Here it is: how much does age matter on a tire?
(full disclosure, this is for my “replacement” car, the SL550) The factors:

- car is currently running P-zeros
- brought it in for a little vibration/alignment and they’re suggesting 4-tire replacement (to Conti Extreme Contacts because they know I run them on Jags.)
- BUT, there’s plenty of life left on the fronts. Rears are, admittedly, down to about 3mm so they need to be changed.
- tech said yes, there’s good tread left on the fronts but the date on the tires indicates theyre 5-6 years old. And time to replace em.

Does that make a difference? My
options are to replace the rears with new P-Zeros or swap out all four with the contis. To put the four new contis on is $400 more than the two P-Zero’s.

Thoughts?

Thanks as always…

 

Has the car been stood for more that a couple of months in the same spot?
Have the wheels been balanced?
Has the tracking been checked?

If the car has not been standing for long and the wheels have been balanced and the tracking is OK then It will not be the tyres. 5 or 6 years old is nothing .... other than for people who want to sell tyres.

Richard

 

As you mention Pirellis.

https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/.../tyre-dot-code

 

5-6 year old tires haven't necessarily aged out, although they're getting close. It depends on how they've been stored, exposure to the elements, etc. But since you have to replace the rears anyway, why not replace all four? You'll thank yourself and you'll notice a difference. Personally, I would go with the Continentals. They're great tires on an SL550 (it's what I recently put on my '11 SL550).

 

until last year the car had never left Los Angeles. Shipped it across and hit a MASSIVE pothole on the Van Wyck expressway. Another never-ending NYC construction project.

had vibration ever since and it’s a little squirrely as highway speeds.
apparently both the left front and left rear rims are bent. They’re going to be shipped out and straightened.

 

Yup, 5 years think hard about replacing them…by 6 years…no question…replace them.

 

Even slightly out-of-true rims will cause vibration.

Richard

 

My experience, cold Pirellis do vibrate until up to temperature.
I do hear you... coincidentally, I go through rear tires at about 1/2 the schedule of the fronts. (funny how that happens)
I suppose it boils down to how you use your car (Now that you're into an SL I'm not sure if I should be weighing in ;-)
Around town, you're fine. Pushing it in all the weather (P Zero's so that means wet only, not cold, no way).
There's a big difference between the P Zero's, the Extreme Contacts, Pilot Super Sports, Pilot Sport 4S... You may wish to see what suits you best.
Also, there are major differences between OEM spec's tires, even of the same brand.

 

well I have two cars (other is a jag!) so this car will never see snow or salt, but I’d love to take it out during those autumn days in the 40s.
I know they’re a lot different, but which tires do you prefer overall? Extreme Contacts or P-Zeros?
FYI I’m leaning toward the Contis.

 

As you asked for it... (Did you notice I edited my previous response??)

Pilot Super Sports are in a class of their own. But too slippery when its about 2C, especially in the wet.
I quite like the P Zeros. Though I seem to wear them out quicker... They would be a second choice for me. However at just above freezing they are slippery in the wet too.

Nothing wrong with Continentals... the commuters and wannabees like them ;-)

I suspect the OEM spec'd tire is the P Zero OEM... or SuperSports OEM... probably with stiffer sidewalls and two different compounds in the tread.... Wow, what a tire.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...andard%20Tires

I just noticed... Your XKR was stolen!!!! I'm so sorry to hear @pk4144 . (or am I having a seniors moment)
How do you like your sportbrake? I thought they nailed the design of that... now if it were only kitted out with 5.0 supercharged ;-) Like a Hot Wheels car.

 

Fix the two bent rims.
Balance the fronts.
Install new Pirellis in the rear.
Inspect suspension prior to alignment.
Keep your $ for there is a lot to go wrong, on the suspension

 

thanks! Appreciate the insight.

I LOVE the Sportbrake, almost as much as I loved my XKR. And I get a ton of comments along the lines of: “...what is this car, I love it! WOW - it’s a Jaguar???”
The AWD works great, it’s a beast in the snow. I’ve got the Jaguar all-weather mats in the front an the rear (love em) and I throw all kinds of crap back there - mulch, bricks, everything.
yes I would go NUTS for a Sportbrake with the SC 5.0.

 

FIRST: thanks, guys, for the feedback. This forum is the BEST.

So I think I'm gonna go with the contis. Here's why:

- there are few things more glorious than a sunny day in the 40's in New England in November. Stay out past dark, though, and that pavement cools off. I'd feel better with the Contis on the car for cool (and damp) days.
- mileage. I did a lot of reading, and the issue of tread life came up again and again with the P-Zeros. I'm never going to track the SL, so I don't need ultra high performance, and at this point (80K miles, 13 years old) something reliable and long-lasting sounds good.
- I had em on my XKR, for chrissakes. Of COURSE they're gonna be good enough for this car.
- and, yes, this relates to my original question. I think getting "fresher" tires is a good idea at this point.

So there you go. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again!

 

I put a new set of Michelin Pilot Sports on my ‘15 XKR. Very happy with them so far. Ride smooth, don’t pull, quiet, good steering feel, seem pretty gripy.

Check out reviews on Tire Rack.

 

I think you forgot to add another 15C to that number. MPSS pretty much suck butt anywhere below 60F or 16C. Abysmally bad. Kill you on a curve, bad. Plus they tend to fly apart in large chunks for no reason regardless of temperature. Horrible tires, not worth the change on my bed table $0.00). Never again in this life nor the next.
That Class Of Their Own is one that uses the short bus.

 

I chose Continental SportContact 7s for my recent re-boot. Not that I'm any kind of expert on these things... I did read this review before deciding though, and it gave me good feelings:

https://www.evo.co.uk/car-technology...re-test-review

Admittedly it has nothing to say about low temperature performance.

 

Uniroyal Rainsports work well at lower temps & are outstanding in the wet. Made by a division of Continental.

Don't know if they're supplied into the US though.

 

To add to my earlier post and to be more specific, here's another $0.02 worth. I put the Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus on my SL550. It doesn't see the track (so no need for a super sticky summer-only tire) or full winter driving but does encounter rain on occasion. They're a good fit if one wants an "ultra high performance all season" tire for confident 3-season driving. They ride quite well, quiet and are great in the wet.

 

Agreed all around. That's what I'm going with.

 

Continental/Generals are usually a very very good tire. They make, or made 28 tires for Toyo! Their design of a winter tire that is grooved like multiple VVVVVs, was adopted by many in the industry. Where as, Michelin used to give a harder rubber tire ( for mileage), with not much depth of tread. But when found out to be the worst to stop, they changed their ways.
Here in Canada we are getting Chinese tires with a Z speed ratings, being sold for half the price of comparable European manufactures. The tires are heavier but they can take the abuse. Tempting.