Hi, I've had my 2003 XK8 for just under a week now and starting to get to know her and love her! Obviously I'm building up a punch list of things to fix / improve from the minor to the more critical things. The rear tires on 19" rims are Westlake 255 40 ZRs. I'd never heard of the brand so did some Googling. Seems they are a budget Chinese product. They are quite new so seems the last owner threw them on in prep for selling the car. I have Pirelli P Zeros on the front. Does anyone have any views or experience with these tires? There are some awful internet reviews of them but you take those with a pinch of salt. I'm never going to be driving the car at the limits of its capabilities and the spec of the tires is 'technically' fine, but at the same time, I don't want to be depriving the car and myself of the overall benefits of a better quality tire. Thanks in advance.

 

I despised the Pirelli P-Zero rear tires that came on my wife's 2006 XK8 when we purchased it in early February 2012. Going by the previous owner's records, those tires did a total of 18,000 miles before they wore out on me. I threw them away later that year and replaced them with a set of Yokohama YK580 tires from Discount Tire. A massive improvement over the P-Zero tires in so many ways, especially due to no hydroplaning and far more treadwear longevity. I will never purchase Pirelli tires for any vehicle we own....

 

Thanks for that Jon. I'm sure there is quite the debate when folk discuss their favourite of the 'quality' tyres! Having just bought the car with plenty of tread left all round, obviously there are other things I could be spending my money on instead of new tires all round. I'm just concerned that the cheapie Westlakes are robbing the car of some performance and / or comfort. I'm not experienced enough at the top end of the car food chain to be able to make any comparisons.

 

Research on the internet indicates that the Westlake SA07 all-season touring tire in your size offers good wet-and-dry traction and a smooth ride, and is about half the price of what I paid for my Pirelli's. It's difficult to find warranty information, but the tire UTQG rating is 460-A-A. Westlake has been in business since 1958 and seems to be doing quite well; a testament to product quality (for the money) and overall consumer confidence.

The only cons noted are road noise and reduced cornering capabilities, so, if you're not pressing it to the car's limits, it should be a decent tire, no matter what mileage you get. On the other hand, if you are fond of burning rubber, these should break loose a little easier to truly impress your audience...