I have a 2004XJ8, the tire size is 235/50/18, I'm looking for tires with A or AA grading, long tread ware, and a quiet, smooth ride. I would appreciate any knowledge on the matter. Is tirerack.com the online place to buy tires for less? What is the manufacturers tire inflation for a 2004 XJ8? What does everyone feel about the ZE912 Falken Tire?
Treadware, Temperature, Tracktion, Speed rating, All season, All Season Performance, Ultra Performance. Handling, Grip, Noisey, Quiet, and Smooth rides. I am definitely overwhelmed.The real kicker for me is that I will not be able to feel confident about my purchase untill after I purchase, mount and expericence the tires. One more thing, should I get an alignment after I mount the tires. The old tires are not worn unevenly, can anybody do the alignment, Tire kingdom, Firestone, ect, or should I go back to the dealer, or a foreign car auto repair shop. All Responses welcomed.

Thanks,
Darryl

 

Greetings Darryl,

Sorry I can't give you any recommendations, as I believe your car is a 2004 XJ8? You may want to post that, and what size wheels you are running, so that you will get apples to apples comparisons. For X308 I'm leaning towards V rated Yokohamas right now, but can't report on the longetivity yet. I'm a believer that Michelins will give the best service life, but I am amazed at how quiet these Yokohamas are and the grip seems very good. I'll be sticking with them if the tread wear proves to be acceptable.

 

What about the stock Conti's? You should also think about who is going to mount your tires. Tire shops have deals on certain brands. Go to a Firestone, and it's Bridgestone, for instance.

Many tire shops will meet Tirerack's prices after mounting. A free alignment with slightly more expensive tires still makes it cheaper... Really have to add up the total project to decide what is the best deal.

Do not get Pirelli's is my only adive. A lot of people say Yoko's can be inconsistent in quality and you can end up with a lemon tires easier than Michelin per say...

 

I am a big fan of Bridgestone, I have them on 2 of my 5 vehicles. I would highly suggest the Potenza RE960AS Pole Position - they handle and ride great. They have AA traction and a 400 treadwear rating.

I also own a set of Michelins, they are a very good tire also. I see the Pilot Sport A/S has excellent ratings - I think these will be the next set on my Jag.

I have owned Yokohama's, and have one set on my RX-7 - they are good tires also.

I strongly recommend you steer clear or Pirelli's, I have had real bad experience with them. I'm not a big fan of toyo, continental, etc..

 

Thanks Everybody this is good info!
Darryl

 

I have a 2005 VDP. The continentals on the car were giving me the worst road noise I have ever experienced. Through the forum I learned how bad they are.

I shopped everywhere in the KC area and ended up putting on Dunlop All Season tires for $856 all in including road hazard.

Was the combination of cheapest and best price.

Sooo quiet right now I hope it continues.

Mark

P.S. i should have mentioned that are a discontinued tire and got the only 4 left in the area. This accounted for the discount.

 

I have zero recent experience with Dunlop tires. That's because they were so bad in the past. Hopefully Mark, today and tomorrow are different.

 

I hope so too!

I have Dunlops on my XK8 and they have been great so far. Round trips to Miami and 2-3 times a week commuting and at about 25,000 I have a lot tread and no road noise yet.
Were new on the car when I bought it in 2007.

 

I hope so too!

I have Dunlops on my XK8 and they have been great so far. Round trips to Miami and 2-3 times a week commuting and at about 25,000 I have a lot tread and no road noise yet.
Were new on the car when I bought it in 2007.

I think that I also saw a decent rating on them on the tirerack site?

 

Then that confirms my experience with them is no longer relevant. Dunlops used to be egg shaped long before 25K.

 

Don't get the Pirelli's either. I have the P6's on my 04 XJ8 and keep looking for that big truck riding next to me !!

 

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what tires are the best for my '05 VDP. After reading the reviews for most of them, I think I'll go with the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110. They're some of the least expensive tires out right now at less than $200 each but they have the best reviews I've read yet for any tire at any price. They're a Z rated tire with great reviews for handling and quiet ride. The stock Pirelli P-Zeros didn't last long at all. I have Pirelli P6's now and hate them. They're very loud and make me often wonder if my wheel bearings are grinding out. My tires are 255/40R19 and I want a wider look. I always thought that the treadwidth on every 255/40R19 tire was the same, hence the 255 treadwidth. My spare tire is a P-Zero and when next to my other tires which are P-6's is noticably wider even though they are the same size. They say the Ventus is the same way, wider at the tread. I also needed a tire with rim protection and the Hankook has that as I have been told. My wheels are factory 19" chrome customs and have an affection for the harsh curbs that stick out so far from drive throughs like Starbuck's and Taco Bell.

I just had an alignment yesterday. After going to many different shops( Firestone, Goodyear and a couple of specialty shops), I found that they were either not equipped with the right specialty tools or couldn't get the specs to do it right. I ended up taking it to the dealer who got me right in and made me feel like I made the right decision after it was done. The cost was about $192 for a four wheel alignment which to me is worth it verses a $85 front wheel alignment from a place that after giving the keys back to me would just say " Nice car.. I aint never worked on one of them before".

I'm also considering spacers to bring the wheels out closer to the edge of the
fenders.

 

I wouldn't do the spacers! You would be changing the suspension geometry and could cause you a lot of problems.

 

Correctomundo, spacers increase wheel bearing load and shorten service life.