I read a few posts about tyre choices for the XJR but only a few folks gave inputs.

I have the factory spec Pirelli Assimetrics on the car but the rears need replaced soon.

I live in sunny California so I don't need to worry about snow capability, and I really don't drive the car hard so ultimate performance isn't paramount, but I am really sensitive to road noise from tyres.

I looked up the Pirellis on tire rack and they are 311 each.

I don't mind the cost and would go with Pirelli but they do have a problem first thing in the morning when the tires appear to be out of shape for the first few miles, then they are fine. I read about this in other forums and it's very repeatable for me.

I used to run Avons on previous cars (300ZX TT, BMW, Merc) and they tended to be the quietest, which suited me fine. Don't know if anyone has experience running an XJR on Avons ??

 

Hrm, not sure what would be best for road noise.

I was running Michelin PS2s on the Bimmer. They were pretty decently quiet, rode nicely, and handled great. One of the most expensive tires on the market, you're looking at about $340 from TireRack for them in XJR fitment (Beats the $369 for BMW fitment!).

Road noise has never been a major consideration for me, though. Living in the Bay Area & San Diego, I just try to find the best summer tire I can.

 

SARC,

I currently have the Continental ContiExtremeContactin a 255/40/18 on my '99 XJR and have been more than impressed with them. I had the Pirellis you are talking about before the Continentals and thought they were way too expensive and wore out quickly. When I had my ROUSH Edition Mustang, I had Goodyear, Kumho, and BFG.The Continental's I have now surpass them in terms of quality and price and treadwear. I got mine off e-bay from an awesome seller (don't remember the name but, give me a day and I can track it down). I got two of them with 9/32 for less than the price you would pay for one at the local store. I saw the Continentals on Tire Rack for something like $175 per. I would definitely consider them. I live in Monterey CA, and I think the tires are perfect for the sunny climate. They perform much better than thePirellis in the rain, or at least that is my opinion. Noise isn't that bad. Goodyear and BFG in my opinion are noisy after the first 5-7K on the tire.

 

I agree with Jagmarine - have had Pirelli (junk OEM, wore out 12K miles), Michelin Pilot Sport (great, but $$$), Yokohama (OK, but noisy, hard to balance). My 1999 XJR is now on second set of Conti Extreme Contacts - 38K on first set, 35K so far on 2nd set. The only downside to them is they do "flat spot" after being parked, but smooth out after a few miles. I liked the first set well enough on the XJR that I put a set on my wife's Audi A6 - she has 45K on those now, still look and work fine.
I have a set of Avons on my XJ6C - quiet, but very prone to hydroplaning, and not particularly grippy.

________

1999 XJR

 

Thanks a lot for the recommendations. The Contis are shown on TireRack for 179, which is great compared to the Pirellis (311)

I'm now down to the wear bars and it's been raining here this weekend, so I think it's time to order the tires

 

I didn't think to put in my $.02 about Contis.

The previous owner installed Continental ContiExtremeContact in 255/40/18 on my XJR. Personally, I think Contis are one of the most miserable tires out there. Just my opinion. They aren't terribly quiet, don't perform well, etc, etc. Sidewall is very thin so they ride pretty soft, but also don't give much response.

If you're looking for budget tires, the BFGoodrich g-Force Sports are a much better deal IMO. They are roughly the same price. I will say that they are not the quietest tire I've ridden on, but I don't think they were any worse than the CEC's I'm on now. Good roadfeel and grip. Personally, they are on my favorites if you're looking to keep costs down. The PS2s were definitely better in every way, though.

Edit, I just noticed Jagmarine said the BFGs get noisy after 5-7k miles. I sold my car within about 4k of putting them on it, but for those 4k I found them to be excellent tires.

 

pirelli pzero rosso - great summer tire for the XJR. No complaints in my experience.

 

i have the bfg G-force's on my 98 xjr and i would definetly reccomend, i don't mind road noise that much but i would say that they are not to terribly loud. Plus the tread pattern is pretty cool.