The Michelin pilot sport a/s 3 tires my car came with are already dry rotting and not even half the thread is gone yet. One tire is even losing air and about once a week I have to refill it with air. I contacted Michelin about this with no reply so I am very upset and my tire shop said this is a very common thing with Michelins which shocks me being as they're $1300 tires.

So i'm in the market for some new tires and really like the performance and look of the Michelins but they don't last long. I was looking at the General G-Max and Nitto Invo as replacements. Anyone have experience with these? With 19" wheels my selection is very limited and I want an aggressive thread pattern with great performance that won't break the bank. My tire shop is suggesting Continentals but I really don't like them. Searching online the only tires that will fit are Nitto, General, Falken, Continental, Yokahma, BFGoodrich, Goodyear and Michelin. So what is everyone running and what do you guys suggest?

 

There are at least two or three threads dealing with tires for our XKs. Suggest you type in replacement tires in the search box at the top of the xk/xkr forum. I myself am running Michelin PS 2's and I am very satisfied with them.

 

Running Hankook VENTUS V12 EVO2 on my 2007 XK that came with the car, and I'm quite happy with them. Should run you 800.00 or so. Also running Hankook UHP all seasons on my A8.

 

You should be glad to get rid of those horrendous tires. They don't grip very good in perfect conditions, but then get below 50 degrees F and they are like snowboards on the axles. Worst tires I've ever had on an XKR. Of course, ANY "All Season" tire will never work well for ANY season. I've heard that the Michelin Pilot Super Sports are great, but never used them myself.
I reviewed the A/S 3s on the Michelin Tire website and was contacted by Michelin; they offered half-off any full set of ANY Michelin tire. I may do that soon.

 

I am also running......Running Hankook VENTUS V12 EVO2....they are great tire and priced about $780 for the set of 4 here in New Mexico.

$16.00 each to remove, balance and remount the tires at Discount Tire.

 

I'm actually very happy with the performance and they already saved my life as some idiot wanted to play and thought his cheap little car could out perform mine and the entire car did what I needed it to do to avoid an accident. I read a few threads and all of them had reviews of when changing tires the complete feel of the car changed which I don't want.

I'm not very fond of those Japanese companies as I also have a lifted truck and for truck tires those companies make terrible tires.

I don't pay for mounting and all that as I have a friend that owns a tire shop but he can only give me a discount on tires that he is a regular dealer for but all of them aren't what I like. Nor do I wanna spend $1,000+. Tomorrow I might just call up Michelin or go to one of their shops and see if I can get a live person that can help.

 

The tire shop that sold you the Michelin's should be doing something for you...

 

I usually look on tire rack or direct tire or a few other tire sites to see what their charts say on tire performance. I think each of us look for specific needs in a tire so my opinion is different then others. For me I take into account what my driving requirements are and based on that make a tire selection. As a for instance I looked for a soft quiet riding tire that gave me good wet traction at normal road speeds (30-75 mph). I also would like to have something that would last mileage wise . I'm not concerned about the skidpad results nor will I track the car. Not having the autobahn here I have no interest in going over 100 . The downside of tires of this size (285/30-20) is that there are few choices so you need to sacrifice some of your needs. For my application I selected the Conti DWS and with just 150 miles on them they more then met my primary needs of soft and quiet. I'll have to see how well they wear.

 

I just installed Pirelli's after running the Hankook Ventus' for a bit. (I hit a pot hole and bubbled two of the Ventus).
I must say, the difference between the two tires is substantial. You have about an inch more rubber on each rear touching the ground. A more angled side wall (Less rubbing surprisingly)
It was a big enough difference that my lady even noticed and comment on how much smoother the car felt.

Picked up a set off TireRack for around 1k. The price difference is minimal but I must say, well worth it.

Regards,
D. Fricke

 

The tires I have on it now is what came with the car when I bought it in Febuary of this year. But I knew the dealer had it for a longtime and it mostly sat in a garage and from time to time the owner of the dealership would take it out. Could there maybe not be anything wrong with the tire model it's just because the car was sitting the dryrot formed? So far the fastest I went was 140 but then traffic started coming otherwise I would have went faster. I want a tire that can handle 200mph, look aggressive, gives a nice ride, and lasts long. All of this is the michelins I have now except for the longevity. I also live in NYC so it's potholes as far as the eye can see and need a thick rubber tire. Which the michelins also handle very well.

 

Michelin Pilots are great tires, I was tossing up them or the Pirelli's. I've had Michelins on my mustang and I remember think they were a little harder than the Eagle F1's I had on prior. Outside of that, they are a good all around tire.
The dry-rot may have started due to sitting for too long. I would be a little hesitant to top the car out with questionable tires. As they may start wearing a little faster.

 

^ What he said
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...es-xkr-131430/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...10-xkr-124101/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-175-a-143899/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...rategy-143785/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...rprise-143202/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-tires-142046/

Mich A/S will never touch my car again... If A/S is your need, then the Conti DWS is a very strong contender.
Pure summer fun says the Mich PSS or Bridgestone S-04. (For what its worth, the $100 difference between the Bridgestones and Hankooks (3rd highest rated tire vs 7th) requires very little thought. The S-04 is a stunning compound for the price.

 

Wow I feel silly guys. It isn't the A/S 3 but A/S plus that are on my car if that changes anyone's opinions.

 

Not much opinion change, tho the Pluses are a bit better than the 3s. All Season Tires are worthless for summer ORE winter. Summer tires for summer and winter tires for winter, IF you need winter tires.

 

Running a mix of Michelin SP's and P-Zero's .. and had the combination of both in the past few years.. both seemed fine for me..

 

I'm going to store the car in the winter time and only drive it from spring to fall but wet traction is definitely a factor. Are the Perellis worth the price? They're the most expensive and everything that is in their price range look like racing slicks while the perellis look like an everyday tire.

 

I've found Pirelli P-Zeros fine for UK temperatures, i.e. not often driven below 5˚C. They stick well in the wet and the dry. I'm going to go to Michelin PSS eventually, but not because I consider the Pirellis bad, just because so many people recommend MPSS and I'd like to give them a try.

 

ditto!

 

I just put a set of Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position on my XKR. I think they are awesome. Phenomenal grip, quiet ride. The Michelins SS tires are backordered about 3 months.

BTW, I saved the rear tires that were on the car. They are the Dunlop SP Maxx and only have about 4k miles on them. Lots of tread. The only reason I replaced them was because the fronts were worn and it was almost as cheap to put a new set of 4 Bridgestones as 2 front Dunlops. So, I'll take any reasonable offer for them, plus shipping.

 

If I would have know this a week ago I would have made you an offer. I had a flat in one of my rears which I had to replace but because I couldn't find a used one I replaced both rears.