It's time for some new shoes. What tires does everyone recommend to try/stay away from? Looking for some quite, smooth reliable tires. Not really into taking turns that fast. Just a good cruising tire.

 

I have Toyo tires on my three cars, I am impressed with them. quiet. handle like a dream at any speed. I would recommend them jrb53

 

Our '93 is currently on its third set of Yokohamas. I think these are the ADVAN S.4., which has probably been replaced by a newer model. Very quiet, excellent dry and very good wet traction, great handling and steering response, long treadlife, great-looking with a molded-in rim protector ridge, and more affordable than Michelins, Pirellis, Continentals and Bridgestones. When the Pirellis on our '04 wear out, I'm going to replace them with the Yokohama ADVAN Sport A/S, which is what my brother-in-law's Bentley dealership installed on his Continental GT, and they're great.

I know you'll get differing opinions from others, but one thing I would recommend is that you not be tempted to install tires with a lower speed rating than Jaguar specifies to save a few dollars because you never drive fast. The Jaguar engineers designed the suspension based on the load ratings and sidewall characteristics of tires designed for high-performance luxury sedans. If you install tires designed for standard passenger cars (with a lower speed rating), you may sacrifice ride comfort, handling and control under normal everyday conditions, as well as stopping ability and handling under emergency conditions.

Cheers,

Don

 

I agree with Don that you will get different opinions, and it is only you who has to make a decision at the end...

I am in the same league as you, not seeking the limits for this car.
Presuming you run 225/60/16, I had very good experience with the 16" Michelin Primacy tires the car was fitted with when I bought her.
No spectacular look, but long life, very quiet, comfortable, and no surprises over the seasons.
I try to prevent the summer afternoon monsoon downpours here altogether, but had no problems with standing water on the road when caught by some.

This year I changed to 18" wheels, and had some problems getting the same family of tires due to the staggered rims, and the sometimes limited supply here.
I ended up with Toyo's (in my case the Toyo T1 Sport).

A bit to my surprise, and although much wider and a bit lower, they offer about the same as the Michelin's, at least for me on this car.
Reviews say they are slightly more noisy, but I can't really hear them below ~150 km/hr.
No info on life-time yet, but will surely consider them again once needed.

With your driving style on the XJ8, be surely open for (cheaper) alternatives such as the Yokohama's and Toyo's.

Final word, not all tires offer the rim protector (the rubber protrusion, slightly sticking out, to protect the rim against scrapping).
I definitively wanted this (for sidewall-look, and yes, that final protection of my new refurbished rims), and limited my choice a bit more.

 

What is the speed rating of the tires for these cars? The ones I was looking at were H speed and 98 load. Does that match what is recommended?

 

Hi larney,

According to page 6-6 of the 2000 Vehicle Care Manual, all the tires originally specified (Pirelli 4000, 6000 or P Zero, depending on wheel size) have a speed rating of Z, which represents a maximum speed rating in excess of 149 mph. That is similar to the older V rating, which is the minimum I would personally consider.

Tirerack doesn't list the P 4000 as currently available. The load rating for the current version of the P 6000 in the 235/50 17 size is 1,565 pounds, and the load rating for the P Zero in the 255/40 18 size is 1,709 pounds. I would personally look for tires with a load rating in that range, but load rating isn't the only important spec. Tires for dump trucks are designed with high load ratings, off-road traction and long treadlife, but with little concern for ride comfort, low noise, steering response, fuel economy or emergency handling. Tire design is an exercise in compromise, and the designers of tires for high-performance luxury sedans have to achieve the best balance of all those qualities.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now!

Cheers,

Don

 

I have Continentals DWS on my xjr. Been very happy with them

 

I also have Continentals DWS, and on another car. tire rack has an excellent ratings system for tires that shows the trade-offs between tires for noise, handling, wet traction, ...

 

I had a couple sets of BF Goodrich 'Advantage TA', 226/60x16, V-speed rating, 98 load rating. Quiet, great wet/dry traction, about 40k miles tread life average, only $100 each. Perfectly satisfactory tires in all respects, with no vices.

Cheers
DD

 

Tire designs constantly change and often, as in the case of 226/60x16 tires, there are dozens of choices. What the manufacturer originally used is often no longer available after a few years....so ** whatever ** you get will have different characteristics from what the manufacturer original compromised on.

IMHO, matching the speed rating really doesn't ensure that you'll be getting a tire that's satisfactory for a Jag sedan, or one that has driving characteristics similar to the originals, or one that suits the type of driving the car will be subject to. For some people, a lower speed rating might be perfectly satisfactory or even preferred. Drivers in a wet climate might find that XYZ-tire has superior wet traction and anti-hydroplaning capabilities. Such a tire would be the safer choice, even with a lower speed rating, than a Z-rated tire with only average wet road characteristics. Unless, of course, you plan on going 140mph in the rain

As far as cornering, braking, evasive actions, and such.....well....again, buying the higher speed rating really doesn't ensure superior safety or superior performance in all areas. Tread design and compound, for example, enter in. A well chosen H-rated tire might well be safer than an ill-chosen V-rated tire.

My experience, though, is that Jag sedans are amazingly forgiving. Most are driven gently. Any number of 'touring' or 'all season' tires would be perfectly OK for most drivers. We'd have to go out of our way, I reckon, to seek out a tire that was SO bad that is gave entirely unsatisfactory or unsafe results.


Ramble switch "off"

Cheers
DD

 

Very happy with the Michelin AS/3s I put on the xjr. They are quiet and seem to be wearing well. My car sees only business use yet these tires do everything I need them to do and seem well matched to the car.

 

I can recommend highly General AltiMAX RT43. TireRACK has some comparisons on it. I love them, even better than the Conti's and the Generals are V rated, carry a 97 load rating, and have excellent dry and especially wet road handling. It's a 65,000 mile tire. 45 day love `em or they buy them back guarantee. I know that my USA 04 XJ8 was originally equipped with Conti's H rated and ECM is limited to 121mph.

 

As the story goes, owners of the standard XJ8 model....who generally were not concerned with high performance characteristics of the tires.....were mightily disgruntled at the low tread life and high replacement cost of the original performance-oriented tires. Jaguar responded by simply fitting are more prosaic tire that would give longer tread life and lowering the speed limiter. Everybody happy

Cheers
DD

 

Running Cooper CS4 Touring. Quiet, smooth, great wet traction; still look new at two years and 20k. Had P6000s on my first 308. - lousy traction, bald at 10k, noisy, but soft ride. Replaced with Pilots: much better, but now much more expensive than they were in 03!

 

I went with Michelin Primacy shoes when I had to replace all 4 a couple months ago due to age/dry rot/cracking on the ones that were on the car when I bought her in September last.

No complaints: quiet, smooth, low road noise, and the few times I've driven in the rain, held on properly. Haven't gotten them to squeal taking some offramps at a spirited pace (Pace, Grace, and Space, right?).

Will probably go with the same on my new (to me) '13 XF before winter.

 

Hi, as i own a small fleet of taxi's in the south west of England,
i always go online to a site called ( tyrereviews).
All the information you need by, tests, peoples review by purchase, tyre size, vehicle, etc.
It really does hold a vast amount of information for you to scan, Shane