My spare tire is the original Pirelli tire when car was new and now has a very bad rubber burning smell to it. It has never been used yet and if car is closed up for a while, the inside of the car also smells like burned rubber. The fire wall in the trunk is well sealed. In fact, this car is driven on these same original Pirelli tires, which have good tread still... Pushing 50k mile <grin>

If I buy new tires, I think I'd get these same tires, but I don't need new tires now. I tried soaking the spare in vinegar, than baking soda, sit in sun for days, nothing helps. Maybe a spare tire cover????

Any advice would be helpful... Thanks in advance!!!

 

That spare tire is probably in the process of breaking down. The best way to solve your smelly issue would be to replace it with a new(er) spare.....

 

At 25 yrs. old, those tires are dangerous!

 

You are absolutely asking for trouble to be using such old tyres. It's madness not to replace them.

 

Maybe its time... They don't make the Pirelli P Zero P245/50ZR17 SBR tires anymore from what I found, but I found these:

Continental PureContact LS 245/50R17 99V, buy five for $210 a piece
Continental 245/50R17 99W, buy 5 for $249 a piece

Does a wider tire (99W) mean a rougher ride? Thinking about buying a cheaper tire for the spare, maybe.

 

the rating has to do with max speed recommendation

WJ

 

The V and W are speed ratings. V is up to 149MPH, W is up to 168MPH. How fast are you planning to drive?

The tire width is the first number, 245. That is the tread width in millimeters. The 50 is the sidewall aspect ration expressed in percent. So a 50 is 50% of the width. Smaller numbers equate to narrower sidewalls, or a "shorter" tire. The R means it's a radial tire, which they all are now. And the 17 is the inside diameter in inches. The 99 is the load rating. Google tire load rating chart to see what that equates to.

 

For insurance purposes your tires must be rated to the vehicle design speed.

 

My 1998 XK8 is fitted with Continental Extreme Contact 245/45 ZR18 100Y on front and 255/45 ZR18 103Y on the rear. Excellent all-around tires for my driving style. The standard wheels for 1998 models were 17", adjust accordingly. Any of the major online tire sites will have the specs on what fits your car and what options you have for size changes.

 

Would I need new rims to fit the ZR18 100Y and the ZR18 103Y on my XK8? And will the car have a more stiff ride? Why did you go with these tires, looks, performance, both? The car has almost 50k on it and rides really good with 25 year old tires. I have heard the the front strut mounds (top) aren't meant to last 50k miles, but the front of this car still sits evenly above the tires, the same distance as the rear tires. .

I love Continental tires! Had and have Michelins on a couple of my cars, including the 2006 Super V8 Portfolio, which I replaced with Continentals, and what a difference Continental tires does for the ride compared with Michelins! :-)

 

Literally anything will ride better than 25-year-old tyres! Do you have the same size tyres front and rear? I have wider wheels and tyres at the rear.

 

If you're on 17" rims, then yes.

I run Michelin PS4 on the staggered 18" rims and I don't find the ride is harsh in any way.

...unlike my son's Scirocco on 19" rims with rubber bands (235/35) for tyres

 

Same tires front and rear. The car has always been stored in a climate control space and in the years I do drive it, I always had the tires checked, rotated and aliment done, last time was last year. Owned almost since new. I had cars with lots of tread left, some had dry-rot, and/or hard a rock; so I know what they feel like to ride on. These tires on my Xk8 don't have any of that. But I just looked it up and found that even new tires/unused, should be change every 6 six years no matter what. I thought it was a stupid question to ask about my spare tire smell, and I do ask lots of these type questions, but glad I did!

Do you like the ride with the wider tires in the rear? Wider tires in the rear will make this car look cooler, for sure!

Looking forward to new tires!!!

 

Neither of my present or past cars had 17" rims so I cannot comment on ride, etc. I know some folks leave them on for cost savings and the ability to rotate tires evenly. Ride harshness starts (somewhat) at 19" and is noticeable from 20" and up. Sidewall height is a bigger factor as @michaelh noted.

IMHO the staggered tires give it better traction and elevates the car's looks entirely. I replaced the tires when I bought this car since the ones on it were 10 years old. They had 90% tread left but rode like rocks. The new Continentals made a huge difference in ride and traction.

I use one of the replaced OEM 17" rims for a spare fitted with a good used tire. The 25 YO Pirelli spare was never used but dry rotted just the same. Rubber ages just like everything else. Once you get past 6 years old, replace the tires. It is dangerous otherwise.

 

I can't really answer that, as I've never driven an XK8 with the same back and front. I can't imagine it makes any real difference!