205/70r15 Tyres - What are people buying?

[domedan]

Hi all, I’ve just bought a Series 3 XJ6 that needs 5 new tyres amongst many other things. Choice seems to have dwindled since I last bought some for the E Type. I bought Blockleys for the E but (to keep costs down) I don’t mind buying more modern looking things for the XJ6.

So far, apart from Blockleys (£208.80) and really expensive vintage Dunlops, Michelins and Avons, I have only found a Uniroyal RainExpert 5 for around £105. That has an H speed rating (130mph). I think T rating is is next one down and a couple tyres available on that rating but it’s too low isn’t it?

Is there anything else does anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

Dominic

[domedan]

I should have said, there are other tyres available in that size but they are all 4x4 or van tyres.

[XJ_Driver]

Hi Dominic,

I fitted Blockleys to my XJ Se.2 a couple of years ago, and have never regretted it.

[poprivet]

KWE has info on this which may help:

https://www.kwecars.com/jaguar-tech-cen ... j-saloons/

[domedan]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I’ve been happy with Blockleys but was just wondering if there was a cheaper option (things are all a bit tighter these days aren’t they!) that anyone has used. I’ll have a look at the KWE link, thanks for that.

Dominic

[domedan]

I think the KWE info is a bit dated (P4000 not made for a long time) and they seem to favour low profiles and wider tyres.

Would a 215/65/15 be ok on a standard S3 Pepperpot? There is a wider choice in that size. By my calculations the sidewall would be 139.75mm as opposed to 143.5mm of the standard size so only about 8mm difference in overall diameter and I assume 215 will fit ok on the 6” wide wheel?

Sorry, this is incredibly boring, I know.

[malbasys730]

I too have the same problem. I bought my 2.8 MOD Ser 1 with 215/15 T rated Prestivo tyres (M + S). They are out of date but, by all indications, the car has always been garaged so shouldn't have deteriorated too much. Two issues:
According to my TomTom (which I trust), the speedo is under-reading by about 9% - more than enough to land one in trouble.
Driving sensibly, I've now felt them starting to let go in the wet on a couple of occasions - more than enough to focus attention.

The handbook stipulates a V-rated tyre for both summer and winter but there are no all season or winter V-rated tyres available in this size.
All our vehicles are on all-season tyres: the wet weather grip is just so much better, particularly at lower temperatures.
I'm considering Maxxis all season: https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rshop/tyre/Ma ... H/R-411665. H rates safe to 130mph.
Aside from price, a couple of tyre dealers have assured me they are excellent, with one mentioning that they might perish slightly quicker than some competitors. This is hardly a consideration on a car that is garaged and seldom used in the wet. Other downside: a modern look - but less than a third the price of Dunlop Aquajets.
As a 2.8 is rated for a top speed of under 130mph (I think the same applies to a 4.2) my next move is to seek insurance company advice - knowing that my current tyres are not okay.

[domedan]

Malbasys730 - I ended up buying the Uniroyal Rainexpert 5 205/70/15, as I'm trying to save money but draw the line at the generic Chinese tyres at £50-ish that are labelled as having poor stopping ability. There really was nothing else in a mid to premium modern tyre with a minimum H (130mph) rating that wasn't a van/SUV/4x4 tyre.

You don't really want Van/SUV/M&S tyres on an XJ as the sidewalls will be stiffer which will affect the ride. I usually stick to the original size also so as to not detrimentally affect the handling too much or overburden the suspension. I would normally have bought the Blockley radials which are good and £100+ a tyre cheaper than Michelin/Pirelli etc.

I don't know anything about the maxxis and yours is a 215 so I haven't searched for those. Try Blackcircles (fitted or mail order) and Camskill (mail order).

[malbasys730]

Hello Domedan,

I too have rethought the Chinese Maxxis, having not found anyone who had actually tried them. Instead, I have fitted Vredestein Quatrac 5 all-season, as I run on my MX-5 and Opel Manta: exccellent tyres in both wet and dry, and not too far behind a full winter tyre on snow. To do so I had to go to 215/65X15 but they are H-rated: 130mph - adequate for a 2.8, and the price is in line with that of current tyre sizes. The downside is that the sidewalls look a little modern and rolling circumference is 1% less than 205/70s but the speedo is pretty much spot on according to a satnav and to say the car feels different is an understatement. While toe-in is correct and the old tyres were wearing evenly, I was concerned camber and/or castor might have been slighty out as the car felt slightly insecure over indulations. My error: it was down to the tyres. Its now totally secure and, while the handling of an XJ will never rival that of an MX-5, its feeling a lot closer than it was. I've run on Vredestein Quatrcacs for the past several years and would thoroughly recommend them for the XJ too.