I just added Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires to my 2012 XK convertible and it's like a whole new car. The handling is better, the ride is better, the car corners better, the car handles speed better, the car is quieter - I can't stress enough how much better the car is with these tires. I only have 2100 miles on the car since I mostly just drive it on weekends, but wow. The original Dunlops flat-spotted something awful and so I replaced them and now will never own any other tire (so long as the Pilot Sports are available in my size.) If you need new tires give the Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires a try.

 

I have them too and am impressed with all those performance areas.

Only drawback is that my rears are wearing *really* fast, and I have not smoked them. I've squealed a couple times. The fronts don't seem to be wearing as fast, which doesn't make sense given the extra weight.

 

Does your wife drive the car?

 

Scott, what size wheels are on your XK? Also, what tires are on your XJ?

You're not the first person who says that the Michelins are far superior to the Dunlops, so why do you think Jaguar chooses to put the Dunlops on their new cars?

 

Jaguar used to put Pirellis on the XK here until recently but I was told by a dealer that they had stopped making them in 20" size at the moment so they had changed to Dunlops. The shortage of Pirellis was causing a problem if you had a puncture and had to replace a tyre as you can't mix brands so you had to buy a pair.

 

My xk has new Dunlop OEM tires. I am aware that the wide tires are noiser than the standard tires on a Lincoln. Michelin tires have been standard for the last 10-20 years on Lincolns. Low noise, good handling, and smooth ride.

The Dunlop tires to flat spot .... gone in 10 miles

Comment on noise level.

Thanks 2007 Slate Grey XK .......... 32000 miles in like new condition

 

I learned a long time ago that Michelin was the best tire on the planet.

 

That's easy....Michelins ain't cheap.

 

That may explain the headache I wake up with sometimes...

 

Both are stock wheels. They don't make a Pilot Super Sport for the XJL or I'd have them on there too.

 

The Dunlops they put on new XKs cost a hell of a lot more than the Michelins do. They're basically twice the cost..

 

Stock wheels on the 2012 XK are 19". On the XJ, they're 20".

 

Same thing here. I only average 200 miles/month on my XKR. Everytime I get it on the Interstate I feel the flat spot -- takes 10-20 miles until I no longer notice it.

Thanks for the tip.

Mike

 

Stock wheels on the XJ are also 19"--20" on the XJ SC.

Personally, I like the OEM Dunlop Sport Maxx GT tires. I got 18,000 miles out of the rears and 22,000 miles out of the fronts on my XJ SC and replaced them with the same tires. They were not cheap.

 

My dealer put Pilots on my car after week 2 since the Dunlops were permanently flat spotted from sitting on a dealers lot for 7 mos without movement. Your words were like mine when I posted about it here a few months ago " it's like another car". The Michelin's were also so much quieter than the Dunlop's.

 

Dunlop M3's are great high performance snow tires, FWIW

 

I would imagine any tire would be better than one that has permanent flat spots.

 

My Dunlops are very quiet (maybe because they're still completely round...duh!), Tire Rack found them to be almost identical to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports and PS2's, and the 3rd quietest tire of 25!

Consumer Survey Results By Category

They also have very good ride quality and tread life, and are rated excellent or outstanding in every single catagory. I'll try the MPSS when I need a new tire, but remember that they "just" came to market, and Jaguar and other OEM's may be considering using them.

Other than some reported flat-spotting, they really are an exception tire, and a couple of days on the race track drove that fact home.

 

Thanks for the link. I see that the MPSS were rated #1 in every category. That's impressive.

 

Not quite the same as the Pilots, but I put on the A/S Michelins on my XKR. A great tire. I also have them on my Corvette and expect to get a lot of miles from them!