If we continue to hold onto my wife's 2006 XK8 going forward, I expect to put new tires on it at some point during 2021. The great Yokohama YK580 tires I have been running since we acquired the car in 2012 are no longer manufactured. And since this car is now doing less than 2,000 miles per year, there's no way I will be willing to spend $1,000 for new rubber....

For those of you who have been running Barum Bravuris 5HM tires (their parent company is Continental Tire in Europe), what is your overall opinion of them? I want a decent all-season tire that can handle some occasional rain if necessary, and this XK8 is never driven in snowy or icy conditions although it is driven in winter temperatures on clear days....

Thanks for any details you can offer....

And by the way, this car runs 245/40/19 tires on the front axle and 255/40/19 tires on the rear axle....

 

Jon89,

What could be wrong with any Tire made by Continental Tire? I've used Continental Tires for the last 15 years or so on my XKR's (20") Wheels and I've been very happy with them overall...Barum Bravuris Tires are just a cheaper way to get a Continental Tire......I would feel Safe on them as they are Staggered and you are not driving 150 MPH in your XK8....Look at the Tire Speed Rating and don't drive faster than that....You should be just fine....

Billy Clyde @ Cinco Ranch

 

Some Continental tire models are better than others. I have had a set I really liked and several sets I did not like because their treadwear was short-lived. I have no doubt that these Barum tires will perform just fine at under 100 mph but I would like more information on how durable they are. If they are shot in 20,000 miles, I do not want them....

 

Jon89,

I always use Continental Extreme Contact Sport on my 2005 XKR as it has 20" BBS "Montreal" Wheels...They are "Staggered" Front to Rear and I have them Aligned about every 20,000 miles... They are about all I have to compare with all the Tires you have bought....I was using their "DW" on the Front and their "DWS" on the Rear, but this last set, I went for the "DW" on both....Why? It don't Snow much in Houston!!!

BCP

 

Hello Jon:
I know that this is not exactly apples to apples, but I have had excellent service with these:
7/13/2017 Barum Bravurus 3HM Discount Tire 4 Staggered tire 18" ~6000 miles $532.55.

 

Dr. D,

Just noticed that we had this conversation back in 2017....Not long after you were asking about the 18" Barum Bravurus Tires from Discount Tire....I am glad to know that you have had excellent service from them! Am I right in assuming you have only put 6000 miles on them and that you only paid $532.55 for your "Staggered" (4)?

I had to replace (1) of my Continental DW Front Tires back then as I had hit a Curb and busted it....and because it was a Front Tire, I replaced them both as they gave me a deal...then, I had the Front-end realigned.....Rears had been done about a year prior....During this time, I have driven the XKR some 28,000 miles before having them replaced last Month....Front & Back with Connie DW's this time! I've made several trips up to Dallas and a couple out to Midland in the Texas heat @ more than the 75MPH Speed Limit during that time. The tread on the DWS's (on the Rear) had worn down to almost smooth and were squirmy when it Rained...The Front's were a little better but not much, so they were all changed at the same time......They cost me around $975.00 back in (2017) and a couple Months ago $1,250.00!

The reason for all this is that the DW's and the DWS Connie's are getting too expensive and I need to find a cheaper Tire.....Would you suggest the Barum Bravurus Tires that are apparently made by Continental?

Billy Clyde in Houston..

 

Hello Billy Clyde. ~6000 miles is correct. I had pulled my info off of my XLS spreadsheet. The $532 out the door did seem low but I just pulled the invoice and it does indeed match.
The Barum Bravurus Tires are working for me but do understand that I do not " Hot Rod". Virtually all of my driving is either to the NC mountains or SC beaches.

 

Dr. D,

Thanks for your feedback. That price was indeed a deal. If I can obtain a few more favorable owner testimonials, I may indeed go for a set of 5HM tires when the time comes. And I buy all of our tires from our local Discount Tire store manager. I show up at his store every Christmas Eve morning with a big platter of my wife's fresh-out-of-the-oven ham biscuits for his entire crew. For almost a decade now, that simple gesture has earned me the best possible deals on tires from him. He is okay with the 5HM tires on cars that are now essentially sparsely-driven fair-weather toys but not on daily drivers that do frequent cross-country trips in all sorts of weather and road conditions....

 

I just looked-up these Tires on Discount Tires Website and found the following:
Bravuris 5HM: Either: 255/35-20 (Front) or 285/30-20 (Rear) are $91.00 each......I just paid $250.00 each for like size Continentals DW's....actually a little more with Tax......Now whose Rear-End is "Red"?.......BCP

 

Perhaps Discount Tire in your neck of the woods is currently running a sale on the 5HM tires, but you better re-check your prices to be sure. Here in North Carolina my 5HM front tires are going for $117 each (245/40/19) and my 5HM rear tires are going for $155 each (255/40/19)....