Best Tires for the Jaguar XK8

The tires were fitted on my Jaguar XK8 when i bought it.
They are absolutely terrible. They give no confidence at all going into turns. Driving in the wet is like driving in snow. The steering feels vague.
These tires might be ok for city driving but not confident of breaking distance.
I had them for 3 months and swapped them for Pirelli P Zeros. The difference is staggering.
Don't buy Nankang NS20 for a performance car ever. They are dangerous.

Rossos were fitted to my XK8 when I bought it 2nd hand 6 or 7 years ago, with uneven wear and since I only drive the car in the summer I decided to change the tires only as each of them approach the legal limit, so have stuck with the Rossos. My overall impression is pretty good, with decent grip and feel, although anyone who has driven an XK8 will know that while they ride superb, steering “feel” isn't a strong suit, regardless of the type of tire being used!

My only slight complaint is the high-ish levels of road noise, which in such a quiet car as an XK8 can become a little annoying. If I ever get to a point of having to replace both tires on the same axle then I would probably go for a Goodyear, Dunlop or even an Avon alternative.

These were fitted to a jaguar xk 4.2l and are the jaguar recommended tire. Overall comfort, noise level and grip were good but the most significant failing was on wear. They only lasted 6,000 miles before they were below the legal limit. This was after normal usage and mainly motorway travel. I am not a boy racer (I am over 60) or a top gear presenter.
I sent them back to dunlop who tested them and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the rubber compound and that they appeared to show normal signs of wear. i.e. not under inflated or tracking out (this had been done when the tires were fitted) or excessive driving.
Therefore, I am left with the conclusion that this is the expected mileage to get out if these tires. I have now changed to Pirelli.

Replacing worn P Zeros these were much softer, quieter and more road friendly. About the same for dry grip but much better in the wet. Higher confidence feel. Everything I was looking for. Good wear rate too.
HOWEVER after 10,000 m with 6-7 mm of tread left they now track terribly and wander all over the road requiring constant steering corrections.
All geometries checked ok plus played a little with revised tire pressures but to no avail.

Very good tire in my opinion.

The wet grip is not brilliant but is certainly not as bad as other budget tires I have used in the past.

Very good value for money!

Worst and most dangerous tires I have ever fitted, and one ruptured it's casing on a very small pothole. In one word? Rubbish

I have a Jaguar XK8 4.2 and did some research into these tires. I'm really glad I did! Once you've taken off the slippery film protecting the tires for storage (I just turned off the traction control and did a wheel spin which did the trick) the grip was excellent. I live 100 miles from my office which is a combination of motorways and back roads so they have to cope with a lot of different road surfaces and conditions. I've only done approx 1000 miles so far, but in that time they've been in all conditions from torrential rain to lovely dry roads. Even under heavy acceleration on wet B roads in poor condition they still remained in control providing feedback. Even with the traction control off they inspire confidence and you can feel when they are about to break away. I chose these as in the past on previous cars I used the GoodYear Eagle F1 GS-D3 which was fantastic and this tire having a similar treat pattern I thought would be good in the wet. From what I've seen so far this is definitely the case. The most impressive thing is these tires fitted were only £150 each compared to up to £300 for other premium brands. I'm really struggling to see the reason for paying the extra. Fantastic road holding, excellent water clearance which is important for a wide low profile tire and quiet at high motorway speeds. I have Michelin Pilots on the front, when these are worn I'll be replacing them with Maxxis'. Excellent value for money and I believe there is also newer version out called “MA Z1 Drift” which are even better.

Replaced the original Pirellis with Goddyears and wear, grip are both much better. Pity I cannot get the same tire for the front now

Grip is good enough but wear not so good. I will probably try Dunlop Sport Maxx TT or Goodyear F1 Asymetric next time