My X type ( 2004 2.0 dieselestate) came with Pirelli P6000 tyres. Had puncturerecently so put two new ones on the front. Just had our first snow fallthis winter this morning and the car was all over the place - virtually no grip and the anti-lock brakes were doing overtime! I felt like I was driving on bald tyres. [:-]Anyone had a similar experience with these tyres?

regards

Ray

 

Take a look at this data: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ireModel=P6000

Note the N/A responses for snow and ice measures. This means you shouldn't have them on if you anticipate snow. They are not intended to perform in these conditions. How you mitigate that situation is up to you, however Bo is right, we do share the road.

On the positive side, this would be a good excuse to buy a second set of wheels!

 

Another issue may be the fact that you now have a set of tires on the front that are larger (not worn) than the ones on the back. The transfer case will see the rear tires slipping and the anti-lock brakes will see the rear tires as sliding.

Although counter intuitive, you may very well have better luck with one new tire on the front and one on the rear. In that case, the differentials will think you are going around a long, slow bend in the road and the spider gears will slowly rotate to compensate (as they are designed to do) but the front and rear differentials will turn at the same speed.

 

A couple of points I notice here:

P6000 tyres were/are standard fit on many X-Types here in the UK. We normally have at least one or two snow falls in the winter in southern England. I guess this is where Langdale is as we had snowfall here in the south today.

Langdale's X-type is a diesel so is FWD.

I must admit that my X-type diesel estate (Michelins on front Pirellis on back) is normally okay on snow, but today, the roads in my area were sheet ice with a covering of snow, and I think thats the reason my car too was "all over the place" as Langdale describes

Jim

 

Well spotted Jimbo....the fact that Langdales X is a diesel means FWD and NOT AWD I'm sure has a big part to play in this scenario.
The difference would be like night n day.
As for the Pirellis...being a high mileage driver doing approx 50k+ for over 17 years I've ran Pirellis for the last 10 of those and found them to be excellent in wet or dry conditions, although the P7's are better still.
Personally I still maintain that using these tyres, with good tread depth and sensible driving skills all will be well. We don't tend to get 2, 3 or even 4 feet of snow very often in the Uk these days and buying a dedicated set of " winter wheels / tyres " would seem prohibitively expensive.

Jim

 

Lol...Bo, I'm not suggesting anything, just giving my opinion as you have yours.

Pirellis with good tread depth and a skillful driver behind the wheel I can handle pretty much anything our winters throw at us, so I'm not gonna rush out and buy " winter tyres "
I deffo wouldn't call a taxi cos they dont run on snow tyres in the winter either and I'd much rather tust my skills tha theirs anyday.
Bottom line is, we don't live in a climate that gets snow for like 4 months of the year.

Anyhow, like anything else, oil, tyres, fuel grades, brake components etc etc its all a matter of personal taste / opinion.

Jim

 

so is that true if you replace one tire you must replace all 4? can i just get 2 new ones?

 

No Jvegas, a fallacy.
If you must replace it cos its worn then do it, if the others have good tread there's no need to replace them.
If you do go for 2 new most tyre dealerships / manufacturers recommend putting them on the rear of the vehicle
Having said that, If I look at one of my rear tyres and its been on for say 40k miles and is worn out, I tend to replace them in pairs. If on the other hand its fairly new and needs replaced due to sidewall damage or a sever irrepairable puncture, then yes, I 'd replace only that tyre.
But, at the end of the day, its whatever you feel comfortable with

Jim

 

Thanks guys for the replies

I live in southern UK near the coastand as one of the replies shows here, we only have occasional snow - yesterday was the first for over ten years!
I have driven for over forty years in the occasional snow and in a variety of cars over that period,( fwd, rwd, 4x4)but the Jaguar's transformation from sure-footed to down-right scarey wasthe great surprise.

Many of the respondants appear to live in parts of the US or much snowier climes you definately havevery different weather from us and a set of winter tyres are the norm. This is not the case in southern UK and the auto dealers never suggest this measure. We are all kitted out withall-weather tyres. Anyway you have all confirmed my suspicions - Pirelli P6000 do not like snow!!

Thanks

Ray

 

I suppose we should have asked you for a little more geographic info and historybefore making suggestions. Might be helpful to include that in the op in the future for issues like this.

At least we all seem to agree that it is the tires/tyres and not the X type at fault here.

I wouldn't get dedicated snows in your situation either, however running straight summer tires might not be the best bet either. In any event, at least you now know that in the future (another 10 years?)you may want to just stay home for safety's sake.

 

For what it's worth, the consistent recommendation I've seen from tire manufacturers and retailersis that new tires (and/or the two tires with the most tread) should always go on the rear axle.

Here's Michelin's explanation: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...09/032263.html.
And Tire Rack's explanation: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=52
And Popular Mechanic's explanation: http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...o/4243992.html
And GoodYear's explanation: http://www.goodyeartires.com/faqs/Care.html

Well you get the idea :-).Keep this in mind both when you buy new tires, and when you rotate your tires. The front and rears wear at different rates, so when you rotate your tires (every 5000 miles or so), make sure the tires with most tread go in the back.

 

The S-Type R that I just bought has Pirelli P-Zero's on it and at the moment in the UK we're experiencing a very cold spell (especially in the peaks
where I live) and today (after only 24hrs ownership) I was a little concerned by the handling at low speeds when I was driving into the local village but put it down to the road condition and the width of the tyres.

After a few minutes the car seemed to settle down and drove beautifully; I then blasted it down the bypass (freeway) and I do think it needs the wheels balancing but other than that it's fine.

I did manage to get it to throw it's tail out (naughty cat) later on but there was loads of feedback and it was controlled and more than manageable.

I'd say drive carefully in the cold as with a RWD car it's bound to be a litttle more twitchy than a FWD car and Perelli tyres are really designed for the summer,

 

one more Jvegas tire question (sorry if i am jacking this thread) if you get 2 new tires is it possible to road force balance both the new and old tires? or just the new ones?

 

Thanks for all the responses.

This is my first X type and frankly it caught me by surprise that a Jaguar could have such poor cold weather handling. These are manufacturer-fit I am told. How did Pirelli get to the top of Jaguar's selection list?

As you know I am in Southern UK and we don't see a lot of snow - what we have at present is exceptional. But I am wondering what to do to get through the rest of the winter. What better tyres would anyone recommend?

I know new tyres should go on the rear, so as I am fwd it means 4 brand new tyres ( plus wheels!!!!). £1000 is a major outlay for such a short period.

Anyone any good ideas - besides walking!!!

regards

Ray

 

Hi Langdale, personally speaking, I don't know of anyone in the Uk that has 2 sets of wheels with " summer " and"winter " tyres, but if you do need / want to replace them there may be a cheaper alternative.

I bought a second set of wheels / tyres for my car, but only because I needed 2 new tyres. I swear by Pirelli P7's and have run them for 10 years and 500,000 miles. However, my A6 came with Continentals so I thought I'd stick with them and needed 2 new as the fronts were worn....2 tyres = £300+
I looked on Ebay and saw a beutiful set of 17" rims ( brand new ) taken off an Audi TT c/w 4 brand new tyres ( Continentals ) the alloys retail at £450 each and the tyres at around £150 each.......total price £2400 new. These had travelled approx 30 miles from an Audi dealership to a tyre/ alloy specialist who swapped them for the guy.
I bought them off Ebay delivered to my front door for £435 total

If you decide to go down this route I'd highly recommend checking Ebay.

As for the brand of tyre and what "winter" tyre etc to go for? I'm sorry but I have absolutely no clue.
As an Area Sales manager that has travelled over 1 million miles in over 20+ years averaging 50k+ miles a year in ALL conditions I've only ever used Pirelli's with the odd Continental or Michelin maybe thrown in and I'm still here to tell the tale.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do and please keep us informed
All the best

Jim

 

Jim

Thanks - Brilliant advice. I have driven so many cars over the years, this Pirelli problem has come as a great surprise. I might run it back to the tyre supplier in the town and pick his brains. I did over 40k annuallyfor three years back in the 90'sand I found it quite draining. You have my best wishes!!

regards

Ray

 

Hey Langdale, I've done a search and found these... not sure if you have 16" or 17" rims ( prob 16" ) I'm guessing.
The tyres are Pirelli P6000 which wouldn't be a problem in my eyes, but I know you are unsure about them.
It will give you an idea of what is available anyway.
Having checked these tyres they retail at around the £70 - £80 mark

Jaguar-xtype-alloys-c/w-tyres

Jaguar-xtype-alloys-c/w-tyres-1

As you can see you could have a set for £400+ that includes the alloys and the tyres if you play your cards right

All the best

Jim

 

Doesn't matter if it is new and/or old. With Roadforce you are balancing the rim with the tire, not the tire with other tires.

Langdale - i have ContiExtreme Contact tires on my Saab 9-3. I will drive it in light snow. They handle terrific and have an aggressive tread. There is a tradeoff with a little more noise and vibration during the rest of the year, however I can drive in light snow with confidence. Heavy snow or ice I usually leave it at home.

Bottom line is that the Pirelli's in question are for summer use only - meaning no snow or ice. None. Not a flake.