I recently purchased a 2005 XK8 with 18" wheels. It has Continental tires, which I assume are the factory approved tires (not the actual original tires). Anyone have any thoughts as to what are the best tires for this car? Should I stick with the Continentals, which are after all pretty nice tires?

 

You'll get alot of good recommendations on tires for our cars popo, there's going to be several to choose from that our members have ran. We even have a specific 'Wheels and Tires' section of the forum that was recently added, where Tire Rack sponsors the forum. I remember hearing of several members saying they purchased the tires from the Tire Rack, shipped them to installers near them, and had them mounted at the shop of their choosing.

Me personally, I've owned three types on my XK - the Pirelli P-zero Rossos (pricey!!), Falken FK 452, and Hancook Ventus V12 Evo. I prefer the price, comfort, and noise of the last two the most.

Others will chime in, but look around and search for tires you'll see a whole gamut of options.

 

Thanks for responding; so far you are the only one. I went through some of those other posts you mentioned. The Michelin Pilot Sports seems to be popular and I've read elsewhere that the Goodyear Eagle F1s provide a lot of performance as well.

 

I am sold on the Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons, as they are head and shoulders above the Pirelli's that were on my XKR when I bought it five years ago. This is my second set, and I have found them to have a very quiet ride with quite good handling. I am sure that several types would fit the bill, but for me, I couldn't be happier with the Michelins. I just purchased some from the local Jag Dealer, who price matched Sam's Wholesale Club.
Good luck,
Brian

 

I've always had excellent service all round from pirellis and put hundreds of thousands of miles on them. Yes expensive, but sometimes you do get what you pay for!
The last few years or so I've ran Continentals and Bridgestones, both great thyres which have also performed well
Tyres can be, like some other things a real personal choice......Try checking out Tire Rack and Treadepot who are our sponsors here and see what they can do for you?

 

I really like the Riken Raptor ZR that are on my XK8. They seem to cost a bit less than most of the tires and grip, wear, and noise have been excellent. I know there is someone else on here with them who also likes them, I just cannot remember whom.

 

For what its worth the Drivers Handbook (2003) recomends Pirelli P Zero or Continental ContiSportContact. However you can get Michelins at Costco for a pretty good price.
Never did like Pirellis- BA HUMBUG.

 

I am pretty sure the handbook would of course, recommend the Pirelli P Zeros since they were the sole tire provider for the xk back in the day, just like now, Dunlops are the only tires sold on the new ones. That's just part of the deal, informed buyers will know that's just marketing/manufacturer partnerships. Uninformed buyers will take the manual as gospel and dish out the extra c-note per tire.