FYI - I just picked up a set of Dunlop Sport Race Maxx tires for sale - CHEAP!. $700 for all 4 delivered. Perfect for the F-Type R. These are the fastest tires you can buy for a street car IMO. I went with the slightly oversized 265/35/ZR20 on the fronts / 305/30/ZR20 on the rears. I had a set on the Porsche, and they were about 1-2 seconds faster than the Michelin Cup 2s.

They are being sold direct by Dunlop on Amazon and by discount resellers on ebay. They are New, but OLD stock. The ones I got are DOT 2015 which is the year they were manufactured. Not as good as freshly minted ones, but I promise much better than you have on your car now. Since Dunlop has come out with a new "2" series, I think they are dumping them.

NOTE: I only recommend these for people in warm climates and with AWD. They do have 3 grooves for rain, but are at the very minimums for street driving. I was flying down the Autobahn in the Porsche at 140 mph going through puddles was unnerving. Of course, the FType AWD is another story - the car is freaking amazingly composed and easily allows fitting the sporties of tires. These perform best when hot such as at the track. But, I have found them to be comfortable down to about 55 degrees outside air temp on the street. But, if you do run sporty tires in the cold, you need to be aware that they are LESS sticky then a normal tire until the warm up when they become insanely sticky.

If you like to drive sporty, trust me you will love these things and they look great too.

 

Hi Matt, thank you for the great advice. The price is very attractive and I was wondering if you have tried these versus the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S? If so, would you say the Dunlops perform just as well on street and at the track? Also, are there any issues with mounting the 265s and the 305s on the stock 20 inch rims? Does the 10mm make a big difference?

 

Struggling to find the 305s could you send a link?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-New-Dunlo...AAAOSwoYxbeWDE

I have no affiliation with them, just searched on ebay and they popped up.

 

My opinion is the Michelin Pilot Sport are the top of the line in a balanced street tire. But, you give up a little grip to gain longevity. The Dunlops are the fastest tire, so you give up some longevity to get the extra grip.

The Dunlops are OEM equipment on track focused street cars like the Porsche GT4 and the GT3/GT3RS. Of all the "streetable" track tires, I feel the Sport Race Maxx have the softest compounds and therefore the highest grip and fastest wear. They are still street tires. No issues mounting the larger tires on the 20" rims, and the they look "normal". I studied the spec's on tire rack and they are designed to fit our wheels. Because of AWD, it is important that the rolling radius is nearly the same front to rear on the Jag's staggered set up. Does the oversize matter? Some. On the scale of performance improvement, tires are always the single biggest factor.

TIRE RACK SPECS

 

These are street tires, but a far cry from a PSS or PS4S in terms of wet grip. I personally wouldn't DD these anywhere where it rains or perhaps only during summer months in parts of the country where it doesn't rain.

Straight from TireRack's website:
However, like other Streetable Track & Competition tires, they are not intended to be driven on extremely wet roads with standing water where there is the risk of hydroplaning, or in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice. It's also essential these tires be stored indoors at temperatures maintained above 32 degrees F.

 

Good advice if you do not have AWD. See my note; I recommending these are for AWDs only. Nevertheless, they are in fact standard OEM equipment on many rear wheel drive Porsche Cayman and 911s and come with similar warnings. As reference, I drove the Cup 2s (similar wet characteristics) in a pouring storm 250 miles in the Jag AWD and did not even so much as wiggle. I'd let my 80 year mother drive 'em - total confidence with AWD. If you don't have AWD, I agree with Jaggy - it is safer to avoid Maxx Performance Tires.

And to put this all in perspective, when rear wheel drive race cars switch to "Rain Tires" during a race when it is pouring, they remove full slicks (no groves) and put on something similar to the Sport Maxx Race. My point is - it is not like you will go sliding all over the place - heck no! They have superior grip in dry and wet - it is just recommended to avoid standing puddles because max performance tires have shallower and fewer water dispersing groves to give you more rubber on the road.

Truly, my only point is these are $600 tires for $150. If you are AWD don't be afraid of them.

 

I have a RWD car. I am planning to put the 305s on the rear but what size should I put on the front?

 

I've got 265's on the front of mine on the new Vorsteiners and they are within a bee's dick of being proud of the wheel arch. They look awesome though.

 

 

I think these are what Jag put on as oem tires on my 2011 XF SC. If so, agree with the be careful in wet with rwd and under 45 degrees. But that temperature is the lowest safe driving gwith most any performance tire.

 

Nah, completely different tyres, you missed the "race" bit.

 

Yes, I think those were OEM on the XKR. They were horrible tyres - no grip and not a particularly good ride.

 

I did, thanks for the correction. The XF were Sport Max.

 

So if I go with the 305s on the rear would it be a better idea to stay factory front size? Or go up one size?

 

AWD cars hydroplane in exactly the same way as RWD cars.

 

+1. And AWDs don't stop any faster than RWDs.

 

 

 

Anyone?