It's time to replace the Dunlops and I've been reading a lot of great things about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

Wondering if anyone here has tried them on their XK yet.

The Science Behind How Michelin Made Its Best Tire Even Better

 

Conti DWS get a lot of love on this forum. Pilots, not so much. I had them on my Super V8 and found them loud and less then impressive wet weather handling. There are far too many variables, road surfaces being primary. What works great in Washington State, may not be so good in the desert and so on.

Give this a read:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...estion-168382/

 

PSS 4S have just been released. I used the previous version (pilot super sports) on my AMG cars and they were excellent tires. Superb grip wet or dry, smooth and silent running and good tread wear considering the performance they offer. Nowhere near the grip fall off when temperatures dip into the 40's either. PSS 4S are supposed to be superior to the PSS in every way.

 

See what I mean?
"There are far too many variables, road surfaces being primary. What works great in Washington State, may not be so good in the desert and so on."

 

It all depends. What kind of driver you are , how old you are , weather , DD , cruiser and maybe some other factors. List down how you would use them and then see what the mfg. have to offer.

 

Michelins are garbage. That's all that needs be said. Total, Complete, Trash. I will never again in my life drive another vehicle with Michelins on it, not even a rental. I don't want to DIE.

 

What? Michelin Super Sports were easily the best tire money could buy. They were originally designed for the Ferrari 458. I had them on my 370Z and they stuck like glue in the dry and wet.

Sure, there are some lousy Michelins for sale. But every tire make has a lousy model.

I have to say that I really dislike the Pirellis on my 19s.

 

They didn't grip near as good as my worn out Pzeros, and the MPSS started throwing LARGE chunks of the tread at LESS than 3000 miles. I didn't even drive them hard! I even gave an HONEST review of them and it was denied as "Not meeting our needs at this time". THAT is how they got good reviews, removing BAD ones. Junk tires, junk company.

 

Tire Rack is a great resource for tire tests, so is Evo Magaine and even consumer reports. Road and track and Car and Driver also. Read those and form your own opinions.

 

I have used both Continental DWS an all season and the DW a summer only. Both were quiet and predicable, they handled well in wet and dry conditions. Both are highly rated by Tire Rack in their separate category's, especially when considering price.
On the other hand I have used the old Michelin PS2 tires and they were amazing, tacked like the car was on rails, quiet, car stuck like glue wet and dry, wonderful, but really, really expensive.
Regards,

 

My 2015 Stingray came with Michelin Super Sports. Fabulous tires for truly hard driving. Stick like glue, very sharp steering response. I wish I bought a set for my XKR. Unfortunately, I got the DWS tires and have not been happy with them. Quiet, smooth ride but, mushy handling when driven hard. I am really tempted to junk the new set and get the Michelins for the XKR.

 

Same feeling here. Bought a set last fall and was immediately disappointed. Didn't get much time on them before packing away for the winter. Was going to experiment with higher tire (than the door placard) pressures to see if something might be usable. Did you try any pressure adjustments?

 

That's what I'm wondering....

Is that extra performance improvement of the Michelins (grip, stopping distance, lap time, etc..) worth that huge premium over other competing tires?

For example, a set of Falken 453's are $800 less for a set of four than a set of Michelins PS4S on the XKR In our staggered 20 inch size. The Falkens have strong reviews and have the same or better speed ratings as the O E tires

Things that make you go....Hmmmm








I don't track the car or drive it in any competitive capacity. I just enjoy driving it

 

You also need to consider tire wear. With the staggered set up it seems rear wear is much higher then the fronts. That's where the cost factor comes in. I chose the conti's DWS as my driving style is cruising fun. For this application I find them great. Very enjoyable on a 4-5 hour drive on interstates or local roads. I have 10K miles on the rears and 5K miles on the fronts. They look new.

 

I'm on my second full set of Dunlops and can't say a bad word about them. Here in Ireland the weather is unpredictable , more wet days than good. The tyres are brilliant in the wet and same in the dry, no need to switch.

 

When looking at tires one should remember that 'all season' tires are a compromise tire, they don't perform as well as a dedicated 'summer tire' at the top end of the performance spectrum, and neither do they work as well as a dedicated 'winter or snow tire' in snow and ice conditions.
As most owners in the U.S. do not run their XK's through the winter, there is no reason to install 'all season' tires, IMHO we should be installing dedicated summer tires which will provide better wet and dry grip than an all season tire.
Once again, this is IMHO.
Regards,

 

I did not like the Michelin's either.. they were not that sticky on our dry roads.. in very hot weather it made it even worse..

 

well it seems I'm the only one that didn't chime in;-)
Id like to support Pirelli but my last set wore out so quickly...
FWIW, I too went from PS2s to Super Sports. I ran PS2s on both the xjr and the xkr. I had a very brief time (1 month) with the Bridgestone Poles but the noise and lack of grip drove me crazy. Similarily with the Continentals... a grip and driving response issue... had to keep correcting the wheel to keep on my drive line.
I'm using the Super Sports now, suits me just fine. The reviews on the PSS 4S are outstanding so I'll have a closer look after a few more miles.

 

Super Sports are only functional if the alignment and tire pressure is SPOT ON. Because of the mixture of compounds from the shoulder to the center, if the alignment isn't damn near perfect on the car and your pressure isn't ideal for the tire, you'll be using too much of the tire's wrong compounds.

No disrespect to anyone, but the facts simply show that no tire beat the Super Sport in grip and performance under controlled testing. I understand we all have opinions, but this is one of those instances where it's possible to have the wrong one. They have been benchmarked in dozens and dozens of tests and have won all of them. We aren't talking automotive preference here. It's effectively scientific proof.

 

"CONTROLLED TESTING" That means no turns, no bumps, no debris on the surface, perfect temperature, perfect humidity. Perfect Barometric Pressure. In other words, "LaLa Land" where nobody actually lives. Turn a corner and the "Mixtures of Compound" go out the window.
Yep, they win Benchmarks because they are tested in conditions that MAKE them win.
Under particular circumstances a 1964 VW beetle can whollop the snot out of a Porsche 918. Find those circumstances and you can PROVE a bug is better than a Porsche.
MPSS tires don't stick in anything but perfect conditions and they fly apart into thousands of pieces down to the cord in a very short amount of time. I had them, I know.