 tires on my XK: they are perfectly smooth - I mean perfectly smooth; proper balancing is the key. They do "flat spot" when left in cold weather, but, as has already been said, this is typical of many tires designed for warm weather (not "all weather") use. And the flat spots disappear quickly as the car is used. The Hankooks are quiet, smooth, have good traction, are affordable and as a bonus are fabulous-looking - that is why they are so popular for these cars. This discussion reminds me of another XK topic about electronic "issues" on these computer-laden cars- all of which can be traced to low battery voltage, and all of which can be cured so easily: either use the car very regularly OR fit a battery maintainer (the CTEKs are the best): problem solved. Yet the discussions go on and on and on...

 

Some people can't use a maintainer. I don't have a proper garage as I live in an apartment. And I'm not going to drive the XKR in salt and snow just to keep the battery charged, when it should stay charged on its own!

 

Michelin TRX's? If so, you should be able find for less than that.

 

In North Carolina we have to have a yearly inspection done. The quote was from the tire store that does the inspection. I had them look at the tires closes and they let them pass. It's good to hear that they can be had for less as I'm sure the time is coming soon.

 

$2000 for tires? On a 1984 car? What size wheel are these?

 

Interesting. Asked these guys the tire dates, and got back "3 tires are 0107, one is 0713". So, I guess there are a few low mileage XK's with original tires.

Jaguar XK XKR | eBay

Actually, it's a pretty nice car.

 

That is a beautiful color in that light!

 

So what would be your easy cure for 9 tires failing Road Force balancing performed by 3 different shops?

 

There 220/55 390 TRX. Tire rack does not even carry that size. I just did a quick search on E-bay and it's around $2000 for four. For those that have way to much time on their hands see Automotive History: Michelin’s TRX Tire–Reinventing The Radial Tire Didn’t Work Quite As Well As Inventing It
for the history of these bad boys...

 

Oy! Thanks for the info--I did not know such a thing existed!

 

GrayXK:

I am not sure what your problem was with the Hankook Ventus V12 EVO tires but it does seem isolated.

There are several websites with independent customer reviews who actually bought these tires that we are discussing. The overall reviews are "positive".

Hankook Ventus V12 Evo (K110) Tire Reviews (104 Reviews) 104 reviews to read

http://www.tirerack.com/survey/Surve...irePageLocQty= 914 reviews to read

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Hankook Ventus V12 EVO K110 High Performance Tire - 215/50R17 95Z

As with any automotive product, I am sure there will be end users that have both good and bad experiences.

If the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo was such a "crappy" tire, I am sure that top notch, big name tire dealers (10/10....Tire Rack...Discount Tire, etc.) would NOT sell this product if found to be consistently inferior.

Tire brand, tire size, tire performance, and tire wear is very subjective in reviews and to the end user and those that might favor one brand other another.

I have had no reported problems or failures of Hankook brand tires either on a road surface or a race track environment.

I would not hesitate to purchase these tires once again in the future.

If you really feel these are "crappy" tires, then avoid them personally as there are so many brands to choose from at so many different price points. I suggest to buy what meets your personal driving habits and requirements.

 

It's not that I "feel" they are crappy tires, it was independently measured and verified by 3 different shops. The results of which were sent directly to Hankook along with the tires.

I understand that it may have been in isolated incident but, the first set was sent back to Hankook and the replacements tested almost as bad as the first set. The left rear tested something like 30lbs on the Hunter machine and spec for the 08 535i is 16lbs. The other 8 ranged from 20-28lbs. Not good by any standard. Granted, the BMW has much stiffer suspension so I'm sure it wouldn't be as noticeable in the Jag.

But after dealing with such issues for nearly three months, and spending nearly $600 to prove the issue to Hankook, I think I have a perfectly valid reason for not recommending them.

A quick search for "Hankook Ventus V12 vibration issues" turns up lots of folks who have experienced the same issues.

Another thing I thought was interesting was that Discount Tire deleted my review as well. There was no foul language, no derogatory statements about Discount Tire, or other inflammatory language used at all. I simply stated the facts. It was published and subsequently removed about 2 days later.

 

How many miles have you put on the Hankooks? I've been told by Jaguar that inside front wear/feathering is unavoidable regardless of alignment settings. A directional tire with large tread blocks (Hankooks) would be more prone than an asymmetrical tire to show this wear. If your front tires are wearing evenly across this is encouraging. The rears on our cars always seem to wear evenly.

 

I agree with comments on the hankook ventus v12- i had them on my previous Porsche and they were not good. The car felt as if you were driving on a road with large grooves all the time. This was especially bad for the first 1000 mi

 

Road with large grooves all the time--that's how I'd describe driving my XKR with the same tires. I assumed it was because the tires are really wide. Or that I had a suspension/alignment problem. But you're saying it could just be the tires??

 

Yes, could be the tires. I had Michelin ps2's on my car and did not have that feeling at all until I switched to hankooks.i don't have that problem with my xkr-s (pirellis)

 

Yeah, that's what Discount tried to tell me too. I thought it felt like I was driving on under inflated tires - the sidewalls felt soft and mushy and very slow to respond compared to the Falken FK452's that were on it when I bought it.

I was completely flabbergasted that these received such great reviews all over the net and from reputable magazines etc.

When I finally gave up, took them off, and installed as set of Michelin Pilot A/S, the vibration issues vanished and the handling firmed right back to the way it was before. It was like driving a brand new car. The difference was that dramatic.

 

These discussions about the Hankooks remind me a lot about liver...you love it or you hate it with no middle ground.

I have 23,000 miles on my Hankooks. They are currently at 5/32 and 6/32 so replacement is soon as 4/32 is my limit, primarily for hydroplaning issues, and I will replace them with another set of Hankooks. 25,000 miles on these tires is pretty impressive for me.

I did not buy this set at Discount Tire but spent the forty bucks to have the wheels balanced as often as I wanted which I do every 5,000 miles or so. Discount Tire will be my dealer of choice.

For my driving, which is a fairly aggressive dd, I am quite happy with the tires. All four are wearing evenly across even though I keep the inflation 4 psi above the sticker and I do check the tire pressure weekly.

When I bought the car used, it came with Bridgestone Potenzas. Ugh. I'm sure there are many fine tires in the market but for me the combination of quiet, smooth (albeit the cold flat spots for a few miles), good handling for the average driver, durability, looks and price makes the tire work for me.

Best regards,

 

If you really want to firm up the suspension, try unplugging the fuse in the driver's footwell fuse box for the active suspension. It basically disables the CATS system and prevents it from softening the ride, providing much better steering feel and such.

I believe it is Fuse 14.

No warning lights or anything!

 

Thanks for the tip - might have to try that some day. I actually like the suspension on the Jag though. The BMW was a bit too stiff for a daily driver imho. It handled much better but I prefer the smoother ride - especially on longer drives.