I'm in the same decision situation.
It's down to the Bridgestone S-04 @ $1088 vs the Michelin Pilot SS @ $1500.
Is there really >$400 improvement in the MPSS over the Bridgestone S-04?

 

I wish I could be the one to tell you, but the only Mich Ive driven on were their PSS all seasons, and they were garbage.

I'd say if your budget does not flinch at small 200 and 300 frivolous purchases, then go for the gold. Reports say they stand out in almost every category as a great choice.

My mentality is slightly different, as I expect tire wear the way I drive. My normal practice on prior cars was to have a new set of RE-11s at the beginning of each year. By the time summer was over, I had ground them down considerably, and the compound was just starting to harden up (as all performance compounds will do)
When I opted for the S-04s, I knew I was getting solid grip and a compound that would hold up well to the 2 year mark (Again, I am hard on tires). The $400 savings lets me put a fresh set of 4 on every 2 years, and never have to compromise my handling due to the age of the compound itself.

Bridgestone has a winner in the S-04, but if I were a wine and champagne person rather than a beer and pool hall guy, I'd love to run a set of Michelins at least once! For now, m happy being second fastest around the corners on my Bridgestones, they too are a stunning tire...

 

Why not consider the RE760 Sport from BS instead of the S-04. Stats on tirerack look like it is a little better.

 

I am limited by a small town and only a Discount Tire location that I would "trust" to touch a Jag.

Combination of convenience and cost as well - sure I could drive 110miles to a city where there would be more options, but then loose an hour or more sitting waiting for installation.
Or I could let the dealer do it at 2x the cost (and not get the tires I "want")...

 

Yesterday I put a pair of Conti's DWS 285/30-20 on the rear of my XKR. I just came back from a 50 mile drive to make sure the balance was OK and to see how they handled. As I mentioned I got a flat in one of my Dunlop Sport OEM tires so I decided to replace them both. I still have the OEM Dunlops on the front which look like they will go for another 15-20K miles. So my assessment for my driving needs rate these tires as great. I was impressed as I 1st drove down the road on how smooth they were. On the open road 60-70 mph they handled better then the Dunlops and they were appreciably quieter and a smoother ride. If I didn't have to put a set of 4 tires on my other car I would put the Conti fronts on now but I'll wait another year. At this point there is no handling issues with the mixed tire sets. Now I realize these 2 different tires are designed for different handling requirements and that the Dunlops had 11K miles on them but for me and my driving style the Conti's now rank high on my tire list. Just my opinion.

 

agreed on all accounts.

 

Question: I just bought a 2010 XKR, with extremely low miles (8600 original miles). Tread is OK not great. Which I thought was odd, but maybe not so much. My question is: is the age of the tires (I assume they're original) a factor here?
Also: if I do replace, my priorities are comfort and low noise.

 

I'm loving the nitto INVO's I put on a few thousand miles ago. Can't find much in the sizes I need though. (22" wheels on mine)

 

Michelin Pilot Super Sport are by far the WORST TIRES I HAVE EVER OWNED! IN MY LIFE!!! Horrible traction; horrible ride; tremendously horrible quality. I had one of my four split, chunk and pretty much shred itself in less than 3,000 miles. They were so bad that pieces of the tread pattern were actually missing DOWN TO THE CORD, which itself was peeling off all the way around the tire. Michelin gave me 45% credit through Discount Tires so I stepped WAY UP to Hankook EVO2 Venti K12 or something like that, I forget exactly after a few evening beers. MUCH better tire, and slightly less $$$.
MPSS???? NEVER!!! Never again ANY Michelin tire, for as long as I live.

 

As I mentioned I had to purchase 2 rear tires after I got a flat on my OEM Dunlops. We all have different driver needs so mine were soft , smooth and quiet ride with fair to good performance. I went with the Conti's DWS and after 2500 miles I think I made the right choice for me. Unfortunately I still have the Dunlops in the front and I can tell the difference in them vs the Conti's. Last month I did a 450 mile round trip to visit friends and it was 90% Interstate driving at 80 mph speeds. I could feel and hear the difference of the tires and if I didn't have so much tread life left on the Dunlops I'd replace them with a pair of Conti's today. So I would suggest each list your needs and do the research and make your selection. All you need to please is yourself. Enjoy the ride.

 

I can't comment on how the tires handle on a Jag....as I just purchased a 2011 XKR. They have the high end Bridgestones on them now. They seem to run and handle well. I do however have a lot of experience on the Continental Extreme Contact tires on my BMW 535. I put them on after my mechanic recommended them. They are a terrific blend of performance, low noise, and long life. Would I run them on a track and race with them? Probably not. But I do know that they handle and drive better than I do.

 

When I bought my 07 in May it had a new set of Lexani Twenty tires on it. I've never heard of them before (Chinese), so I searched for them. It turns out they cost about $460 FOR ALL FOUR 19 inch TIRES!! I don't have anything to compare them to, but they seem ok for just street driving. But they're so cheap, if they don't fly apart and last for more than 10000 miles, I'll get my money's worth out of them.

govtslug

 

do right by your thoroughbred...get the pilot super sports. great performers. very quiet and most importantly...very round!!!


my history w/ bridgestones has always been bad. they have always been too damn loud and I have always questioned their roundness as they have always been difficult on my porsches.


good luck with your decision.


best,


pcb

 

Pilot Super Sports; Worst tires I have ever owned in my entire life. Michelin PAID ME to take them off. Not kidding. I got a 45% credit FROM Michelin so I could remove the PSS (should be 'POS') and get some really GOOD tires. The replacement Hankook EVO2 Venti K120s by FAR out-perform the POS Michelins, and for 80% the price.

 

good intel. I hate that you had the problems you did!

 

I'll be be getting the Continental DWS 06 tires this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. I currently have the SportMaxx tires with about 50% tread that came on my used XK... super noisy. I'm not looking for all out performance... just a quieter tire that will get us around in the NorthEast rain and snow.

 

A lot of people swear by the MPSS, Cee Jay swears at them...

I was planning to put 305 MPSS on my rears, but couldn't get them in time. I failed the last MOT because my P-Zeros were too worn, and needed new boots ASAP. So I now have 305 P-Zeros, which seem fine. But my interest is performance ahead of comfort or noise level - and wear rate, i.e. I'm not planning to fit track-day stickies for street use.

 

Specifically;
OK traction and control both off the line and in cornering, though nothing spectacular.
Once the temperature got below 50F (10C) they were very near worthless, especially entering a freeway on-ramp. Horrible, horrible loss of traction. The DSC kept coming on and off, making it nearly impossible to get up to speed in a decent time. I know they are not Winter (or AT) tires, but they got plain old DANGEROUS.
One of the three, front right, had large pieces of the tread actually come off the belts. The whole inside edge and most of the outside edge belt had separated from the sidewalls. (Had the car aligned before the new tires, and had it checked after I found the tires so bad; perfect alignment still). I hadn't caught the bad tire earlier because that side is against my garage wall, and also had all the tires topped off with nitrogen and the tech didn't say anything. There was less than THREE THOUSAND MILES on them. All the others still had decent tread. . *PSS

 

CJ, you had a terrible experience indeed! thank you for taking the time to detail your experience. I actually feel badly for my advocacy of the PSS.

 

It is a shame you had such a bad experience with your PSS's. I did a lot of research before buying mine and everyone seemed to rave about them.

We are just coming out of winter here so the temperature doesn't get much over 10C and I have been driving to work with the temperature hovering around or below zero on a set of PSS's that I bought 6 months ago and I have had no unexpected traction problems in my 07 XKR.

Of course I can still provoke a wheel spin but they are better than the Dunlop Sport Maxx's that were on the car before, especially in the wet, and they are much quieter too.

I got a nail in one of the Dunlops that turned out to be unrepairable and while I was sourcing the PSS's the tyre shop put a part worn cheap tyre on and that was lethal. Even though it had more tread than the remaining Dunlop it constantly span when I tried to pull away in the wet and I had to be careful during wide throttle gear changes as well because the rear end would twitch, even in the dry.