I have 19" OEM wheels on my '05 XJ8L with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (255/40ZR19). I need to change 2 tires - got 1 flat, and another with a bulge. Tires I am considering are
1) Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 255/40ZR19 96Y at $410 per tire
2) Pirelli P6 Four seasons 255/40R19 100V at $270 per tire, and maybe
3) Michelin Pilot A/S Plus 255/40ZR19 96Y at maybe $330 per tire

If I were to get the Pirellis, I could change all 4 as well. The tread on the two remaining Pilots is not the best - may only have a few months in them.

Anyone using the Pirelli P6s? Any ride comments? This is a V rated tire, hence the concern... They say this is a lower 'performance' rated tire; it's not like I drive at 100mph anyways! The V-rating is 149+mph; my highway speeds tend to be in the 70-75mph area, could maybe get up to 80 to pass. The other comment I heard is that Pirelli is a harder tire, but may be comparable to my existing Michelins because it is a lower rated tire. Any input will help...

 

How about forgetting all the brands that you mentioned above and instead, try out the Falken FK-452's?

I am currently running those tires which replaced my old Pirelli P-Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires and I can easily say that they are 99% as good when it comes to the limit and 100% better when you are cruising. The tires (FK-452's) are a lot quieter than the Pirelli tires and, in my opinion, ride a little better.

I have almost 10,000 miles on these tires and they look as if they are lasting a lot longer than my Pirelli's. I have been driving just as hard, if not harder, on these tires and they have already lasted twice as long as my Pirelli's.

Another plus worth mentioning is that the Falken FK-452's are a lot better in the wet than the Pirelli's. The Falkens are also a lot smoother when the car does let go and eventually grab again.

The best part? They are only about $180 a piece! If you look around, this price may increase or decrease by $20~ or so.

As I am running the FK-452's, I can easily recommend them and to anybody who is looking for a cheaper replacement tire than the Michelin/Pirelli/Goodyear tires that came on the car, I highly suggest that you look into the FK-452's. They are just as good in the dry and far better in the wet when compared to the Pirelli's I had.

Link: http://www.falkentire.com/Tires/FK-452-3

 

GOOD INFO PATRICK ! Michelin tires are a very good product but in my opinion there way over priced for the typical consumer (such as my self). Shop around for other brands that are just as good but half the price. FALKEN , TOYO , KUHMHO

 

I would say from those 3 choices that your #1 (and current selection) is by far the best. Those are some of the best tires on the market today. I had them special-order OEM on my 7 series and they were GREAT! I think we got 40k miles out of the set, NOTHING to complain about

Id stay away from all season tires if possible for a number of reasons: they ride more harshly then summer perfomance, they dont grip nearly as well, and they tend to be noisier....to me all around bad choice unless you desperately need to drive in snow, for which you would be better off with an SUV for those days.

For a value tire deal you cant be Kumhos, have had great luck with them and they are 50% or more off the price of the Michelins and give 85%+ the results.

Hope that helps!

 

I'm with Patrick on this.....you can do some very worthwhile research on tirerack.com....it would appear that you can get an equal or even better value tire for a lot less if you go with Kumho's, Yokohama s-drives, maybe General(!!) UHP's, ect. These are all very well reviewed by owners on tire rack's site. I'll be ready in about 2 months to replace the OEM P-zero assimetricos as well, and likely will go with a tire that will be quieter than the Pirellis. I can't see spending $400 for a tire that will be short-lived, noisy, ect., when there are so many options.

 

As others have mentioned TireRack has very good prices for tires. In your size Avon and Sumitomo are also very good tires, both for under $200 each.

 

I 2nd this opinion, these are the tires I will get when I need some. Get them for $165 here:

http://www.vulcantire.com/cgi-bin/ti...fad=Froogle720

 

I have the Pirelli P6 tires on my XJ8. Can't complain about the performance, but they are damn noisy tires! I can't seem to wear them out so I can justify replacing them!!

 

I have had good luck at Discount Tire. They have been very nice and will fix flats free and rotate tires free. Also if you buy a set of 4, most shops will give you $50-100 off.

Discount Tire

 

Don't buy Pirelli, they are usually noisy and have more lemons in their production runs than other brands. It's not worth the hassle to get replacement tires because of bulge...

As for my picks. I am a Bridgestone fan. Potenzas are a great tire. Toyos are also good for performance. They are the among the lightest tires available and that means more power!

Never tried Falkens, but Patrick's review is worth digging deeper on!

As for Michelin's, they are expensive :-( Actually, I find the Conti's that came on my VDP are pretty good all season tire. They are quiet, have decent grip and good tread mileage. They are certainly no performance tire like a Potenza S03 or Pilot Sport, but one has to make some trade off's between treadware, seasonal usage, and grip.

Let's us know what you end up with and how you like them!

 

Pirelli's are generally a noisy tire. Actually Bridgestones have more defect issues than any other major manufacturer for tires sold in the US but the numbers are still very small in relation to the total number of tires sold. Tire weight differences in passengerscars don't amount to a hill of beans in terms of performance. If you are really concerned about unsprung weight of your car, wheel weight is a much bigger issue. As a former race engineer for a F1 team, I can honestly say its the weight of wheels, rotors, and hubs make a bigger difference in a race car than the tires, and in a normal passenger car it's not even an issue.

 

Thanks, Patrick for suggesting Falken. Wasn't considering them until yesterday. Will talk to my tire guy tomorrow, and unless he has a reason for me not to, I am getting these! Only thing I have to decide is whether to get 2 or 4!

Unfortunately Tirerack does not have Falken; at least in the size in question, so I could not find any reviews. But I did manage to find some more reviews that second Patrick's sentiments.

Seems that's the way I'm going too, although not from Vulcan Tire - am planning on getting it from the local tire store; by the time I add road hazard and shipping and mounting and balancing, prices are comparable and the local store provides life-time rotation as well.

Unfortunately there is no discount tire in New York.

That settles it - no Pirellis! Thanks hlgeorge, wazari and mosesbotbol for helping me make that decision!

mosesbotbol, I think I will go with the Falkens, thanks to Patrick and kthrash. Will let you all know what I do!

Thanks for all the input. Without this I would have ended up with a noisy ride!!

 

Well I am glad that you have all taken the Falkens into consideration! Here's an interesting tidbit...it used to be almost impossible for me to get traction in first gear with the P-Zeros. Even if I rolled on or had the transmission kick down at 20-25mph, I would easily peel out. With the FK-452's, I am able to contain all 433ft lbs (flywheel) of torque if I am gentle on the launch.

If you do end up getting the FK-452's, ajv_xj8l, I hope that you will enjoy them as much as I do.

 

I'm not a Pirelli fan at all. But when i bought my 2YO 06 SuperV8 it came with 5 of them, P-zero Assymetrico's. Had these once before and couldn;t even get 20,000 miles on them. this time, as I approached 30,000 miles, they had become very noisy and the front tires had excesively worn on the inside of both. Tread weear was so abd overall that they might only have gone another 3-4,000 miles at best. The wear pattern indicated a toe-in problem to me and sure enough, at the 30,000 miles service, I had a four wheel alignment done. While not out of spec, the toe-in on both sides was near the negative angle limit. The toe-in was set to just above zero. Service advisor told me that's the rpefered setting. I bought one new P-zero for the front and rotated the spare to the front. Couldn;t see spending on four new ones rather than replacing one. The rears are in relatively in good shape with a bit more than half their tread left. I'll change to Michelin PS-2 (my preference) when the P-zeros are dead (maybe another 15,000 at most. Had Falken's on a car before. Good tires, but I like the Michelins better. Just me. And Patrick, you're so right about slippage when starting off. The traction control kicks in very often, especially when cold in the morning. Gets better after they warm up.

My take is don't go for Pirelli's and make sure and get the wheels aligned when you can to help your new tires last. Given what good tires cost it's worth it.

 

Quick update - ordered 4 Falken 452s; should be here within the week. Will update all after I have them installed. Thank you much for your input!

 

Looking forward to your review/ inpressions! After the family 2,500 mile driving trip later this month, I'll be in the market for new shoes.

 

Yes, the Falkens are now installed. Delayed posting so I could post after some testing. The tyres are indeed at least as quiet as the Michelins, if not quieter. Rain handling is also good, although I can't compare because I don't 'remember' how the Michelins handled -again seems it is at least as good as the Michelins if not better.

Thanks again, Patrick, for suggesting.
Thanks also to all who commented on Pirellis. In a conversation with a friend he seconded that my driving style - subdued - was not the best to take advantage of the Pirellis!

 

You're welcome. I'm glad you like them!

 

Patrick.....any more observation snow that you're a month or so into them?

 

I have had mine for about 6 months now. I think you are referring to "ajv_xj8l" instead...I would also like to hear his thoughts.

Mine are almost down to the wear marker...but that is expected when you partake in spirited driving regularly.