I know there are some tyre threads but I am still confused and would like some opinions.

I drive my 2002 XK8 with 255/45 R18 and 245/45 R18 asymmetric setup. The tyres are old and the last owner decided to replace a single tyre with a non matching one. I do use the car in the Dutch winter but only when conditions allow and not when it freezes (avoiding the salt). I think I have narrowed the choice down to Pirelli P Zero, Goodyear Eagle F1 or Michelin Pilot sport 4/5. I would love to hear opinions about these tyres and whether I should go to all season or summer tyres. I generally drive in quite a relaxed way. I am
maybe one of the few people who find the performance more than enough (full throttle sends my heart racing). I think an XKR would be wasted on me.

 

Performance is plenty enough for me too but to each his own. All season tires are the way to go. Good in all conditions (rain, dry) that you expose it too and occasional snow if you get caught. Summers tires from what I have learned are not as good a ride and aren't great in the rain. Why on earth some OEM's out them on many performance cars is beyond me. We are all always tracking these cars, they are driven in the real world when driven. OK, off my soapbox. I bought Continentals and are happy with them. my .02 TM

 

I just put a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5's on my car, they are excellent in the wet. Not too bad in the cold either ebing driven in -5C already and performed well enough. In the summer they should be pretty good. I would think for you're use case all seasons would be the way forward but it's up to you. Previously I drove the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's on 20" wheels instead of my current 18" and those also drove very well even doing more then I expected on compacted snow.

 

I’ve used all of these on my 2002 XKR:
Pirelli P Zero, Goodyear Eagle F1, and the Michelin Pilot sport 4. All of them in the A/S versions as the car is my daily driver and using a summer tire in freezing temperatures is suicidal.

currently I have the Michelins on the car with about 18,000 miles of spirited driving on them.

when the time comes to replace them I’m going back to the Pirelli’s. They may not last quite as long as the Michelins, but they are noticeably stickier and therefore make the car more fun to drive.

Hope this helps.

Z

 

Forget the tyre snobs ..go look on ebay . You dont go screaming round corners in holland do you? £115 a pair delivered.
2 X 255 45 18 POWERTRAC 255/45ZR18 103W XL BRAND NEW M+S TYRES AMAZING C B LABEL | eBay

 

After 1,000 miles since fitting a new set, I'm very happy with the Bridgestone Turanza 6 from Costco. They're not as attractively styled as some of the tyres mentioned here and I'm guessing not as good at the limits but this is a 25 year old car so I don't plan to explore those limits. At less than £500 for a full set, fitted and with the special offers, I think they're great value.

There's similar discounts available on Michelin tyres if you're buying a full set at the moment - as much as £120 off, I think.

 

+1 on the PS4s (if you can still get them?)

I'm wary of deviating from the spec. as it's possibly a way for the insurance companies to wriggle out of liability. Here's one take:
https://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/blog/...u-did-not-know

 

I run with Dunlop Sport Maxx. Under hard accellleration, there is no skid or blip of the DSC engaging, so the traction must be very similar to the prior Pirelli P-Zero's (which Jaguar originally used to calibrate the DSC system).
Also, Dunlop MFS is very strong with a full 10mm of additional protection for the Alloy rims.
Sorry, I can't comment on tyre performance in the wet as I only use on dry days....

 

I have Firestone Firehawk indy 500s, they were on special at Costco and I've been very impressed with them, even in all the wet weather lately. No regrets about not spending more on michelins.

 

I have these too and I love them. They are good in the wet and very good in the dry for a fraction of the cost of the Michelins. They just don't last as long, but I haven't had to replace mine yet.
I can't comment on cold weather or snow performance, since I live in a tropical island, but these are summer tires so they're probably abysmal at that.

 

I just put on a new set of Sumitomo summer tires. It doesn't rain much here (present week excluded), no snow, and I like the added traction. And they were a lot less expensive than the Michelins.

Quick question for the performance tire enthusiasts. Do these cars have a lot of body roll? What little I've been able to drive so far it seems that it likes to wallow a bit in corners, at least when first hitting the curve. Normal, or do the sway bars need attention?

 

With the CATS suspension and 20" wheels there was almost no body roll at all, I changed to 18" wheels but still with CATS adaptive shocks and there is slightly more but nothing like a normal car. The none adaptive shocks equiped cars will have more body roll though more like a normal car. You can enter bends with CATS and the car stays flat the whole time. You don't notice it all that much until you go from the XKR to a normal car and it's like being inside a double decker or something. I've not tried out too many tyres though so it might also depend on that, the side walls on my 18" Pilot Sport 5 are pretty soft though but that didn't seem to have a massive impact but my suspension is likely worn as well.

 

The '00 XK8 without CATS and the 17" Revolver wheels had quite a bit of noticeable body roll. My 04' XKR with CATS has much less but still a little bit of body roll. However, it's a moot point because I always end up slipping and sliding off of the seat.

 

Yes, the seats aren't really designed for spirited cornering, are they?

Mine doesn't have CATS. It does have the staggered 18" wheels. Perhaps, soon, I'll be able to drive this thing more than once per month (MTBB, Mean Time Between Breakdowns, seems to be about a month or one 40 mile trip, whichever comes first), and get used to the handling.

 

A close friend was a tyre dealer for 40 years. Go Continental / General , and stay away from runflats.

 

Not in the slightest. You end up either firmly against the door card or pressed up against the transmission tunnel. I hope the OE Recaros (which are as rare as hen's teeth) remedy that issue.

Eventually you'll see the light of day. These cars tend to go through an unreliable phase at about 80k miles or 15 years, in which pretty much everything needs to be refurbished. After everything has been addressed, it should give you reliable service.

 

@Y2KJAG, your 2000 XK8 might have enough suspension differences to account for the body roll vs a XKR.

By my standards, very minimal body roll on the 2002 XKR I own. The CAT shocks seem to
be working as designed. But these observations are quite subjective.

i dont know how much roll is to be expected from the XK8 models.

Z

 

I guess when I get ambitious I'll do a thread on this car's restoration. I knew it needed a lot of stuff, but it's gotten out of hand. At this point I've replaced the fuel pump, the entire cooling system including every underhood hose, leaky sensors, oil pan and VC gaskets, upper and lower sections of the trans valve body, tires, A/C pressure sensor, front door speakers, upper shock mounts, lower shock bushings, and alternator. Once the alternator is sorted, the short list includes rear speakers, a very leaky AC suction hose, seat heaters, and an annoying lifter tick at the left rear (that may remain unfixed as it doesn't seem to affect performance).

 

If you are using a 5w-30 oil, try Mobil 1 0w-40. It’s still in the range suggested by Jaguar. And often a change of oil viscosity will work wonders. It only costs you a few dollars to find out if that helps.

note: I’ve been using the M-1 0w-40 for over 80,000 miles in my 2002 XKR. No problems.

Z

 

Locally the Michelins ($955.96 -$80) are cheaper than the Firestones ($933.96) with the discount. This is from Costco with installation.