Right now my 97 XK* has directional tires on it. Do the new ones I by have to be that way?

 

It depends how you like to use your vehicle. For me it's more of an every day driver then a race car. I recently bought Kumho LX Platinum tires because they have a 60,000 mile warranty and had very good reviews. Although they aren't directional like all the tires I've had on it in the past they perform very well! I've never had a tire last 60,000 miles on this Jaguar XKR but I guess I'll see what happens...

 

The car is a daily driver not a racer, I don't see needing a FANCY tire.
Where did you get your tires??? What size are they and speed rating?

 

looking up that tire I dont see the size to fit my xk8. 245-50-17 and I would like to get 255-50-17.

 

I see no reason to go with directional tires on a XK8. These are more cruising cars than complete high performance cars. A 515 hp XKR might warrant tires of the highest level--if driven in an aggressive manner.

My 99 XK8 was purchased with new Pirelli P Zeros (very expensive) and many less expensive tires appear to be just as good.

I've purchased tires from The Tire Rack and TreadDepot.com in recent years--both sponsors of this website. I read Tire Rack's road tests and they have massive customer recommendations. I've always been a fan of Michelin's, however they're also very expensive. The Kumho tires appear very good--for the money. I've been very happy with the Goodyear GT's on my Lexus IS daily driver--much better tire than the sticky Bridgestone tires that lasted 20k miles. My local tire/repair store is very high on Toyo's--which can be medium priced. I bought 11 tires from TreadDepot this year (Kauffman Tire chain's warehouse) and got blazing fast service.

I'd certainly research any tires online before purchasing a set--the info is readily available.

 

I purchased mine from discounttiredirect. I have a 2000 XKR so it has the 18" rims on it. They did not have the tire I purchased in either 17" size your looking for.

The tires I purchased were staggered
245/45/18
255/45/18

With a Z speed rating.