Apologies if this has been discussed a million times but I'm new.

I need rear tyres for my 2006 XK convertible 275 x 35 x 19 and I seem to remember someone telling me years ago Jaguar only specify Dunlop on these vehicles. I do have Dunlop up front but all my previous cars were shod with Pirelli and I really liked them.

I've also avoided run flats wherever possible as I think they are noisy and overly stiff but it's been a few years since I had to buy new Tyres so am happy to listen to people with more experience than me.

What would people recommend?

Hope you can help.
Ian

 

It sure has!

OK, in the 8yrs of production the X150 had (from memory) 4 different tyre brands fitted as OEM, Dunlop, Pirelli, Bridgestone and Michelin.

Their choice was PURELY based on the lowest price they could buy from a quality tyre manufacturer, and the lowest supply price to main dealers in the future.

Tyre technology has moved on somewhat since 2006, so read tyre reviews, 3 I'd recommend would be:

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S (£800 for a set)
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti (£600 for a set)
Uniroyal Rainsport 5 (£550 for a set)

Don't listen to anyone that not driving in the same climate/conditions as you are, the UK is wet and doesn't experience high temps with it rarely going above 75f, plus tyre compounds are different for different countries.

 

Hi MarkyUk,
Thanks for the reply I'm pleased the Michelins are on the list as I've found a pair at a decent price. Quite why a manufacturer would specify one brand of Tyre is a mystery unless it was a supercar and the tyres were specifically developed for the individuals car's dynamics. Maybe at the time the Dunlops were the quietest tyres around.
Thanks again.

 

If you are likely to change the fronts as well then check you can get the size in the Michelin’s.
In Jan this year I was looking to change mine on 19” Carella and the 4s weren’t available as they didn’t manufacture them for the UK market. So I went for Goodyear’s.

 

Hi, the fronts are pretty good and I wouldn't be looking to change them for some while yet. Still not sure quite what to go for, are runflats ok to fit or do they spoil the ride?

 

For my 2011 XKR, I switched from Dunlop Sport Maxx to Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in November 2020.

I had 4 new Dunlops fitted when I bought the car in June 2015 and covered 18,500 miles on them but I was never entirely happy with their grip in the wet and so, after a lot of research, decided to go for the PS4S even though there were cheaper options available. My thinking was that over the lifetime of the tyres the extra cost per mile would not be significant.

I ordered mine from Blackcircles and had them fitted at their tyre station at my local Tescos. I paid a total of £804 incl.VAT for 2 255/35 R20 for the front and 2 285/30 R20 for the rear. Their fitter was very careful with my alloys and spotted that one was cracked - I had it welded later by a specialist alloy wheel refurbisher/repairer, otherwise an MOT fail. I've been really pleased with the Michelins although have not done much mileage on them so far due to the current situation with Covid etc.

I would avoid run-flats - far too firm a ride.