Best Ultra Performance Tires
 

I have a 2012 XJL Portfolio with the OME tires (Pirelli P Zero Nero all season) and thinking about changing to the Continental Extreme Contact DWS06.
I'm looking to get 4 new tires but would like to get some feedback from members of the Forum if you have had experiences with these tires.
Please share your thoughts. Thanks for your help.

It depends on the weather conditions when/where you drive.
The indisputable best ultra performance summer tyre (street and sometimes even track) is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, numerous comparo tests and masses of user feedback confirming this.
But they are not meant for very cold / snowy / icy conditions, for those conditions you need either a dedicated winter tyre or at least a good "all season" tyre.
The Conti EC DWS 06 gets rave reviews as an all season tyre, but even then there are better tyres for really cold / snowy / icy conditions.
Lots of Jag owners in colder climates have two sets of tyres (and often mounted on different wheels), one for summer and one for winter, while others are happy to run the Conti EC DWS all year round.
Disclaimer - I run ultra performance summer tyres all year round and always have as I have never seen snow or ice on the road in over 60 years where I live.

Thanks a bunch for the feedback.
I have had this vehicle for 4 yrs. and it's never been driven in the snow; and I've only been caught in the rain 3-4 times. Since I live in
Pennsylvania it's very likely at this time of the year we'll be dealing with snow--got 11 inches where I live about 2 wks. ago.
I have a truck for winter driving, and the Jag is not a daily driver.
My Pirelli's are a quiet ride at faster highway speeds and I was hoping to get about 30,000 miles but doesn't look like that will happen.
I once owned a '76 260Z car that had Pirell's and almost had an accident while driving in the snow; promised I would never own that type of tire again.
Several years ago I put Blizzack winter tires on my Lincoln for the winter months and got 3 yrs use out of them but since that time I've always gone with
all season tires.
So, hoping to get better mileage out of the new tire, that it's quiet, that it's decent in the rain in case I failed to pay attention to weather reports, and hope
the tire manufacturer offers a decent warranty.
What do you think? Thanks.

I have the all-season Conti DWS06 on my 2013 XJ 5.OSC, and prefer them to the OEM Dunlops. I considered the Michelins, but thought they weren't worth the substantial additional cost particularly since they have a lower treadwear rating.

Why do you need an Ultra High Performance Summer tire on a 2012 XJL in Pennsylvania? You're not going to track an XJL, and even if there's no snow on the ground the soft compound gets rock hard and loses traction as the temperature falls below 40 degrees, which compromises safety. I'll take a comfortable ride, quietness, treadwear, good handling, and all-weather usability over bragging rights. Buy the Conti DWS06.

Your car, your money, your choice.

Another vote for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Absolutely an awesome tire and a big improvement over the older Michelin Pilot Super Sport tire. Just had to change the rears as had a bad puncture @ 19k. Fronts are still going strong @ 20k with several thousand miles left and I don't pussy foot around. I run the larger size XJR sizes @ 38psi and the ride is super smooth for an x351 anything less is bouncy and mushy handling. Just MHO

I'm attaching an explanation of tires and manufacture compound markings as the Michelin makes at least 3 compounds of the Pilot Sport 4s. I deliberately chose the non marked compound over the BMW (*) tire or the Mercedes (MO) compounds as have tried both on other tires sets and don't like the Jags handling with those compounds. Hope you find this of interest.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are the best performance road-going tires you can buy. However, they are summer-only tires, they are not suitable for driving if temperature drops below 40F.

I have just been through a winter with 4S's on the rear of my daily driver '10 XKR. The ambient temperature on the way to work was often less than 40F and I didn't notice any particular drop off in performance.

You obviously have to treat frosty roads and black ice with respect but they coped fine otherwise.

I had Conti DSW06 on my Cadillac V-Series, after originally running both Nitto Invo's, and then Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I loved the Conti DWS06, for all around driving, it was a much better tire.

When I bought my current XJR, the dealer had just installed a new set of Pilot Super Sports on it and I can't stand them... can't wait to get back to the DWS06.

Interesting. Why don't you like the Michelins?

The MPSS just don't last that long in daily driving duty, and I think they ride more harshly than the Conti's.

Personal preference of course, everyone is going to have a different feel.

Having both Pilot Super Sports and Pilot Sport 4s, I can feel a vast difference in the the newer 4s tire rides a lot "softer" but handles better than the older super Sports. Granted the Super Sports were BMW compound and the new 4s are non manufacturer specific, the do feel different. The newer 4s are by far the best tires I have ever owned on any car.

Have had the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ on the car for 15,000 miles and for street use in the U.S. I see no reason for the PS4s on a luxury sport touring sedan.

UPDATE: Just want to say thanks to all who responded to my question concerning the best ultra performance tires. Made my decision yesterday and am staying
with the Pirelli tires even though I was leaning toward the Continentals. The main reason is that my local Sams store has a really good price on 4 new Pirelli tires.
I've done additional research on these two tires and there are many proc/cons on both tires. These Pirelli's came with the car, including the unused spare Pirelli tire
still in the trunk. If I can get 6 yrs out of this new set of Pirelli's, as I have with this current set, I will be satisfied. Again, thanks to all for providing your insights and
feedback.

Just had the 4 new Pirelli tires installed today. What a difference with these new tires. Boy, feels like my vehicle is not on the road and seems like I'm flying in the air. No
noise and seems like the car is moving effortlessly. The turns are quick; so far I like the decision I made. Will update after I get somewhere between 500-1000 miles.

Sorry to hear you are not having a positive experience with the Michelin tires.
My XJL is not a daily driver, and during the winter, it only sees the highway when no snow is predicted. I possibly could get caught in the rain but that will only happen
if it "sneaks" up on me. However, I did get caught in the rain on my OEM Pirelli tires a couple times and I felt safe so that is one of the reasons why I finally decided to just get a new set of the Pirellis that were on the vehicle when it was purchased.

I'll throw my two cents in...I found a good deal on a set of almost new Pirelli Pzero N1s, 255/35/20 front and 305/30/20 rear. I'm loving them so far. Not only do they look great and aggressive but the handling, traction, and stability is much improved...and surprisingly, the overall ride quality has improved. I was expecting a summer performance tire to make things a bit more harsh but quite the contrary. I can feel the road but its never harsh. For reference, I was running Bridgestone Potenza All Seasons before (came with the car from dealer) with tons of tread life left, so its not like I'm comparing old worn tires to new ones.

I am very happy, especially with the price. Maybe next year we'll see if the Michelins really are that much better.