Yes this is about my new car, but again, I always appreciate the experience and knowledge here.
So like an idiot I didn't pay close attention to the tires, other than having it repeatedly pointed out to me that "we put new tires on the back."
It's got Michelin PS-4's up front. They've got some wear but I'd say they got another 5-10,000 miles in them.
And on the back... these Nexen N-5000's. And they feel hard and slippery. Hit the gas and the rear end slips out pretty easily. I'm not a fan.
Has anyone had any experience?
And do I swap them now, or drive easy until the fronts wear down and just get a while new set of four then? At which point I'd probably swap out for my favorite Conti Extreme Contact 06-- Though these cars came with P-zeros so maybe I'd give them a try. Thoughts?
Thanks as always!

 

The Conti's always seem to get a thumbs up on this forum. Yep, people like the Pirelli's too. As far as when to do it - the classic battle over spending $ now and sacrifice some tread wear or defer. I'm in the camp of happiness when I drive my XK so what you're experiencing with your ride would make me miserable so I would switch now and sell the two rears/ trash the fronts. I hope it works out brother.

 

Lol, similar situation, different cars! When I bought my 1998 Mercedes SL500 last year it came with a fresh set of Nexen N5000s. Never liked the feel of those so I bit the bullet and swapped them out for a new set of Continental DWS06+ which I’ve been very happy with.

 

You need to check the production date codes on your tires. Remaining tread depth is relevant only if your tires aren't too old. Rubber dries out over time, which causes tires to lose their grip.

When do I need new tires

 

I've had Nexen and Falken tyres on my XK8 in the past, although I have Bridgestones at the moment. I can't say that I've ever been particularly disappointed with any of these brands as I always drive within the limits of all the prevailing conditions: weather, road surface, traffic levels, tyres etc. If I were using the car on the track I would probably be disappointed but that is not a situation which applies. 😉

Richard

 

Start by saying I hate tire and oil threads, where you live and how you drive should dictate what type of tires you buy. In my opinion and I have lived in the northeast and currently live in the far south, when I had my DB9 and in the northeast, I had conti extreme contact AWS and they were incredible. When I moved to south Florida they were barely acceptable. I had Nexan on my Fiero with a v8 and they were great, all this to say that climate and driving habits should dictate the tire for you.

 

Agreed, I'm mostly wondering about the viability of mismatched tires. Never had that situation before, and they seem quite different. Also, honestly had never heard of Nexen. Wanted to know if anyone had experience.
And I gotta love anyone who had a V8 Fiero. Why isn't it on your vehicle list??

 

No first-hand experience of Nexen, but they are Korea's third most well known tyre manufacturer after Hankook and Kumho, been around since 1942 apparently, and going by magazine tests, they seem to be getting more competitive each time they bring out a new model. There are better tyres out there but Nexen don't fall into the "don't touch with a barge-pole" category. Hankook has gone from mid-quality, low price to turning in top results over the last 10 years or so. I get the feeling Nexen will overtake Kumho soon and close the gap on the leaders.

My XKR came on mixed tyres but the other way round and without the obvious "quality" or type difference front to back. The fronts were the usual Dunlop SpotMaxx XL J, while the rears were fitted with the newer Dunlop RT. Virtually new-like tread depth and not old at the time. The tyres felt different but without anything to directly compare with, I didn't know if it was the tyres or the car. The front felt direct but hard. It gripped well but didn't feel like it should, if you see what I mean - too little feedback/confidence. The rears felt grippier and a bit more compliant. Sure, you can spin the wheels if you are being clumsy, but the limits weren't low by any means. The car felt stable and safe but overall a bit aloof. I don't seem to use the car much so I had these tyres on the car for years and eventually got around to swapping them out this year due to age and wanting a change.

I seem to gravitate towards Goodyear these days but scouring the tests, it is really hard to get past the Michelin PS4S tyres. They are always top or quite close but as a result popular and expensive. Recently the Continental Sport Contact Sport 7 started getting brilliant reviews from respected magazines, was available as a matching set for the XKR with 20" wheels and they were a lot cheaper than the Michelins, which aren't available here in the 255/35-20 size and due an update anytime now. So, I gave the Contis a chance. Wow! These tyres produced by far the biggest difference I have ever experienced when swapping to new rubber. The car came to life, both front and rear working as one for the first time. Grip levels feel great with lots of feedback and suppleness while being really direct too. Blah, Blah, Blah ... what am I trying to say?

You seem to have answered your own question. You have higher expectation than you are getting from the tyres on your car. The absolute difference between decent tyres isn't so great in the dry but some just feel right. Also, as we have both noticed, mixed tyres can mess up the the overall feel of the car. The Nexen N-5000 are an al season tyre, right? I haven't seen any good reliable reviews of these and it is possible that these are not Nexen's better efforts. I would also guess that they don't make a good match with something like the Michelin PS4.

I now wish I had ditched the boring SprotMaxx tyres years ago but you don't know until you do So my suggestion would be to research the type of tyre you want/need and bite the bullet and get a new set. You will simply enjoy every trip more, even the slow ones!

 

I have had Nexen tires several times on both my X100 XKR and my X150 XKR 5.0L. While not the best handling tirre I've ever had, they ccertainly were not terrible like some of the Chinese brands, and they're certainly very reasonably priced. And compared to the Hankooks that I'd had they were much quieter and easier to live with.

 

Ill go for door number 3....both of our XK's have P7's. Price/performance seems to work out well.

 

The stingy Irish Catholic in me hates to waste new things, so I think I'm going to just live with what I got until the fronts need replacing and swap out all four at that time. I just won't push the car.

FYI, some thoughts on the car as compares to an XK (it's a 2013 E550 Cabriolet):
- clearly the XK is the better looking car. In LA especially, the E-class is a much more common, almost pedestrian-looking car. And as your basic middle-aged white dude, driving around down with an E550 I'm almost a cliche.
- price-wise, it's coming in around 8-10 thousand lower than an equivalent XKR (year and miles). Which made the difference, sad to say. And, honestly, if I could have held out a little longer I think prices on all these big luxury V-8 convertibles is gonna plummet and I'd probably be back in an XKR.
- the exhaust note is terrific. Didn't expect that. The guys at the dealership pointed out that's because you almost never come across an E550 (they sold a LOT more 350's, and the two cars are visually identical. I drove one, and it's not at all the same.), so you never would have heard one.
- I'm pleasantly surprised with the power. In 2012 they switched from their 5.5 V8 to a twin-turbo'd 4.7L V8. It's hella fast. Close to XKR fast. And almost no turbo lag. I don't know how long it'll last, but they really got this engine right.
- on that topic, the engine and transmission seem to "get along" a little better than in the XK, if that makes sense. I always had a bit of an issue with the kickdown on the XKR if it wasn't in sport mode. The shifts on this car are great.
- there is a LOT of glass on the sides of the car. Those two windows, without a C pillar, kind of require tint, which I've already had done. Downside: on my first day in traffic I was like "oh HELL no" as the sun blasted in. Upside: better visibility and smaller blind spot that the XKR vert when the top is up.
- other downside: definitely more body flex when going over bumps, etc. And a little bit of window rattle. Not a lot, but enough to be annoying. I think it's the weight of the car and those gigantic rear quarter panels.
- sound system is better. But then, so is the Meridian sound system on my XF. I'm just realizing that Bowers and Wilkins setup isn't all that great.
- hate the MBZ "COMAND" system (really, MBZ? you couldn't have added a second "M" for the North American market?) really sucks. Way too complicated. I'll never bitch about the user electronics in the XK again. And, surprisingly, the screen in the E550 is not a touch screen. In fact, you are sternly warned, in the Germanic way, NOT to touch the screen. I'm hearing Arnold's voice saying "Do not. Touch. The SCREEN."
- cooled seats in the XK kick *** on the "ventilated" seats in the E550.
Having said all that, while I'm still missing my XKR I'm liking this so far.

 

LMAO. That was all I needed to read. You are my new best friend.

Regards,

fellow stingy Irish Catholic

 

Atturo AZ850 is always the answer when you don't want to break the budget

 

What are earth on Nexen Tires and what are they doing on a 400+ hp car…. Unless you’re aiming for the star role in a youtube video, demonstrating your inability to handle a car.
I’m from the school, ‘you get what you pay for’.

 

My school taught me that sometimes you get what you pay for, ymmv
wj

 

Replace all 4 with the same tire and codes. I have had good luck with Conti, Bridgestone, and Pirelli. Michelin's are popular too. Lot of people are talking about the Goodyear Eagle F1's as being a solid tire with an extended temperature use range.