I’ve started looking around to price up a new set of tyres for my 2001 xkr. It is on 18” rims 255 at the back and 245 wide on the front. I fancied a set of Pirelli’s but whilst the fronts are easily sourced the rears are a different story. Any suggestions to suppliers of the rear Pirelli’s or an alternative brand please. Safety first of course with such a powerful car. Many thanks in advance.

 

Consider the Pirelli P Zero 4S (all season) tires. I’ve used them previously and they preformed fine. Tire Rack has them now.

Although none of my previous selections, which include Pirelli & Goodyear, have lasted as long as my current Michelins, they all are about the same when it comes to traction, wet or dry, and road noise.

Z

 

Thanks for your help and I’ve took note of what you’ve said. I should have pointed out I am in the uk and looking for a uk supplier.

 

You mixed up your brand and model there. You’ve got Michelin’s, not pirellis.

A good option at a lower price is the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. It’s 9/10ths of the Michelin at a substantial cost saving. I have them on my car and liking them so far.

I believe they are branded as Bridgestone Potenza RE003 in Europe. It’s the same tire.

 

ha ha. I’ve used every brand there is. Sorry for the cognitive degeneration display.

just looked it up again;
Michelin Pilot Sport all season 4
Pirelli P Zero all season plus
is correct


I’ve used both of them, and have nothing bad to say about either brand.

Z

 

Pilot sport 5 the new one is probably a good idea. I have the 4S and the 5 isn't meant to be much different. Although the Continental SportContact 7 is pretty much the best performance tyre you can get at the moment.

 

Has anyone used the Continental ? It’s the only well known premium tire I haven’t tried on an XKR. So far, the Michelins seem to wear a bit better, but no noticeable improvement in traction vs the Goodyear, BFG’s, or Pirelli’s in spirited back road driving, not close to racing conditions.

All of my XKR tires have been of the all season variety.

Z

PS (I have used the Continentals on many 2 wheeled Triumphs, but no 4 wheeled experience.)

Z

 

I use the Michelin Pilot All Season 4 on the XKR. The best tires I have had on it. My Mercedes E550 coupe is a higher performance car and I use Continental Extreme Contact Sport Plus on it. That car had problems with breaking traction on acceleration with the Michelin Pilots, the Continentals seem to have tamed it. Both of these tires are ultra performance, but the Continentals seem to have more dry traction.

 

thank you for the information. As the Conti’s are the only premium tire I haven’t tried yet they will be my next purchase as soon as I wear out the current Michelins.

Z

 

Another problem I have had with Michelin Pilots is dry rot. I have had my last set on my Mercedes dry rot so badly in 4 years that they had to be replaced long before they were worn out.

 

Dry-rotting and "chunking" were common problems for the Michelin Pilots during the timeframe we purchased my wife's 2006 XK8 in February 2012. Her car came with a pair of those Pilots on the front axle, and they were indeed beginning to "chunk". The manager at my local Discount Tire contacted Michelin in my behalf and got me a 75% credit from Michelin towards the purchase of a new pair of front tires of my choice. I opted to go with Yokohama YK580 front tires and never regretted it. Later that year I replaced the poor-treadwear Pirelli P-Zero rear tires on that car with a rear pair of the Yokohama YK580 and again never regretted it....

Are the current Michelin Pilots being sold still subject to these issues? If so, shame on Michelin....

 

Mine are 2 years old, no dry rot on them at all. You probably had a bad batch, which shouldn't happen but does from time to time I'm sure. Mine are really sticky actually, rocks and stuff stick to them all the time.

 

I have Conti's on the rear of my lowly base XK8 and like them pretty well. I shouldn't have cheaped out and bought the fronts too at the same time. There is quite a bit of tread left on the front and I just couldn't do it, lol. The ride was much better with just the new rears on, I don't throttle it up too much, mostly cruising'. I may catch on those up after I get past a couple other hurtles. TM

 

Thanks to the OP as I am now shopping for tires for my 2004 with OEM staggered wheels. I put a new TIRE title on this reply because the original TYRE did not show up in a prior search. I am interested in performance and ride quality, and do not give a **** about tread life. I would consider summer only as I do not drive the Jag in winter. I currently have Continental Extreme Contacts on all four corners. Not too annoying but there is some flat spot vibration that needs to work out when these tires are cold. I would like to hear from anyone with good or bad outcomes on changing tires.

My wheels are in good shape with mild curb rash. I am also thinking of visiting the wheel medic to get them resurfaced and painted. Any advice on this frontier is most welcome. Thanks.

 

Very happy with the staggered Barum Bravuris 5HM tires I installed on my wife's 2006 XK8 back in mid-January. 245/40/19 front and 255/40/19 rear. Barum is a European brand owned by Continental and is built especially for Discount Tire here in the U.S. Several owners here on the forum have been running Barum tires for years - they are favorably priced and well worth checking out....

 

Have the same Conti's on my 06. Virtually new. Quiet, drive well and good traction when pushed hard. Having a persistent small vibration problem at 70 mph (not at any other speed) but sounds tire vibration is an issue only when cold.