For my 2007 XKR I need to replace the rear tires on my 20inch Sentas. What is the best valued tire from your experience. Again, I am not looking for the "best" tire I am looking for the "best value". Also keep in mind I live in DC and while it does get cold in the winter it is far from brutal.

1 million thank yous in advance.

 

I have Hankook V12's. I've had them on my Porsche and was very pleased with them(performance/wear rate/price to competitors). This car being heavier will more powerful, will probably not give them as much mileage as the Porsche.
They are my 09' XKR Portfolio(20" wheels). At $220 per tire(tire rack) they are appreciably less than Michelin, Continental and Pirelli. And having used Hankook's racing tire vs. the others I didn't see any appreciable difference.

 

Khumo and Toyo are good QPR brands. I have had good luck with NTB; they've beat out TireRack's prices year in and out.

 

Awesome recommendation. Got them mounted last night and they feel like a dream

 

Exactly the tire I'm seriously considering putting on next month so this sure is a timely question for me. Good to see some positive feedback on the tires.

Quaker13 - would appreciate your thoughts about the tires in a couple of weeks.

Thank you.

 

V12's certainly fit in the "bargain" bracket... I've heard lots of owners that like them. However folks that run higher end tires will certainly tell you that they don't do well at anything, but do "OK" at most things.

Personally I wont touch them, as tires are by far the most important safety feature you have on your car. It can be the deciding factor between life and death (yours, your passengers, or the child that just leaped in front of you from a parked minivan ). Overall I don't recommend cutting corners and going the "bargain" route on safety equipment.



Vince

 

Im glad to read your experience with the Hankook V12.

When I purchased my '08XK it came with the V12, installed by the most reputable Jaguar dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have 10K miles on them, hardly any wear, great ride and pretty darn good handling. I would install them again for sure.

As a matter of fact, I will have a set of V12s installed tomorrow to replace the nearly new Pirelli Zero Nero tires (2500 miles) on my new 2012 XJL. The Pirellis are noisy and feel rough. The V12 is known to provide excellent ride and noise control, as well as handling. If I can get as good a ride out of the V12s as I have been getting on the XK, I'll be a happy camper.

As reply to Vince about safety; I am fully confident with the tire. I have read through hundreds of reviews on TireRack and I did not read of a single catastrophic failure. There was a failure after the driver rubbed the sidewall against the curb. On top of that, I asked my racing sponsor to recommend a tire for my XJL and his son chimed-in that his absolute favorite was the Ventus V12 for his sport coupe Lexus. He could have any tire since they share the ownership of this Goodyear dealership. As to how good of a driver he is: presently one of the top racing driver in the West Coast, running and winning under many sanctioning bodies, including the American and the World Touring Car Championship races.

So, I think that should give the Ventus V12 some credibility.

Albert

 

I think Hankook's V12's are far from low end "bargain" tires. They are $220+ per tire. Not a "bargain" price like buying cheap tires from Sam's club. "Bargain" compared to Pirelli's at $400+, yes they are. I think something to keep in mind is that most of us don't track our cars and/or drive them at 10/10th's. Probably not even 7/10th's. A tire that does everything you ask it to do for 99% of the street driving done is what this tire does. It handles wet weather fine(no hydroplane issue), handles high speed fine, corners well & wears well.

How is it at that 1% edge? Not going there with a $100k street GT car like this one that isn't a track car to go 10/10ths with anyway like a GT3.

This tire is a great compromise of performance, everyday function and great wear characteristics. Lots of online comparisons and reviews substantiate that.
If you're in the 1% group than the $400+ tire is probably the better choice.

 

Let me add one more bit to his discussion.

I had my factory stock Pirelli Zero Nero tires with only 2500 miles on them replaced yesterday with the Ventus V12s. This, on my 2012 XJL, for the purpose of obtaining a smoother ride.

I have read most of TireRack's hundreds of reviews on this tire, as well as also have them on my XK. The reviews generally praised its good, quiet ride and handling. The one thing that a dozen, or so, reviewers mentioned was the softer sidewall of the V12 and how it produced a more spongy handling.

So, yesterday as my Pirellis came off the rims of my XJL I put them side by side with the V12 to compare carcass and sidewall rigidity. Well, not surprisingly the V12 had significantly stiffer carcass and sidewalls than the Jaguar factory original Pirellis. I said not surprisingly, because the Pirellis are "H" speed rated to "only" 130 MPH max speeds, while the V12 is "Y" rated for 186 MPH max speeds, which by DOT standards require a much sturdier construction.

I can not express comparison, yet, as far as the ride and handling goes, as I drove the car home rather carefully over my local winding roads, always assuming left-over mold-wax on any brand-new tire surfaces. One thing that my senses did detect that the V12 was considerably quieter over the same cracked pavements than the Pirellis. I also did not experience, nor expected, any softness with the turn-in reactions, as claimed by some TireRack posters.

I can honestly say that for me cost was not a factor. If I can afford the cars that I have, I can certainly afford a $350 difference in a SET of tires, which is what it would be between, say the Michelin or the PolePosition and the V12s at TireRack. For me, I was looking for an improved ride and noise for my XJL.

Albert