Given
91%
while driving a
Jaguar XKR
(255/45 R18) on
a combination of roads
for 500
spirited miles
Night and day improvement from the stock Pirelli P Zeros.
First off no more tramlining, which was bad enough with the PIrellis that I reduced the tire pressure to the 28 comfort setting, which mitigated but didn't cure the issue.. Running the ZV7s at 34 PSI stock and no tramlining whatsoever.
Secondly my XKR now feels like a Grand Tourer, much reduced road noise and noticeably more comfortable ride. Turned her from a cheap feeling harlot into a lady with a streak of flith. Lots of potholes in Wales and the access road to my house is more suited to a 4x4. Previously I'd be steering round the potholes and always having to be looking out for them on the road. Much more comfortable now and makes driving much less tiring without any twitchiness.
Certainly seems to be much better and more assured in the wet, and more refined in the dry. Seem to warm up a lot faster than the PIrellis, though haven't noticed any difference in grip in the dry. One huge improvement however is a nice little squeal if you really push them. The Pirellis were grip, grip, grip ditch with no warning... The Avons you can tell when you are reaching the limits.
It took me quite some time to decide which tires to buy, including scouring the reviews and videos on this site. Two things made my mind up. Firstly the XKR has staggered wheels and all the bigger brands seem to chop their warranties in half for such. So that ruled out Michelins, Hankook Ventus ( which a friend recommended for their wet abilities... useful in Wales!) and several others. Dunlops are stock on the later XKRs and lots of people switch from them, or don't rate them.
What made my mind up however was talking to a friend in the plod. He says their white fleet is contracted to Goodyear but they insist upon Avons for their pursuit cars as they're specifically designed for our climate, hence give them the edge over scroats in high powered cars. I figure noone else does more fast driving in the UK than them, rather than Southern Europe where most of the tire tests seem to happen, so given a very reasonable price they were worth a shot.
Seems like a good choice so far, will review again after a few thou.