I posted this on the Suspension forum, but got no responses so far.

I need to replace my two rear Michelin Super Sport tires on my '05 X350 Super V8, and will probably get the same tires again. I am the second owner and don't know how many miles are on them. What can I expect so far as tread life is concerned? I am a retired guy, and don't drive the car hard. BTW, I have two Pirellis on the front which still have a good amount of tread life, and I will be putting them on the rear and the new tires on the front.

The mechanic, who I just started using, wants me to replace them with Toyo Proxes 4. He claims they will last longer because the Michelin is a softer tire.

What say you?

 

I just got a set of Sumitomo LSV tires from Merchant's Tires. They had a sale (buy 3, get 1 free). Total cost was about $650 or so.

 

Should put best tyres on rear

 

Are you running 255w40-19 tires? I have these on my 2006 XJR and an Audi A8. The Audi came with a set of Pirelli Verde Scorpions. They supposedly had 8-9K on them. I have put 14,000 more and they still look fine. I think they will go 40,000. They were 158.00 last time I looked.
The XJR came with Carrera brand tires. They have maybe 6-7,000 miles. May last 15,000 and cost a 100.00 per tire.
I am thinking about yanking off the Carrera's and putting Pirelli's on the XJR. Before I end up walking.
There are lots of good options. Many have gone to Pirelli P-7 tires and swear they ride, handle, and last with the best.

 

I have an 05 XJ8 VDP and I put the Michelin Super Sport tires on (all 4) just over a year ago (April 2014). This is the 235/50ZR18 size tire. I like them as they really improve hard cornering over the all season tires I had on previously. I have put 7k on them since purchase and they still look like new. As I live in the snow belt I also have a set of winter tires that are on the car from mid-Nov till mid-April.

 

I am running the Michelin 255-40-19 tires right now. The Pirellis are P-Zero.

 

Graham, TireRACK is a good place to research tires, and depending on how much you wish to spend, and what kind of tire you are looking for, they make some great recommendations. For a Grand Touring All Season, they compare them here...
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=GTAS

I can personally vouch for the General AltiMAX RT43. (rated 5th and $125.00 a tire, almost half the money, if not more of the top 3 and less than most in the top 15, and a 65,000 mile tire) I did place Sumitomo LSV's on my 04 XJ8 and wasn't real pleased with it's performance, especially in the wet.

 

I went to the Tire Rack website and the highest rated, and best price, was the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus which they sell 4 for $900.00.

The General Altimax didn't show up under my tire size.

 

Graham,

Have a look at the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S. I'm on my third set of Yokohama Advan S.4.s on our '93 and they're great tires, quiet, excellent ride, handling and steering response, excellent dry traction and very good wet, and long tread life. Unfortunately they've been discontinued, but the Advan Sport A/S is a current model and they're what the Bentley dealer that services my brother-in-law's Continental GT installed on his car, and they're great. I'll probably be putting them on our XJR when the current Pirellis wear out. In 255/40R19 they're currently on special at Tire Rack at $161.49 each, or $645.96 for a set of four, $585.96 after a mail-in rebate.

I also have General Altimaxes on our BMW and they're great tires too (and very good looking). The only General tire that TR lists in your size is the G-MAX AS-03 at $180.14 per tire or $720.56 for a set of four. They might be worth a close look also.

Cheers,

Don

 

Graham, the P7 is a good tire by all reports, and with 19" rims, sidewall real estate is at a premium. Getting a "fat cat" ride and quiet performance is sometimes traded off with ultra performance all seasons. And for 18" rims, the AltiMAX was a good choice, the General G-MAX was a too little harsh, albeit a good tire. The P7's are also a 70,000 mile tire.

 

I had the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus on my 08 XJL and they were fantastic! Very quiet and soft ride.

 

I just looked at my spare and it is the same Pirelli P Zero that is on the two front wheels right now. The existing Pirelli's still have 50% of tread life yet, and the spare looks in great shape. I am going to have my mechanic check the sidewalls to see if the tire is still good. If so, I will put in on the front and only have to buy one more P Zero from Tire Rack for just under $200.00, and put one of the Michelins in the trunk as my "new" spare. I will then have the two front Pirellis moved to the rear. If all goes well, I will have gone from thinking I needed 4 new tires to only one. Net savings of close to $1,000.00! Yay!

 

From previous reads Graham, the P-Zero's get good reviews. I have the Michelin's on my car and from time to time think they could be quieter:-)

 

I would never consider cycling an old spare onto the rotation pattern. Even though the spare tire is out of the elements and such it will never be equivalent to a new tire and I would venture a guess using a 10 year old tire is a safety concern. Have your mechanic check the date code when doing the sidewall inspection. And from what I recall, if your rotating in two new tires, they should be installed on the rear.

 

I had my mechanic check the spare and we have agreed that it will remain as the spare. I have ordered two Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season tires which are rated for 70K miles.These were the top rated on the Tire Rack survey. He will put them on the front and rotate the existing P7's to the rear. I was able to get the pair for $450.00 plus $40 installation and another $60 for alignment. I bought them from Tire Rack. The only down side is that they won't get here until July 7.

 

You will LOVE the P7's. I've had them on my 2001, and now my 2006 SV8. I'm not the only one that loves them. Everyone that rides in the 2006 says "this car is sooo quiet". They are right. I love michelin all seasons, but they do not like the X300 and X350's. They road like a brick and wore fast. My Xj-40 ran smooth with the michelin's, but not the newer platforms.
I also had the P7's thru this winter in Maine with no problems.

 

Thanks Don. While the original notice from Tire Rack was that the tires wouldn't arrive until July 7, they actually were delivered to my mechanic yesterday. I will be getting them mounted next Tuesday together with getting new brakes. I'm looking forward to seeing how the ride feels.

 

Discount Tire had a smoking deal on Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus for my 06 x350 fitted with 235 50 18's at $191 each minus $60 Pirelli rebate minus $100 Discount Tire buy 4 best rated tires rebate, minus $60 for use Discount Tire interest free for 9 months ( I like to use their money ) plus roadhazard - balance - mount - TPMS; plus tax. The only thing they didn't include was a Pirelli sticker for the fender. These P7's don't even compare to the Michelin Pilot's that were more like steel belted wagon wheels albeit 7 years old. Thanks for the tip.

 

Wow, that is the best price I have heard of so far. When I checked with the Discount Tire here a few weeks ago they were about $250 each with no rebates, plus they didn't did wheel alignments if I needed one.

 

Cooper zeon RS3A
Grippy in the dry and wet
Quiet and durable.
Performed well on the XJR

http://m.motortrend.com/features/consumer/1210_tire_test_cooper_tires_zeon_rs3/