That makes no sense and does not follow. I'm asking why not stick within the parameters designed by the car maker - especially don't go for reduced safety and poorer handling. The 3.0 with 9" width rims & 255 tires may well be OK but it's at best dubious to think the STR is. I sure wouldn't fancy the costs of insuring one like that!! (Over here it's mandatory and you must declare such changes.)

 

With going from STR setup to the 3.0 setup, you shed over 100lbs of unsprung weight which equates to less driveline hp loss, the smaller 3.0 brakes stop the S-Type just fine...Odds are you'd complete an autocross event faster with a 3.0 setup vs STR...

 

Ya but the STR brakes are sexy...

 

aka, very fashion accessory-ish, just like the Callisto 20s...

 

Very nice!
I actually searched for those wheels, but could not find them for a reasonable price. The closest I could find were 19" Moda R6 wheels which are discountinued. My rendition:

 

I did not expect this to generate such a debate. Anyway it is all down to personal taste, i travel at least 400 miles a week and so far i have not noticed any difference in the way the car drives or handles.

JagV8-call it a fashion accessory if you want but my car gets well used and i do not consider it to be a fashion accessory.

 

What did your insurance co. say when you told them you'd fitted non-standard rims, narrower than standard, with narrower tyres?

What did they say about the other mods?

How much extra premium?

 

I use Adrian Flux and it costs me £800 per year with all mods declared.

 

Ouch!!!

 

i like the rims..but i wanna know what kinda light bulbs youre using! are those xenon lights?

 

He has the Supercharged S-Type R, commonly referred to as the "STR"...All STRs & sport trim S-Types came from the factory with projector xenon lights...

 

You are doing something right if you stir up this much controversy with a subtle mod like this. It looks incredible and you did it because you wanted it. That is what it's all about. Even if you tracked your car, you'd swap wheels for track days. You probably don't track it or drive like an idiot on public roads, so the rolling stock you choose is of no consequence.

 

It's vital to realise he lives over here, where our laws are not yours. If you make a mod like that and it's not disclosed you're uninsured and it's a crime to be uninsured. Even if insured, if you are in any kind of accident and they check your vehicle, or if they make a check for another reason, and decide your mod does not meet the (many) relevant standards then you'll be off the road, fined, maybe even jailed (unusual), possibly vehicle impounded. In such a case and any kind of injury you can expect to get a criminal record and jail would be much more likely.

Insurers do not pretend to be knowledgeable enough to say whether a mod is safe or meets the laws. If they decide subsequent to an accident that they don't like the mod they'll slope their shoulders to the max extent permitted by law (and do not refund the policy fees).

You could track it, without the above applying, so long as you don't drive to/from the track with a vehicle that would not pass the laws.

My judgment is that this vehicle would NOT pass the relevant checks. It is up to the owner to make sure at all times that it would. This is separate from any OK given by an insurance co (they can't override the law).

The point of the laws is to safeguard other road users and to deter mods which are unsafe (as would be judged by a harsh and very competent expert, not as would be decided by the owner or ins co).

 

JagV8 and myself have had this "decrease wheel and/or rotor and/or tire size affects performance how?" debate before and will probably do it again...I have fun with it and I believe JagV8 does too...

Now you're questioning his morals/ethics yet perhaps he's already passed this safety inspection...Whether U.S., U.K., or even North Pole laws, very few people follow all laws...The OP has clearly made up his mind...

 

What inspection would that be? No such exists that I know about - until something bad happens. Then the police or the like do it.

 

So you are making me the bad guy now. Are you calling me an irresponsible driver?

Well it has just passed its MOT which was carried out by my local Jaguar dealer.

 

MoT does not check the spec of the car. Sad but true. So a pass proves a very bare minimum, as you should know.

Putting the wrong tyres and rims on doesn't strike me as irresponsible so much as potentially dangerous or lethal to others (and yourself, but that part is up to you). I wish you were in a different country with laxer laws rather than putting people here at risk.

 

John, you should see some of the dangerous modifications made to vehicles in our neck of the woods, particularly to the full-size Chevy, Ford, and Dodge pickup trucks. Chassis that put the truck body at least five feet off the ground. Wheel and tires that approach five feet in diameter. These monstrosities will roll over on you in a heartbeat. I meet one particular truck on the road every couple of weeks that sits twice as high as my standard Dodge Ram does. I just shake my head and wonder how in the hell that thing passes our annual safety inspections. Perhaps it does not and the owner simply flaunts the rules by driving it anyway....

 

I would hate to live where that happens. Mostly the UK is not like that. And as we're such a crowded island with lots of rain, fog, ice and snow it's a very good thing.

 

So now you are asking me to go and live some where else.

Well I do not appreciate being called dangerous. Are you an expert in road safety. I drive the car everyday 80 miles to and from work. I know how it handles you don't