.

 

Can't go wrong with michelin tires, a bit pricey but worth every penny. I had worn out dry rotted pilot sports on the front of my jag for a while and even being in rough shape they hold up pretty well.
Also I use michelin ltx m/s on my dodge ran 3500, they are amazing tires! I pull a 45 foot 3 car hauler to deliver finished cars and these tires are superb to haul with.

I've used sumitomo htr z-3 on mustangs and they are excellent, you can buy them from american muscle online. I dont know how they hold up in the long run, I always put them on clients cars with the wheel packages from AM but I have yet to hear a single complaint about them

On my jag I've got riken raptor on the rear and they are excellent, both cheap and a good grippy tire. I have no clue how many miles I will get out of them but so far i've done 9k and they look great. Almost no noise, but its hard to know exactly how good they are I have not had any other kind of tire on the rear.

 

I had to renew all tires last year as the old Pirelli P Zeroes were close to slicks I was a bit tight on cash so getting new 20" pirellis (285/30 rear, 255/35 front) was out of the question. I went with Nexen tires as per my mechanic's recommendation. Was a bit sceptic about them but when I got my car back I was positively surprised. Can't complain about their performance in any situation and they're a lot quieter too. They don't look bad either

 

My 97 XK8 came with Falken FK-452 255/35/R20 and they ride hard and jittery although I think that the 20" wheels are to blame. I am considering changing the Fondmetal 20's for some 18" wheels to improve the ride. I have been told that one has to reaally watch for even small potholes to avoid damaging the wheels, and Rocheter is the home of the potholes! Anyone want to swap wheels an tires?

 

Hi,

I appreciate the input. Since the Michelin Supersport is out, d/t being unavailable in my rear tire size, I've been peeking about.

Friend suggested (and reviews seem decent for Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position, which is a performance summer tire. It is on sale nicely now at Tire Rack. Not sure how it differs form Bridgetone's PotenzaRE050 Max Performance Summer which is more costly but maybe not better

Review for the Pole Position

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position

I'm also considering XK-R Sacrilege. While I do enjoy the twisties, and do some heavy straight accel, I doubt I'll be pushing her to the limit. I do like a relatively quiet ride. The All-Season Bridgestone Touranza Serenity Plus has very nice reviews for handling and for ride quality (yeah, the name perhaps is a bit indulgent).

Review of the Serenity Plus

Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus

To those who know (and who care to opine), if I switch gears from a ultra-summer-performance sort to a "mere" Grand Touring tire (albeit one with pretty nice performance ratings), what will this do to the handling of the car in practical terms, for one who won't be doing high-G turns routinely? Thanks

Regards

David

 

Like you my racing days are well behind me. I wanted this car to be a sleek, high speed, long distance, GT. My priorities were: Quiet, Long Lasting, and Price.

I bought a set of Falken Azenis PL-722 for the rear.

They have 15,000 miles on them and still have plenty left (looks like at least another 15K). To be honest, I don't do much high-G cornering, but I will spend extended periods at 90+ MPH. The tires are MUCH quieter than the worn winters they replaced and they just happened to be quite affordable. I'll get another set when the fronts wear out.

 

I replaced my Michelin's w/Continental ExtremeContacts and they are so much better than the Michelin's. At 1000 miles they are quieter than my Michelin's were at 35,000.

They are much stickier than the Michelins, as I can barely get the rears to break loose on a quick start.

And at almost $100 a tire cheaper, it was a no brainer to get them.

There are times when you pay less and get more and this is one of those times.

 

Randy,

I'm not surprised the new tires are noticieably quieter. All tires get noisier as they wear and the sidewall shoulders (nicely rounded when new) begin to square off. All those tread edges and sipes start to just bang into the tarmac instead of just rolling gently into contact. Some of the worst offenders are the recommended high-mpg tires for hybrids (although none of us "here" would know anything about that kind of car! - lol). Those tires can be damned near deafening when worn.

 

My wife has Bridgestone Turaza Serenity Plus on her Subaru and absolutely hates them. She gets better grip in the summer and winter, along with better wear with her cheaper Hankooks (not sure on the specific one)

I'm due for tires too, and based on what I've read I'm going with Hankook V12s. I've had Riken Raptors on and they are good, but its time for a change.

 

David,
What has been said is correct, if U ask 12 people you will get 12 answers. I' 'll tell you what a stereo guryu told me after coming in armed with months of research & spec's. He said throw them away, listen & pick what U like. Well I went to a local tire dealer that had been in tires for over 30 years. He said that he could get me a tire that will mat your car look low, lean & mean. They were Federal's. I love the look, the tread pattern and the way they make the car handle. I wouldn't have thought of them, but I love them & plan to buy them again. They won't break the kitty either. My wife fell in love with the Cat because of them. Good luck.
Mike Graham

 

First a little backround so to better understand.

2003 xk8 vert weekend summer driver. Last year I put a whopping 565 miles on the car and never drive it between the months of November and April. I need new tires not because of tread wear but because of dry rot which I expect to be the end of my new tires down the road.

So instead of breaking the bank on a tire that will see very little use I started looking into less expensive tires. I went to other forums BMW, Corvette, Cadillac, Mercedes etc. and read very good reviews by drivers of those cars on the Nexen N3000. The reviews give this tire very high marks for noise, tread ware and good marks for handling, especially for cruising.

So I had my tire guy order them in at $550 installed. Will get them this week and let you guys know.

 

Ordered a set from Tire Rack, just today. I got Sumitomo htr z-3's. 245/45/18 and 255/45/18.

Was planning on Continental DWS, but changed my mind at the 11th hour. Went from all-season to performance summer, at a bargin of a deal. Gonna use a Road Force balancer with a full tank and 200lbs on the driver seat for alignment/balance.

 

Got to agree with Jeff.Just replaced Continentals with Kumho Ecstra and found these tires to be excellent both in performance and value for money.

 

Hi Guys,

Figured a bit of followup was in order. Based on what was readily available and recommended by dealer (the Pilot Supersport does not fit my 2000 XKR 18" wheels) and somewhat in a rush, I settled for the Pilot Sport A/S+. First ride was with a friend in the pen collecting hobby, from NYC down to North Carolina via the scenic route including Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In brief, I am thrilled with the tires. Recognizing I have not had chance to compare other tires on my own car, the improvement from the possibly 6-7 year old, tread-half-worn Pirellis was amazing.

My only real complaint with the car since buying it last year, was the drone present on driving at speed. I'd figured this was the cost of a low-slung car. The noise is gone. The car is more quiet than my Honda now. The car is planted, handles well, makes appropriate noise on bumps/gravel and has improved overwhelmingly the luxury feel of the ride.

I'm content.

Figuring I will drive 2000-3500 miles/year at most, the tires should survive five years of use, when I'd likely replace them independent of wear.

All this is not to knock the Pirellis. The tires were old and moderately worn.

I've read some of the posts here about the Pilots losing material unevenly with time. I guess time will tell if my five year, 15,000 mile plan pans out or not.

I very much appreciate the input that was offered in this thread.

Here is the XKR on Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains, freshly shod in the Michelins, A 1300 mile round trip in which the tires actually grew more quiet during the journey. Not sure why that happened, but not complaining.



regards

david

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...hunking-82025/

The pic is great: from the car to the tires to the background. Looks like the above link is what you were referring to: a few people had some issues with these last year. Like you hinted, it's hard to believe at your mileage you would ever encounter this problem, but it could depend on how "fun" those miles are!

I know Michelin now came out with a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, which is a different rubber compound.

With our tires being staggered in size from front to back they only give you half the warranty so (without getting too obsessed) keep an eye on them. Jac

 

I had decided on Pirelli P-Zeroes, but ran into the tire sizes not available issue too. Ended up with Yokohoma YK580s and have been very happy with them so far. Just did a 300 mile round trip this weekend and they ran smooth and quiet. Nice traction, wet or dry.

 

I'm on my second set of Hankook Ventus V12's on my Jag, first set on my RX-8 and first set on my RAM 1500 4x4. I drive aggressively and the Hankooks are up to it! Smooth, quiet and grippy. P-Zeros get a flat spot and run bumpy until they warm up. I did however increase my rear tire size from 255 40, 19 to 275 35, 19 for more traction. Oh yes, and Hankooks have an excellent warranty!

 

Great pic, david i!

I'm glad that you're happy with your tires.

I'm running the Hankook Ventus V12, like rweber above this post. The price is excellent and the performance has been fantastic. I'm running them on 20" wheels and have a very plush ride plus great grip.

OK, now, everyone go drive! =)

 

I decided to go with the Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas based on lots of favorable reviews on grip, wet & dry conditions, low noise, awesome looks and competitive pricing. They also won the tire manufacturer of the year award 2013.