Daimler Super V8 tyres & hens teeth

[Davidqhog]

Morning All,

First post here but certainly won't be the last! I bought a 2001 Daimler Super V8 earlier this year, 107k on the clock. It was part of an estate sale and I think I got a bargain. Apart from the tyres. One has a bolt stuck through the tread and all are down to 3mm. So, time for some new ones. That's where the problems start, nobody seems to do them! The ones on the car look like standard fit, Pirelli P6000 235/50 ZR17 96Y, but I can't find any normal supplier who can source a quality tyre in this spec. By quality, I mean Pirelli, Continental, Michelin, etc.

Anyone had this problem and found a solution? Don't have the same problem with my 1999 XJ8 Sovereign!

DQ

[PeterDavisX300]

Here Ya Go. I can see that some of the tyres on the page have 'W' Rating, but most of those with that rating will have a 'Y' rated equivalent, you just have to phone and ask. Some places do local fitting as well.

http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-finder/s=1 ... 235-50-r17

http://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/b ... e=33797488

http://www.mytyres.co.uk/cgi-bin/rshop. ... p=R-271392

[Davidqhog]

Thanks Peter! I'll try them!

[RichardSEL]

Thanks Peter! I'll try them!

On my Passat (tFSI 2.0L >232bhp) have had good results with Kumho -- first time with a non-premium brand -- had always been shod in Cinturato before. But pleasantly surprised.

The (wrong) 18" XKR Asteroids on my recently bought XJ8 Sport have Kuhmo Ecsta 255/40 ZR18 99Y XL on them. Seems previously "dodgy" far east makes aren't anymore...

[J44EAG]

It has been quite common knowledge that a J in a circle on for instance on an Pirelli tyre signified that it was standard OE spec as fitted at the factory.

What has always confused me is that it was possible to find a similar Pirelli tyre of the same dimensions and series ie P6000 but with the same speed rating and load details as that of the Pirelli (J in a circle) tyre. Just what is the difference?

Let us imaging an accident with a damaged car followed by an insurance engineer/assessor coming to look at the vehicle. From experience I had an engineer come to look at damage following a local community mini bus attack on my rear bumper. All the fellow seemed interested was my tyre tread depth and the specs on the sidewalls. Fortunately I had J spec Pirrelli fitted all round so that seemed to satisfy the man.

I wonder if the same outcome would have occurred if I had Pirrelli fitted which were devoid of the J marking?

My current 350R has two OE Mxx J spec on the front. Two new Avon seemingly similar load and speed rated spec tyres are fitted to the rear. Very good they are too but are devoid of the J code. One has to ask whether fitting of the Avons might result in an engineer attempting to say that those tyres were substandard for the perpose and claim issues might then result.

Views appreciated because as insurance companies are now so fond of saying that a change from OE on almost any part of the car transforms it into a modified vehicle.

Mike

[BrianG]

I wonder if the same outcome would have occurred if I had Pirrelli fitted which were devoid of the J marking?

Mike, I don't see how that could be a problem: the Jaguar 'approved' tyres shown in the owners' handbook only suggest the make, size and speed rating - they don't say they must have a 'J' classification marking on them to be approved.
I have heard of these 'J' marked tyres, but in all the years I've been driving Jaguars I have never been offered one (as in 'you really should have the special J version on your Jaguar, sir'), which presumably means the tyre fitting company would have missed out on pushing these for a bigger markup, as I bet they cost more than the unmarked ones.

I don't know if the 'J' marked ones are actually any better, i.e. selcted for better balance, or indeed the radial force variation, than bog standard tyres, but if they are then I am prepared to be corrected, but equally, would like to know where you get them and how much more expensive they are.

[J44EAG]

My info for my post was gleaned from Black Circles site prior to placing my order.

Two, as far as I could surmise, similar named Pirelli tyres were shown, with one of them being J marked. The price was a little higher.

Mike

[PeterDavisX300]

Insurance companies will try ANYTHING, to get out of making a payment, or finding a way to make a reduced payment. I've been an Engineer for 40 years, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm right, but I have strong opinions. If an engineer from an insurance company tried to tell me I had the wrong tyres when those tyres were the right size and specifications (but without a 'J' mark) I would inform the insurance company that I'd taken reasonable precautions to fit the right tyres, and they had passed (and would still pass) an MOT inspection proving the car was reasonably road-worthy. I would also contact the Insurance ombudsman and inform them that I feel my insurers were being unreasonable. Insurance assessors and Insurance companies tend to treat their customers as 'Ignorant-Gits'. I once asked an assessor (that was being unreasonable in my opinion) what his qualifications were, he said he was educated to City-and-Guilds 4101..............so "he knew his stuff". 4101 is like a second-year apprentice! Of course he had on the job experience, industrial experience and training but, when I told him I had done a C & G 381, 383, 390, and an old 169/170, (about 35 years ago), he made different assumptions about the car he was inspecting. No-one likes to be corrected, but insurance costs a lot of money, and as a customer you should expect a decent, fair, reasonable service. However, tyres are a very important part of a car, they are paramount to being able to control the brakes and steering, so you make your choices for your own piece of mind. I don't ever put on the most expensive tyres, I put on a good medium priced tyre that is the right price and the right speed and load rating. If I was doing any more than approximately 5k miles per year, I'd probably spend a bit more on tyres. I always look for the 'XL' rating at the end of the information that is on some makes, 'XL' = Extra-Load. Remember to check your pressures weekly, alloy wheels have a tendency to allow slow leaks more readily.

[J44EAG]

Very good indeed, Peter. An excellent summary I think on the subject. I feel another article in the making! More opinions would be appreciated.

I`ll go and see Protyre locally and have a chat with them on the subject. J code or not and with XL markings as I myself selected when having a new pair of Avons fitted, seemed sufficient for the purpose intended.

Mike K

[RichardSEL]

Currently my '01MY XJ8 is shod with Kumho Ecsta 255/40 ZR18 99Y XL with 6mm even tread all round -- is it really true that a loss adjuster would see these and reject a claim because they're not the P6000 (J) that were OEM?
I thought Pirelli had discontinued the P6000 series?

My Asteroid rims are the wrong size for XJ8. But are correct and OEM for XJR. Since the X308 chassis is common to both AFAIK in both Exec and Sport variants would a loss adjuster also reject a claim because of this?

I've already got replacement Celtic rims. And am thinking of fitting Michelin Greens 235/50 ZR17. Again, not OEM but premium brand. More possible loss adjuster objections?

Few years back some of the newer "cheeep" brokers (Oh, yes!) were exacting a premium supplement because radio head unit wasn't standard. Until the Insurance Ombudsman stepped in and issued a well-worded press release

[RichardSEL]

Correction: Michelin Green 235/50/R17 96H -- even though you get the correct size, the speed and load rating are important: 96H indicates load of 710kg, and H indicates max 130mph

[PeterDavisX300]

Correction: Michelin Green 235/50/R17 96H -- even though you get the correct size, the speed and load rating are important: 96H indicates load of 710kg, and H indicates max 130mph

I would definitely make sure I had the correct speed rating 'H' is not enough. Tyres are not 'Just' rated 'H' (for example) for the top-speed, but also for how much 'Torque' a vehicle uses to get to that top-speed.