Hi

I bought my XK with Pirelli P Zero - they are not worn but they are old - like 10 years old! - and stiff so i need to change them.

Reading lots of opinions and reviews i stopped over Michelin Pilot Sport. Problem is they are not made in the 255 dimension. Other options are Goodyear Eagle F1 or Continental SportContact 5. Which ones would you choose? Are newer Pirellis P Zeros better than older versions?

Thank you

 

I absolutely love my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 and they do make a 255/45/18ZR, I just bought a set less than a year ago thru Costco.

 

I have just replaced my rear tyres from Continental Sport Contacts(which have been excellent in the wet and dry) with Avon ZZ5 255 45 R18.
Why replace the Continentals with Avons ? The price... here in the UK £99 each fully fitted as opposed to £138 for the Contis (as a bonus these are one of a few makes that are still made in the UK)
So far I'm very pleased with wet weather performance and the lack of tyre roar - they are a good match to the Contis which are still fitted to the front.

 

If I had the 18" option with my XK8, I'd go with 255/40's for a 26" tall tire vs. a 27" tall tire. With the torque of an XKR, I'd go with the taller tire, but with a 8, the shorter tire seems better.


That's like changing the rear axle to a 3.18:1 and the effect on the speedometer will be minimal since the factory size is in between 27 and 26 and tends toward 26 with wear.


in the US, the BFG Sport Comp 2's or the Conti DW's are the best for cheap-but-good handling with acceptable tire wear.

 

Oh lordy, here I go again...
Michelin Pilot Super Sports are by far the WORST tires I've ever owned. Not only did they refuse to grip the road, the literally fell apart while driving. More than 15% of the tread actually came off one of the tires all the way down to the belts in less than 3000 miles. If I had not noticed this, I very likely would have had a blowout, and who knows how fast and where I would have been at the time. I complained to Michelin and they eventually (HORRID Customer Service) agreed to return 100% of my purchase price, less install and incidentals. I then bought the highly recommended (By several persons at Discount Tire, including the Manager) Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 tires. I am MUCH happier with these tires. The Pirelli PZero tires were also wonderful.
If you DO go Mushilin Stupid Shorts, I wish you all the luck that you will not die in a horrible accident.

 

I've found the Dunlop ExtremeContact DW to be an excellent choice in 255/45 18.



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Pilot Super Sports are really track oriented. I am thinking about Pilot Sports. Anyway this occurence of yours is very strange. I have checked hundreds of independent tyre reviewers and in each one of them the P Zeros are among the worst. A lot of people on this forum mention vibrations and impossibility to balance them. On the same tests and Pilot Sports always take first place. Michelin can't have payed all of them for endorsing.

Drove a friend's M2 BMW (370 bhp) that comes with these and it seemed glued to the road.

My P Zeros being really old (not worn, just old) they seem stiff, not sticky - due to their age and vibrate (i also need to change some front suspension and steering stuff).
How was your driving when the tires fell apart?

 

I had the same thing happen with my W rated BFG's (owned by Bibendum) in 2012 - Tires had less than 2000 miles on them and the inside 20% of the tread separated. True, I was averaging 159 mph at the time (for 10 miles from a standing start) and the tires were almost 3 years old. The remaining 80% of the tread held on for another 108 miles and we won the 140 mph class at the BBORR so it all worked out. #cheateddeath

 

Strangest thing is that the dimension 255 45 R 18 for Michelin Pilot Sport can't be found in Europe...