When I purchased my low mileage 2002 Xk8 (28k mi) last year after a long hunt I was never happy with the ride or handling of the car. It really never inspired the confidence I expected and the steering had a lot of vibration. When I bought it it was fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 ultra high performance All Season tires. The tires looked to be in good shape but seemed to have some cupping going on. I had the car aligned by two different shops and it just never was really any better. I spent weekends looking for worn suspension bushings or any thing that could be the cause of the unsettled ride and handling. Additionally I was considering putting on EBC pads and rotors on since the current brakes seemed marginal, yet there was plenty of pad and rotor life. After a third attempt at alignment that did not find anything out I decided to scrap the Goodyears. My XJR has the Michelin Pilots sports that are great on it, but I was not convince to use them on the XK. I decided on a set of Nitto 555 summer ultra performance tires since my tire and wheel guy who I've dealt with for 15 years suggested them. It was pouring (this rain would be flood water anywhere else but Florida) when I left the tire dealer and the tires were very confidence inspiring in very wet conditions. The next morning my wife and I drove over to the beach. The car now felt planted, the brakes seem more powerful and the handling was what I always thought it could be. I can tell these tire are a little stiffer in the side wall, but the XK suspension is up to taking it in, and it is never harsh. These do not feel sloppy and greasy like the Goodyears did. Everything is three to five times better than the Goodyears. I had thought the previous ride and handling was normal for the car since a few others I test drove felt as wallowing on the road. These may not be the best tires made but the transformation they have made on the XK was astounding. I've never had a set of tires make such a big difference.. I've never liked Goodyear performance tires since they always seemed too stiff and greasy with little steering wheel feel. I wish I would have ditched these a year ago. Last night I dropped my wife off to hang out with her girlfriends. I took a fifteen mile detour home just to enjoy driving the XK last night.

My XK has the staggered 18" setup so the fronts are 245 and the rears are 255.

 

Great info. I am in the market for new tires so this is now on my consideration list. Thanks.

 

The tires that were on the car when you bought it had probably been there for many years. Handling an ride suffer badly after 5-6 years. The Nitto swap sounds good.

 

Had the same Goodyear F1's on the blue cat when I bought it. Adequate, but not inspiring. In their defense, they were older than the mileage would imply, based on sidewall data.

Changed to Yokohama YK580's and they are much better all around. maybe not as dramatic as you found, but certainly an improvement.

 

The date on a tire makes a world of difference. An old tire will blow out on you on the highway.New or not

 

Have Nitti Motivo ultra high performance all seasons and love them. Same size as you too!

 

I haven't had a decent set of Goodyear tires on any of our vehicles since the early 1990s. The last good set were the Goodyear Vectors on my 1988 Jeep Cherokee 5-speed manual 4x4. Various sets of Goodyear Wrangler tires came on later Jeep and Dodge SUVs that we purchased in the mid-to-late 1990s, but they were expensive pieces of crap that rarely lasted more than 25,000 miles and hydroplaned like a catamaran in the America's Cup races with less than 10,000 miles on them. I've been fortunate enough to avoid Goodyear since I threw the last set of them away in 2001....

 

Properly good tires should always make a dramatic difference inspiring that extra 15 min. drive home! I had some awful old Hankooks on mine when I bought it. As of April, I'm now running Continental DWS and loving it.

 

It's hard to beat the OEM Pirellis, but mine were just about down to the tread indicators. They were getting rough riding and slipped around a lot on dry pavement WFO. Time to buy 4 new tires. I wanted a really quiet smooth riding tire, so I decided to go with Bridgestones this time. RE760 Sport, (asymmetricals) I wasn't dissapointed at all. The ride is excellent, you can't hear them rolling, and they really grip, even in the pouring rain. The best part is I saved a bunch of cash.
We made a mistake on our S Type's tires once. It sounded like all the wheel bearings had gone out. I don't remember the brand, but they were Pirrelli look alikes with curvy treads. Rubbish tires. They were louder than the Eagle GT's we had on a company car years back. I watched 2 different super hard headed mechanics change the wheel bearings on that car twice. Those guys would just stare and stare at those bearings. Finally I grabbed it and sent it in for new tires of a different mfg.
The manager then gives me this look like WTF? Those tires were almost new he says. Hey fella, you want the noise or not? ha ha ha Make up my mind. Here, put those almost new Eagles on that trash trailer over there. On it or in it, doesn't matter to me.

 

I had mixed results with Bridgestone tires. I've had a had one set that was excellent, one set that was OK on my Lexus IS (but not as good as the original Dunlops), and one set on my Mercedes E Class Diesel that literal through off their tread (completely separated from the body on 3 of 4 at less than 50% of the life of the tire). None of these are really low cost including the Nitto ($185 per tire). I've never had Pirellis, and the tread wear seemed pretty poor on the models that fit. I was considering Dunlops since I have a really good track record for those, but they are kind of hard to find locally. Online stores are a pain to get them put on even with their certified installers and the shipping eats up a lot of savings. Costco only does Michelin and Bridgestone so I did not feel comfortable going that route though they are hard to beat initially and on down the road if you get a nail or something. I need to research the Dunlop route when the XJR comes due for tires.

 

Michelin rocks!!!

Trust me,I have tried them all, Michelin tires have multi cell microscopic silica ,spores
compound in their tires that is there even when the tire is bald. This creates a very sticky grip secure feeling on wet and dry roads; even roads where oil,coolant and grime has come up due to rain.

The next good thing about michelins, the internal belts are not stiff for a rough ride.but yet more of a medium type stiffness even when hot that contours to the road,but at the same same time has a sporty feel that works very well with our speed sensitive steering system.

3.Michelin stands up to their tire and work unlike goodyear etc that fight warranty claims.

 

No, Michelin does NOT "rock". Like most other major tire manufacturers out there, they build some good tires, some mediocre tires, and some lousy tires. The key is to do enough tire research so you know what you are getting before you pull the trigger....

 

Had almost new (90%) tread on OEM Pirellis (Staggered 245/255 19" rims) on my 03 XK8 sun buggy

On the advice of the ex-pat British Master Service Technician at the dealer (now the big Kahuna service advisor bosswith 30 years JAG experience including at Coventry), he recommended Michelin Pilot Super Sports as his preferred tires over Dunlops, Pirellis et al.

I bit the bullet and upgraded to new rubber all around

My take : he was right! Quantum leap improvement in all aspects of performance