I just bought a 96 XJ6 Vanden Plas

Came with tires that are pretty worn and not really safe to drive on in my opinion.

Trying to buy the cheapest tires I can that will be the correct size/type for the vehicle.

The best deal I found was from my local Firestone for 225/60R16 with an H speed rating.

The lady at Firestone says that my XJ6 calls for a Z speed rating and if I put tires with an H rating it will affect the way the car drives. I would love to put a tire with a Z rating on this car but it's like $100 more for a set of 4. So, if it's not going to make a big difference while driving the speed limit or slightly above, I don't want to spend the extra cash right now. I have plenty of other things to spend it on right now like replacing the air conditioning.

The tires on the car now are 225/55 ZR 16 which I think are on the original factory rims.

So, my questions are:

1- What is the original size tire that came with the car? Is it 225/60R16?

2- If I am not planning to drive at a high rate of speed, say over 100mph, does the H speed rating really matter that much in terms of ride?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

 

The V/Z speed rated tires have a stiffer, stronger casing. With the H-rated tires you might give up a bit of crispness to the steering but if you tolerate that, you'll be fine.

You can't compromise on load rating, though. You'll want a minimum of "97" but "98" would be better.

225/60x16 is the correct size.

Cheers
DD

 

Did you check tirerack.com?

 

Hey fonewiz, I just took some 98's off my XJ6 if your interested.