Two years ago I had new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S put on all four wheels. After only 10,000 miles of driving and two 4 wheel alignments Discount Tire has informed me they all need to be replaced.

The front two tires are very worn on the insides and the rears have worn evenly but down close to the tread bar. I got well over 30,000 miles on the same model of tire over the same roads on a Porsche Boxster so this is a surprise.

Is this what other sporting drivers are experiencing? Admittedly, I make heavy use of first gear acceleration from stops whenever I am in the front and I try to power through turns. Perhaps this is the result of driving a GT like a sports car?

If this is normal, I am going to consider less expensive tires such as Bridgestone.

 

I put a set of those tires new on the XKR in 2009 aftyer the original Pirellis wore out, they chunked tread and delaminated in quick order, making them very dangerous. Worst tires I ever had in 50 years of driving performance cars. I threw them in the trash with 5000 miles on them and used Sumitomo HTR+ summer only tires, they are higher performance and durable, lasting over 40,000 miles so far and are less than half the price.

 

I'm having the same issue with my Michelin Pilots 12,000 miles and they are toast. I don't have the uneven wear, "toe out?" but they are down to the wear bar on all 4. And we pay 50% more than you guys in the states.

 

Many of us have determined that if we run our rear tires higher than 29 to 30 psi, they wear excessively right down the center of the tread in short order. Once I dropped the rear pressures to 29 psi year-round, the tires wear evenly and normally....

Excessive inside wear on the front tires is the usual sign of a much-needed alignment....

I keep the front pressures at 32 to 33 psi year-round. At that pressure our front tires wear evenly and normally as well....

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires are indeed crap. My wife's XK8 came with these on the front axle when we purchased the car in February 2012. By October 2012 they were "chunking" (throwing off small pieces of rubber from the edges of the tread under normal use). Upon doing my research I discovered this was a known problem. I opened a case with Michelin, they offered me a 75% credit on both front tires, I accepted it, and went with the Yokohama YK580 tires on the front axle to match the tires I had already installed on the rear axle in April 2012. Those tires have been fantastic. Available only at Discount Tire / America's Tire....

 

There is no alignment adjustment for inside wear on the front tires. You have to have the tires flipped on the rims about every 5K miles to get good life out of the tires.

 

EZ, Aren't these tires unidirectional? Not sure what you meant. Even if they are not, I was taught that changing the rolling direction is like asking for wiggles and wobbles. Maybe that's an urban legend. Let me know what you think. Thanks, John

 

Its not good practice to flip steel radials from side to side. They take a rolling set and if reversed, the steel belts can begin to delaminate. It doesn't happen every time, but it is recognized as a potential problem.

 

Same problem. Same tires. Just changed mine at 9000 ml, and Im not an aggressive driver.

 

Just for starters I am no tire specialist.

I have always been told that michelins are a nice sticky tire, softer tread than a standard tire.

If that is true then I guess that would explain why they are wearing out so quickly?

 

My tire guy told me The tires installed on new cars are inferior and not the same quality as tires sold in the after market True or not ?, I did not take the chance.

 

Many (but not all) tire models installed on new vehicles are indeed inferior. It's a cost-cutting measure that has become quite popular across the industry during the past ten to fifteen years. Reason Number 947 why you should never buy a brand-new vehicle....

 

This weekend we drove down to the states and had a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS put on the Jag. (Saved $500 crossing the border to buy them) The first thing I notice was they are soooo quiet. First 500 miles and they are a pure joy. Haven't done any spirited driving yet but they feel Superior in every way to the Pilots

 

Keep us posted on how those Continental DWS tires hold up. They wound up in second place when I did my tire research back in late 2011/early 2012. The biggest concern I had was that their treadlife would not match what I thought I could get out of my winner, the Yokohama YK580 tires....

 

Will do Jon. I think I'm the only Canadian working today, tomorrow is Canada day and it seems that everyone has taken the day off. The good thing was I brought the jag to work today and there was zero traffic. I was able to run the jag up to extra legal speeds on my commute and wow. The road I take is frequented by overweight logging trucks and they leave depressions on the tarmac. The new tires were not effected in the least, flat, smooth, quiet. I beat my best time to the office by a full 5 minutes I like they way they look too, the curb deflector on the sidewall is a bonus. Not that I have ever curbed the car but there is a measure of protection, just in case. This is my Jaguar summer, lots of trips planned so I will get an idea of tread wear before the snow falls.

 

I replaced my Michelins Pilots a few months ago with Continentals Extreme Contact.

The Michelins had about 15k miles, and due to running too high tire pressures, the middle parts were completely worn, whereas the outsides were not even half-way worn. Had the previous owner kept the correct pressure, I believe the tires would have done 30k miles. The Michelins on the car was also 8 years old! The first thing I did when I got home with the new tires on the car was to check the tire pressures, and even fitted by the shop, it was too high.

I have done about 1 to 2k miles on the Continentals, and so far I am very pleased with the tires. Even with the top down, the car is now very quiet.

Now, my car is a XK8 and not a XKR, and I have the standard 17 inch Revolver wheels. Most of the time I drive relaxed, but once in a while I will drive spirited. I keep my tire pressure at 29psi front and rear.

My experiences in the past with Michelins have always been good. I have been taught by those with more wisdom that the sidewalls of Michelins are the weak spot of the tire.

I have been very impressed with the Continentals on my Jetta which have done 23k miles, and still looks very good, considering my driving style in that car. I have only had one car with Yokohama tires, and it was the best tires I have ever driven in the wet. Since I don't drive the XK8 in the rain, the Continentals just made sense to me.

Unless the quality of Michelins have gone down in the last 10 years, I would suspect something else is causing your low mileage - and it may be your driving style... Just my 2c...

 

As I learned from experience, the rear tires on my wife's XK8 must stay between 29 and 30 psi year-round. Anything above 30 psi causes the rear tires to wear prematurely down the center as JSC also experienced....

Our front tires do best at about 32 psi. No premature center wear, a comfortable ride, and zero hydroplaning even in the heaviest downpours....

Our XK8 stays at home whenever there is snow or ice on the roads so I cannot comment on how the tires handle in those driving conditions....

I still think these Yokohama YK580 tires are the best all-around bang-for-the-buck on the market. Time will continue to tell....

 

I've been running Continental DWS's on my XK8 for two years now. I think they are great: Quiet, soft riding, and high milage at a price lower than Z rated tires.

 

What I find kind of funny, well less so now because I just bought a set for my F-Type, is over in the F-Type section we are all mostly changing out our Pirelli P-Zeros for Michelin Pilots because we got about 10K miles out of the Pirellis. Go figure. Mine seem to be working OK for now.

 

I have been a huge Michelin fan for 20 years. Two Lexus LS sedans, 1 Porsche Boxster and now my Jag XKR. This is the first time I have been disappointed with tread life.

Great advice on rear tire pressure being 29. Mine have been higher as advised and the centers wore out much faster than outside.

While I am pondering other brands advocated here
what are the max tire sizes I can put on the car for the front and rear with my 18" double-five wheels?

fronts increase to 255?

rears increase to 265 or 275?

 

I work at Michelin and the tires on new cars are built will cost savings by bidding between suppliers. The pilots are in fact a performance tire for traction, safety, and stability with comfort and ride added. In other words, performance means softer compounds and less milage. It's a balance of what is ask for when designing a tire due to what the vehicle is capable of on the road in various conditions. Hope this helps with the confusion.