where can I find good prices for Pirelli rubber for my 99 XK8

 

I would check online at tire rack, then discount tire. I would then shop your local tire dealers armed with that information and see if they will meet or beat that price. Plus the local guy can offer you road hazard to where if you buy them on line you have a real rough time with getting reimbursed for your claim. I recently priced before I bought Bridgestone Turanza all season from Tire Rack and the local Firestone dealer matched that price and I saved the shipping.

 

Definitely give our forum sponsors a chance to price a set also, Tire Rack and Tread Depot each can deliver directly to your local installer, and has been know to beat local prices from time to time. Doesn't hurt to price them along with others.

Why go pirelli, I know they were OEM, but you'll find some great alternatives these days that are 1/2 as expensive, much quieter and perform just as well.

 

The spare tire is the original Perelli tire so I thought I would like to keep it original. I was under the impression that this tire is a very good tire. I notice that the newer cars are showing Dunlop. Is it a matter of prefference or is there a real definite difference

 

I recently bought some Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires and I think they are great. They're super sticky. I can't spin the tires even with traction control turned off. They were rated very highly on Tirerack. They replaced some Michellins which absolutely sucked. I thought I had a bad wheel bearing, but it was just tire noise. The Continentals are so much quieter.

 

There are many threads dedicated to replacement tires for the XK and XKR. Look around, not many go back to $350 each pirelli's. If you would like some alternatives, just ask.

 

For me, I prefer touring tires to high performance tires. The touring tire category is more comfortable and is lasting for about twice as many miles.

 

I like tirerack.com because thousands of people have reviewed their tires there. Pick the size tire you want, then you can click a button to rank them according to their review score. Then you can pick tires based on their price versus how others ranked them. That's how I ended up with the Continentals.

 

Ive used the Continentals also which are a lot cheaper than the Pirellis,and I actually prefere them.Quieter,smoother ride,and like glue on the road.Just my opinion.