New pirelli tyres?

[Nik]

Does anyone know where you can get the proper 255 45 18 assimetrico rear tyres and the 245 45 18 direczio tyres from ? preferably at a sensible price and must be pirelli p zeros , thanks guys
(the forum great isnt it !!!!!!!)

[stanner]

nik. I have just started to look for some myself, so far, mytyres.co.uk but I think they only deliver and dont fit them so not so good,more reseach to do yet, stanner..

[GrandTourer]

Hi Nic and Stanner,
there has been a shortage of Pirelli Zeros over quite a few months now, but the best deal I have been able to discover recently (2 May 06) is Kwik-Fit Tyre Services.
They have an offer on of 4 for the price of two, ie you pay for the 2 (cheaper) front tyres and for one (more expensive) rear tyre and get the second rear tyre free. I was quoted for a set of 18" P Zero for the XK8 a price of £ 546 (normal price is £ 734). That is fully fitted and works out at an average of £ 136.50 per tyre, not bad at all in my opinion.

By the way, this applies to all Pirellies, Continental and one or two other makes.
Hope this helps.

[Harland]

Hi Nic
This is the first time I have used the message board so I hope it works - I have however had a long chat with Grand Tourer on the phone which was most helpful with regard to the fitting of a chrome boot plinth to my 1996 XK8 and I am having the work carried out next week
Back to the subject of Tyres - I had 2 Pirelli PZeros 18in fitted to my front wheels last week by Bathwick Tyres at a cost of £296 which was the best price I could find in the local Poole area of Dorset. The Kwik Fit price quoted by Grand Tourer is still slightly better.
Happy motoring
Harland

[mike020150]

One on-line company I've used successfully on occasions is blackcircles.com. You have the choice of buying tyres with fitting at one of the many usual tyre outlets or supply only. Prices change very quickly (up and down), presumably reflecting whether Black Circles has a current batch deal going with the tyre manufacturer and for the particular tyre size concerned. Checking prices is quick and is easy on-line. I have no connections with the business other than as a customer, twice previously. Mike.

[stanner]

kwik-fit are doing a good deal on pirelli tyres, but i have read posts about the equipment they use being a bit dodgy, a possibility of wheel damage was mentioned, total confusion, stanner

[Sharfrs2]

I had a set of Continentals fitted to my XK a couple of months ago by Kwik Fit and they were very good. They came to my house and fitted all four in just over an hour without any damage to the wheels. The technician was very courteous and even refused a tip. The tyres themselves were brilliant, much quieter than the Pirellis.

These tyres and 18" Flute wheels are now up for grabs as I've now got 20" Montreals fitted.

[MarkyM]

I changed to Eagle F1 GS-D3's and they are a phenomenal improvement over Pzero's both in cornering, noise and grip. I've also covered 16k miles on them and there is no discernable wear (whereas PZ's are known to wear out by then.

Probably the reason the GS-D3's are rated as the best tyre both in the US and in Europe.

Tyre technology has moved on considerably in the last 11 years, and whilst Jaguar claim the tyre was specifically designed for the XK8 they aren't being used on the new XK are they? It just comes down to the maximum discount Jaguar can get from their manufacturers for resupply (look at how much they charge you for Castrol oil at servicing time!

Regards

Mark

[JohnFrewer]

I'll second that MarkyM. I also use F1 GSD3's and won't be going back to Pirellis. The Eagle's are better in the wet and I want something that'll stop me quickly in the wet as well as giving me a safer margin for losing the back end in the wet. They deliver on both counts.

Regards

John

[painter]

I need one rear tyre soon, all others are good but can I replace the rears for Eagle F1 - GS-D3's with Pirelli Pzeros on the front?
Does anybody know if the 2000 XKR alloy 'senta double five' is still available?
Best looking wheel by far on XK's IMHO, but don't see them for sale now

[MarkyM]

I didn't think the 18" wheels were Senta double fives. The 'Senta double 5's' are fitted to the New XK and come in a 20" size.

If it's the 18" your after then they have become increasingly rare even on Ebay since they have not been manufactured in around 5 years.

To confirm it's the 18" your after take a look at my gallery pics and confirm that mine are the wheels your looking for.

My only recommendation would be to try to save a search on Ebay for 'XKR Double five' and you'll be notified if anyone lists them in the future.

Good luck!

Mark

[painter]

Yes they are the ones MarkyM, (you lucky **), and certainly 18" - so not the senta's then. Pity they are not manufactured now, they seem to have been made for the XK range. What are they called? I will keep looking on 'e' bay but if you are ever tempted to purchase new wheels you have a customer.

[MarkyM]

Painter...and we're roughly in the same part of the country!

I was tempted to purchase a lighter set of 19" (Oz Ultraleggera's) which would have lowered the unsprung weight by almost 20kgs. However they don't make them in my PDC.

Even the Double 5's weigh in at a hefty 14.4kg each without rubber and those that move up to 20" jaguar wheels add a minimum of another 25KG's to their unsprung weight which is power sapping.

If I do sell them I have a set of 5 (1 spare front) and will keep you in mind

Your search should be 'XKR double five' since they were fitted as standard to R's and options on 8's from 98. The hard (but cheaper) way to do it would be to buy on wheel at a time remembering that the fronts are 8 inch and rears are 9...invariably fronts go for much higher since they're the ones your most likely to curb. More common are the 18" 'fluted alloys' and they come up on ebay more often.

Good luck

Mark

[m_hagger]

Just had my tracking sorted out this morning at a Pro Tyre outlet in Slough. I was very impressed with their friendly service, professional approach and straightforward explanation of the work being carried out. I have heard bad things about franchises such as this in the past, but used this one based on recommendation and will not hesitate to use them again.

The time has come to look for replacement rear tyres. I'm running Dunlop 255/45ZR18 SP9000 on the rear at the moment and am considering replacing them with the same. I haven't had any problems with traction or noise and they can be purchased for a much more reasonable price than tyres such as Continentals. E.g. Pro Tyre are doing Dunlops for £115 a tyre. While I notice that Kwik Fit are still doing their special offer on Pirelli tyres, is it really worth stretching my budget to replace my rears with the recommended Assimetricos rather than just staying with the cheaper Dunlops? Is there any preceptible difference in rate of wear, road noise etc?

Also, any views on the Vredestein Ultrac tyres?

[GrandTourer]

As long as the tyres are ones which meet the Jaguar spec for your car (the choice is not great) you should be ok. I understand that the recommended tyres have strengthened side walls - its a pretty heavy car and powerful).
I also have the 18" flutes and use the recommended Pirelli tyres and find them ok in use.