I have Michelin Pilot AS on my XK. Smooth and quiet.
had wind noise with antenna up and top down at highway speed. Pulling a fuse fixed that.

 

the answer is a 100% emphatic NO - but this is the wrong place to ask in large part. Tire Snobbery was a great title - it abounds here along with all the accompanying doom & gloom "will never work you'll be killed" rhetoric. Absolutely there exist perfectly good & safe tires in a more modest price range.

 

My grandfather, a car guy, gave me great advice when I was younger and just bought my first car, an old used car. He said "Congrats Jeff. Always remember, never skimp or go cheap on brakes and tires. Bad brakes or tires can kill you." I never regretted his advice. Good luck.

 

I own a couple fully deprecated "exotic" cars. Both came on fantastic Michelin pilots. When they wore out, the approach to replacement was very different. The Audi gets pushed and wears Continentals worth a significant percentage of the cars value. They are noisy but grippy. The jaguar is a loafer and a set of Westlake tires came up so cheap I couldn't resist. They have been exceptionally good. I've always favored top tier brands and best available models but those top manufacturers have backslid and some of the Chinese brands have become quite good. I'd buy Westlake again

 

I own a significantly performance enhance 2001 XKR convertible. I run Vredestein Sessanta high performance tires on 20” rims and I am extremely satisfied!!

 

I have on my XK8 the G-Max AS 05 they are Z rated and were affordable more so than the Continental brand. As the car is hardly driven I have changed them at the 6 year point with plenty of wear remaining.

 

I buy the tyres recommended by the tyre shop, I know the manager there, and he knows I want the best performance for the money. That means the tyres are nowadays usually Chinese. Then I go out and find the limits, and then I drive accordingly.
I am through paying three times the prices to get a brand name.

I have Windforce on my Rover P5, quiet and comfortable, I have Windforce on my MGF, and I do 4 wheel drifts in corners in that, I have Champiro on my SEC and Roadking on the front of the SR.
All these tyres have performed with excellence, and are way cheaper than Pirelli or Michelin.
They are certainly not way inferior! But then again, I always allow myself the biggest luxury that comes for free.
A proper following distance.

 

I've thrown Achilles on my xf supercharged. I currently have the F type staggered wheels. And ran those just to get by. It was like $70 a piece for the rear. For or a 275-35-20-tire size. Does great in dry weather with good grip, but when wet you can break loose alot easier than with the Pirelli I'm currently running. Hope this helps.

 

I'm running the Korean made Nexan AH8. I'm on my second set. NO issues.

 

And that's exactly how I got painted into a corner having to buy Sumitomo, 80K, 18", all-season tires to pass annual inspection. Those were all the shop had in the 18" and the LF Michelin tire was showing steel belt. I blame myself for this SNAFU. The tires are somewhat noisy, have fair grip on dry roads, lousy grip on wet roads and no grip on snowy roads. That was about 6 years back or about 36K miles. (retired, covid and nowhere to go)

Has anyone tried Vredstein Quattrac Pros? A consideration on my part. . Thanks.

 

I bought my XJ8L used and they had low profile Winrush tires/tyres on them. I like them but I was actually thinking a more mainstream brand when I need to replace them.

 

I put a set of KUMHO ECSTA PA51 on my 5.0 XK. They’re excellent tires. Excellent grip in dry, great in wet, good in snow. I haven’t even died once while driving with them. Easily comparable to Continentals I’ve used in the past.

Look up some head to head comparisons. I’m not pretending they’re better than the Pilot Sport, but they are a good tire and aren’t $1,000+ a set. The KUMHO PA51 a very good mid range tire.

 

I purchased Landsail tires for my’09 XK coupe.

they ride better than any tires I ever had; smooth ride and a 50k warranty! Best of all, the four tires cost me under $500, balanced and installed.

 

When I got a puncture in the XKR that I owned (before getting F Type), I went with the Falken Tires and they were excellent. I even went with the V rating instead of the Z as I felt that I was unlikely ever to drive at 149 mph (the XKR was rev limited anyways to 155 mph). I recently got a puncture in the F Type, I stayed with the P Zeros and they were really expensive in comparison. On my E Type, I recently changed to the Vredsteins.....again quite a bit less money than the Pirelli.

 

Goodyear Pilot 4S - 20" Kalimnos - Running good for the past 6 month they have been on....

 

I installed Hankook too last year. They have been excellent. Totally eliminated the old tires’ tendency to track along unevenness is the road surface. Very pleased thus far.

 

I had put a new set on my '01 XJR for just $275. (the goodrich I replaced were discontinued...they were the best looking force ga NOT comp II, there was 1 set out there for 700$ or so). but later I had to sell it when it had an unrelated problem I couldn't fix. The new owner is a friend. Still a good looking car, he went through the entire car, headliner, paint, new upholstery, everything short of full restoration. He still has not changed the tires in 2 years and drives it daily. The brand was Vercelli they are chinese, have a soft rubber good traction, no problems. Not sure if they are available where you are I got them on simpletire.com. Not sure if there is a tire by them to fit your vehicle either. good Luck.

 

Another vote for Hankook - I ran them on my Porsche Cayenne Turbo for a couple of years with no noticeable wear - excellent traction and wet weather performance.
Steve

 

Traded my original Pirellis for the Michelin PS4 and the car performs as it should at the limit but also is quiet and handles well at lower speeds. Hasn’t been addressed but I have environmental concerns about the huge Chinese tire industry. They historically have a very low rate of recycling tires and pollution controls on their manufacturing plants are vestigial at best. Good prices that come from cheap labor and these other issues make me feel paying more for my Michelin’s was worth it.

 

The last set I put on my X-Type are Yokohama, they are vey good, excellent grip and wear. When I bought my SL550, It had Hankook and I didn't really like them, replaced them with Michelin Pilot AS. The rears are getting a bit slick so I think I will replace them with Michelin Pilot Super Sport. I run those on both of my motorcycles as well, I care more about traction than long wear. Or maybe I'll spring for P-Zero's. I used to use Pirelli P-7000 or P-6000, but i've found all the Pirelli's to loose traction when it's wet tooo easily. Has anyone found that on the P-Zero?
When I took my SL550 into the dealer they gave me a list of suggestions, one was that I replace the Hankook with Continentals for $1.500. I said "Yeah ok, show me another SL or any AMG model that comes with Continentals?" They couldn't. I paid $770 for the Michelin Pilot AS at Discount Tire, they have always been a good place to get tires.

Brian A.