What type/brand of tires are you running on your XJR? I have a new (to me) 2000 XJR that will need tires. I am quite familiar with the Conti Extreme contacts as I ran them on my Audi A6 - a great tire in terms of performance but the tread life left a lot to be desired! Any and all information appreciated.

 

I run the Conti Extreme DW in the summer on my XJR and have Michelin Pilot Aplins for winter. Both great tires.

 

I also run Conti Extreme DWS year round on my XJR and they're great, including the tread life. Can't believe they have lasted this long given the wear problems I've had with previous tires, but I rotate them regularly and keep the front end aligned.

 

245 35 20 vredestein ultrac sessanta. best tires i have had in a long time

 

Over 140 views and only three messages? I expected better from this discerning crowd- unless those are the ONLY tires people are running!

 

Hankook Ventus V12s. Not my choice, they came with the car, but I've actually been really impressed. Quiet, wearing well, and stick like glue wet and dry. Not the sharpest turnin, but that suits the character of the car - if I'd wanted to totally ruin the secondary ride in search of knife edge handling I'd buy an M5.

Only downside is they're directionals and they tramline something rotten. Consensus on this forum seems to be these cars like asymmetrics.

There's a recent, and extensive, thread on tyres: do a search.

 

Michelin Pilot Sport - you pay premium money, but they last a lot longer than others. At least in my experience.

 

Looks like I'll be the first to ask:


HOW do you plan on driving the car?

 

I like the BF Goodrich KDW II tires, very aggressive tread pattern and grip like a cat with long claws. (I will admit a little noisy when worn down) but they look great on an XJR

 

I drive my xjr the way I would guess most of us do- especially with premium gas at $4.50 in Chicago. I'll admit to engaging the sport button on expressway entrance ramps from time to time knowing that I can, but all of my street driving is done patiently and carefully with the instant mileage reading right in front of me. Just because I can doesn't mean I do! My major issue is that the car is driven in all weather conditions- which in Chicago may occur within the same week. Also- did a search on tires in the 308 section of the forum- didn't produce anything interesting except a thread on balancing. Thanks to all- Dan

 

In that case, I think you can profit from my experience with these two tires:
but... DISCLAIMER...I have never driven these in the snow, only on very wet to very dry well maintained roads.

I would recommend the Falken 452s over the Ventus as for me they grip as well but are much quieter. I never got the tracking problem people talk about. The Falken 452s are, in my opinion the best bang for the buck. I got mine here 2 Falken FK452 Tires 255 40R18 255 40 18 40R R18 2554018 | eBay $376 for 2 including shipping.

These were very grippy when at the limit, and predictable. Again, for the price, I don't think you can beat them.

 

I wrote a huge article about this I posted a while back...

By far and away the Michelin pilot Super Sport. It is fab in the wet,
can get the power down in the dry brilliantly, and improves the
turn in sharpness and ride comfort. It couldn't be better in my opinion.

Plus, unlike other Z-rated sport tyres, they are warrantied for mileage
and are basically guaranteed to last 30k. Only $274 each for 24mo
roadside assistance and a brilliant 30 day exchange program. I cannot
recommend them enough! They really make the steering feel great.


The FK452, Waterdragon, also a good choice. My definite choice on the
cheaper end of the spectrum. They lasted 20k-22k on my XJ Sport 4.0.

Ian

 

I totally agree, if money is no object, the Mich super sport is a superior tire, but on a budget I went with the 452s.

 

From the day i got my XJR i drive it on Pirelli P Zero Rosso, i cant report something special only that they wear of very fast...
I only drive on dry conditions, and the P Zero's are very neutral ( also may a bit to soft ) under ambitious driving conditions, if you near to the limit you get understeer on the front... after that the handling in my opinion is very bad...
I would love to try semi slicks on my car

 

Are you folks with Penta wheels running the factory 255/40/18? There seems to be limited choice in that size over here in the UK, but there are loads more options with 245/40/18. A quick google shows a lot of people using that size with 18"x8 wheels which the Penta's are.

 

Why are we so attracted to super speed-rated tires when the likelihood of anyone exceeding 100 mph for more than a minute is, indeed, minute? I was just curious if someone is running lower speed-rated, less expensive and longer lasting rubber? - thanks- d

 

Because the higher speed ratings generally come with a stronger, stiffer casing....which is good for cornering and steering response even a legal speeds.


Yup!

A few years ago I downsized on my XJR, from 255/45x17 to 225/60x16. Not sure what's out there now but, at the time, I couldn't find a 17" low profile, speed-rated tire that gave anything resembling decent tread life. I rack up quite a few miles and replacing tires every 11 months was getting sorta old

I sacrificed some steering crispness but that's about all. I've pushed the car pretty hard and determined I'd have to drive like a madman to discover any loss of maximum cornering grip with the smaller tire.

I went with the BF Goodrich Advantge TA, V-speed rating. First set delivered 40k+ miles. Second set looks like it'll deliver the same.

A welcome bonus was elimination of the wicked tramlining that XJR/6s are notorious for.

Cheers
DD

 

We have 2001 XJ8 with Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Grand Touring All-Season 225/60ZR16 - purchased March 2011, use from April to October - 2 years now - about 12,000 miles - tires look and ride like new.

they are reasonable priced and have a great reviews on the internet (TireRack customer reviews or others). Smooth and quiet ride. scored 98% in relation to Michelins top rated tire. About 40% less pricey.

Tire Rack Road & Track test rated shows it was rated it about 2% lower than the Michelin Primacy MXV4 (which was the highest rated tire in the test).

Tirerack.com now has a promo deal -buy 4 kumko tires and get $50 mail-in rebate.

I compared your 18 inch to our 16 inch tire prices and your tires are almost 100% higher than our 16 inch tire prices ($185 versus $96).

Jim Lombardi

 

Jim, XJR (x308) stock wheels are 18in in diameter. The tires are much lower profile that minimizes sidewall flex, improving cornering and overall handling. The R18 tires are generally of softer compound and have higher performance at cost of quicker wear.

I'm running Pirelli P Zeros which are very soft compound and are renowned for quick wear. If and when time comes to replace tires, I'll definitely give Falkens a closer look.

 

Hi
The reason I brought up XJR to the XJ8 tire price difference is that some of the wear and maintenance items on the XJR are a lot more costly than they are on the XJ8 models (tires, brembo R brake components, etc).

Even the labor hours to remove intake manifold are more because of the supercharger components.

I am just trying to point out the costs associated with the XJR model.

Jim Lombardi