OK, I've searched threads and can't seem to locate one dedicated to XK8s.
How many miles should I get on a set of tires? 99.9% of the driving is around town, stop and go stuff.
Additionally, are there tire types or brands which will last longer? Model year is 2006..

Thanks.

 

Tires you can get anywhere from 200 miles to 60k+ out of but of course the difference is in performance. The higher the mileage tires the worse they perform as far as handling and braking but usually the better they soak up bumps and such. The ideal life of a tire is about 6 years from manufacturing in the car for your typical annual driving, less if you want to drive it like you stole it. I'd say from my experience I tend to get about 80 percent of the treadwear warranty for most tires I've put on my XJR or XK8. You will also find rotating regularly is gonna help big time with life of tires on the xk but I think your 06 has staggered tires so that may not be an option to even do side to side if you go with a directional tire.

 

Thanks. The 06 does have bigger tires in the back. So rotating is not an option. As usual I'll run the tires to bald. I live in San Diego so no issue with rain or snow.

 

Wheel and tire size makes a difference in treadwear longevity. My wife's 2006 XK8 has 19-inch wheels and regardless of tire choice, those wheels will never allow for the treadwear longevity that a 16-inch or 17-inch wheel would. Tire pressures are also a major factor, especially on the rear axle. I have run Yokohama YK580 tires on my wife's XK8 for more than five years now. Tire pressure experimentation gradually taught me that on her car, 31 to 32 psi on the front axle and 28 to 29 psi on the rear axle will deliver maximum treadlife. She typically gets around 48,000 miles out of a pair of front tires and around 33,000 miles out of a pair of rear tires. She does a 50/50 mix of city/highway driving and is not a speed demon doing jackrabbit takeoffs at stoplights....

Treadwear longevity is all about a decent set of tires, checking and adjusting the pressures regularly (I check all of our tire pressures every weekend), rotating as required (the YK580 is not a directional tire so I rotate every 6,000 miles and yes, her wheels are also staggered so rotation must be done side-to-side on the same axle), and driving sensibly. There are no shortcuts....

 

Besides the excellent advice professed by Jon89, you can also guide your purchase when shopping for tires by checking the UTQG. All tire sites show it. It usually goes along the type of tires (summer, vs. All Seasons, etc.). It probably correlates to grip and how hard the rubber compound is, but for a normal person, the higher the number, the longer they last (at the expense of ultimate grip). Anything above 500 is more durable. Keep it in mind while shopping.

 

One thing to keep in mind the treadwear rating isn't standard and a treadwear of 500 on brand X might be 1/2 what the treadwear of brand y. Wish they would come up with a universal standard but I'm sure tire manufactures don't want the feds poking around their tire claims.

 

Is that a good idea? Many years ago, when radial tires first became popular in the US, a trusted tire man told me that once a radial tire is run in a certain direction of rotation, it should not be installed to run in the opposite direction, regardless of whether it's a directional tire or not. I was told something similar by a so-called tire expert just a few years ago. I wonder if this is a fact or just a myth.

Vince

 

I have never rotated tyres on my XKR but after a given milage my range rover would get a little loose in steering and rotation always fixed it almost immediately, and always performed by long time tyre fitter. l am guessing it's a myth.

 

A myth indeed. Rotation has always provided extended treadlife for all of my vehicles....

 

I rotate the tires annually on the pick-up, but not the jag.
For the mileage I do, it's not worth it.
I average 2700 miles a year in a car, but then my preferred travel is on 2 wheels.

 

I rotate my 4Runner tires every oil change, about every 5K miles. Got damn near 75000 on a set of Mud and Snow B Goodrich truck tires.

 

Will temper down my response. First reaction to opening post was along lines of "Wow! You sure picked the wrong car if your mission is maximum tyre life". Then you posted that you'll run them till bald? Careful not to sermonize, but doing so here would have your car impounded in a flash! I run 20" BBS (9" front & 10" rear) and recently shifted from Pirelli Pzero to the flash new high spec asymmetric Kumho's. That changeover was occasioned by an interesting issue . . . the car failed roadworthy inspection on its rear Pzero's.

Despite having ample tread across 90% of their prodigious width, both tyres were worn to the 3mm tell-tales on the inner shoulders. As this is (rightly) assessed as "in contact", the car failed. On such an otherwise magnificent machine in impeccable condition, my pride was dented. With the 2 new Kumho's delivered overnight, then fitted and balanced, my finances took an even harder hit. The Kumho's aren't quite rubber band profile; each a foot wide, and I love 'em . . . a good compromise between genuine top performance and yet, still preserving the ability to soak up highway bumps without jarring.

So for me, living in a regional high speed area distant from the big smoke, I constantly alternate between straight line "let it romp" and more restrained cornering. Gotta protect those shoulders.

Cheers,

Ken

 

I'm also in San Diego, and I have gone with Continental Control Contact Sports from Discount Tires. I originally had Pirelli P-Zero's and they lasted 15K. They were a lot stickier and more fun to drive. I drive my car about 2500 miles a year so 15K would still last me the 6 years. The Continental tires are a great compromise between price and performance.

 

I was at my tire shop today (two old guys who have been doing tires for 35 years). They had talked me into the General A-03 last time on my car and aside from them being loud I had zero complaints. They did say the A-05 General replacement is a light years better tire. Problem for me is is it 40 percent more expensive so I'll wait to see if they put a rebate out on 'em before needing tires for winter.

 

I came across this thread while looking for something else.
I will say that my experience has been that Michelins are great if you do a lot of driving but are most likely to dry rot with plenty of tread left on them if you don't drive the car much. I usually get about 90K miles on a set of Michelins on a normal passenger car.
The Jag has a set on it right now with plenty of tread life and plenty of dry rot.
Considering going to the same size tire all around in order to be able to rotate them.
Anyone see a real issue with that?

 

You cannot rotate the wider rear wheels to the front axle when you have staggered wheels (as my wife's 2006 XK8 does). Therefore, tire rotation on her car can only be side-to-side on the same axle....

 

Jon89. Are the wheels actually wider in the rear? Not just the tires?

 

Yes, the rear wheels are indeed significantly wider than the front wheels. Unfortunately they are the 19-inch Atlas chrome drug-dealer-looking wheels installed at the factory on a number of the last batch of Victory Edition models as Jaguar was emptying their parts bins....

 

A useful tool might be to go to tirerack.com, plug in your vehicle and see what's out there. They have reviews from actual users of the tire along with their testing.