Tyre choice?

[Orkney]

With a size of 235/60 x 15" it seems that new tyres are non existent - so far anyway. So what are people fitting instead?

Ian

[Andy P]

Hi Ian,
Have found these on tyres.net :
https://www.tyres.net/all-tyres/car/sum ... 00+201+202
I take it you have tried Vintage Tyres,Blockley or Longstonetyres
Hope that helps and that you are enjoying the XJS
Take care.
Andy

[Orkney]

Thanks for the reply Andy,
Using the link you provided you get Nangkangs - not sure about mounting those on such a quality car and although they list Pirellis, even at £220 quid plus per corner, they are no longer available - same applies to Longstone, Black Circles, My Tyres, Tyreleader et al.

The tyres on the car are good tread-wise but probably approaching half my age (already into my first 3 year driving licence) and I don't want to drive everywhere at walking pace or give the Insurance company a 'get out of jail free' card.

16" choices seem a bit better but 16" lattice alloys seem to be made from Unobtainium.

Ian

[PaulGover]

It once was the case that Pirelli waited until there was sufficient demand to make a batch of 15" tyres; not sure if it's still the case. It might be worth having a detailed talk with them.

[Orkney]

Thanks Paul,
Just tried contacting Pirelli via their pro-forma with all the usual Captcha guff only to find after jumping through all of the hoops that one drop down menu wouldn't work - couldn't go any further - Grrrr!

Avon appear to have Turbosteels but they are 70 profile rather than 60. Rolls Royce fitment - wonder if they would be ok in service? Speed and weight ratings obviously fine. Plenty of room in the arches and not too bothered about speedo error - can check with GPS.

Ian

[Orkney]

Just checked a tyre size comparison site and it appears that the ACTUAL speed over ground will be 7.1% greater than with the 60 series. That would still probably be ok with the usual 10% speedo error. In any case I would do checks first to verify before relying on speedo info. Not sure about the XJ-S V12 but all Jags and Daimlers I've had so far have a 'comfort setting' for tyre pressure allowing 6psi less, so that would help reduce the rolling radius a tad. Would obviously inform the Insurance company about the unavailability of exact size tyres (Nankang are only S rated - 112mph so that would be a big no-no) and the reason for the slight change.

Ian

[Charles1471]

I've just fitted Falken 225/60 15s to my 1989 coupe, sourced from Demon Tweeks. These replaced 10 year old Falkens inherited when i bought the car. They work well and are good value..

[Orkney]

Thanks Charles,
Were the originals 225 or 235 section? Not sure yet if I want to go down in section or up in aspect ratio. What was the speed and load rating on the Falkens? My first X308 had Falkens and they seemed fine I must admit.
Ian

[BigCatXJS]

I ran 225 Falken tyres on my 15" wheels for years. I never really noticed the difference on gearing or the speed reported on the speedo.

Around six years ago I switched to 16" wheels running Kumho Ecsta's but this year replaced them with Yokohama A008P 245/45 R16 W (94). Possibly the best tyre I have ever fitted to my XJ-S. Expensive but worth it for me.

[paulfrost88960]

I replaced mine with Falkens as someone else suggested. Though 225 instead of 235, KWE said that the newer compounds made up for the smaller (slightly) size and after 9000 miles i have been happy with them. Also good value as i got 5 for GBP 450 fitted from Halfords.

[ng4xjs]

Don't really know if I've done the correct thing. For as long as I can remember (and I have had XJSs since 1995, my current one for the last 14 years). I need 2 x new tyres on the front. The premier brand that I have stuck with all these years (on all four corners) price at the best part of £170.00 each. My local tyre fitter is recommending a Champiro mid range replacement at £80.00 and tells me they are good. I don't personally like the idea of different tyres front and rear but given this car has a reduced use these days I am inclined to put the savings to a decent meal out somewhere with my wife. Thoughts if any?

PS. I still have an all but new P6000 sitting in the garage. Must be rare by now.

Nick

[ptjs1]

Nick,

Those tyres are sold under the GT Radial brand. This chinese brand had a bad reputation for wet weather performance a few years ago, but I guess that may have improved. They are not distributed via some outlets such as Black Circles.

I've never gone down the budget brand route. Despite many of our limited mileages on our XJSs, we know that tyres are not just a critical safety and performance issue on our performance cars, but a really important element of the Jaguar ride quality. As everyone will say, those few inches of rubber are the only contact between you and the road.

After moving away from the dreadful deterioration of the Pirelli P6000s, I moved to Hankook tyres for the XJS. Original equipment for a number of manufacturers such as BMW & Mini, they are not budget tyres. Though, at £102 fitted for the 225/55 16 size, they sit comfortably under the £150 for the Pirelli & Michelin option. They've been great for noise, dry and wet weather and spirited quite fast (overseas!) driving.

As regards different tyres on each axle, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Don't have different tyres on a single axle, though. Maybe think about where you'll go with the next 2 tyres, as you'll then have a matching set.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

Paul

[ng4xjs]

Thanks Paul - I'm sticking with what I know best, the Perelli (but Hankooks on the X type have served well over the years).

Nick

[SimonR]

I just wanted to chime in here as I recently agonized about the best way forward with replacing all 5 aging Pirelli P600s that my car came with - there's a thread about it in the club forum, asking if there's any mileage in getting a batch made for the club.

I really wanted to keep my car original and I really like the look, ride quality and speedo accuracy that the Pirellis give it. IMHO, it just looks 'right' with the wider tyres and the P600 tread pattern.

HOWEVER - the cost of 5 P600s these days is ridiculous, and for the mileage the car is likely to do, out of the question. On the up side, KWE recommended the Falken tyres, which appear to be some of the only ones that will fit the 15" lattice wheels (with the correct load index and speed rating) and I've had nothing but positive experiences with this particular brand. In actual fact, they're seem to end up on every car I own as I really like their all-round performance and they're affordable.

Ultimately I made the decision and bought 5x Falken ZE310 Ecoruns for £416.79, delivered from Demon Tweeks. I've yet to fit them as I'm having the wheels refurbished soon so they'll get swapped on then.

It's just a shame that the Pirellis are now considered as 'classic tyres' and apparently only supplied through one UK distributor which seems to be an excuse to hike the price up by about 500% compared with what they cost when they were just standard fitment to the thousands of XJ-Ss that were on the roads back in the day.