Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum - optimizing winter wheels for F type

Snow tires and wheels. Winter tires on dedicated rims for the F-Type. Recommendations.

I won’t take my F-Type out into a snow storm, but I will happily exploit its all-wheel-drive rain/ice/snow mode to take it out onto plowed roads -- including over ice and slush.

I live in The Minneapple.

We. Get. Snow.

And Ice.

And Slush.

Before I go on, I want to give a shout-out of gratitude to Unhingd of JaguarForums.

He helped me a number of times through this learning curve.

Thanks again, Unhingd.

The OEM summer tires on the ’16 R are 255-35-20s front, and 295-30-20s rear.

The OEM 20” wheels’ widths are 9” front, and 10.5” rear.

(The SVR uses 9.5” and 11” wide rims. And for reference, F-Type R offsets are 55 in front and 38 in back; I don’t know if the SVR has different offsets, but the bolt pattern of all F-Types is 5 x 108.)

Winter tires should be narrower -- to cut through slush. And of course the rubber compound and tread should be designed for winter conditions. Those changes make for an astonishing difference in winter drivability – even on dry roads because good summer tires get hard as hockey pucks on pavement under about 40 degrees.

For narrower tires in back, you’ll need different rims. Since you’ll need different rims in the back, you may as well have dedicated winter rims, all four. Then, since narrower tires perform so much better, make them the same size front and back and get the bonus of being able to rotate your winter tires.

Therefore, you want dedicated rims for your winter wheels – not only for size, but also for how well their finish holds up to winter road-spray. More on rims below.

For winter tires:

I recommend a size or two narrower than the front OEMs. I went one size narrower, 245s. Also, go a size taller, and go to 19” rims, for even taller sidewalls. 245-45-19s. This delivers not only better traction through slush and snow, it also makes for a smoother ride over winter roads.

(19” wheels did fit over my R’s steel brakes, the larger ones. 380mm in front. Unhinged reports that not all aftermarket 19s will clear them. Certainly, none will fit over the optional carbon ceramic brakes. Those require 20s. More on rims below.)

(Correct me if my tire-size math is wrong: 245-45-19s are 0.7” taller than OEM. That’s an increase of the tire diameter by 2.59%. When the speedometer reads 65, the actual speed will be 67 mph.)

I was happy to learn that my favorite tires to handle plowed winter roads are available in that size. I like Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s. Fantastic ice and slush tires. I believe they are the state-of-the-art non-studded tires on ice. (Wonderful technology of ‘crystals’ blended throughout the rubber that function like molded-in studs.) I’ve put that tire on my SUVs for years; it performs miraculously on ice and it cuts through slush with control and stability, as promised:

$285 in 2018 October.

Rims:

Over the years, I’ve learned to use dedicated rims for Minnesota winters. They should be completely powder-coated, no machined surfaces or edges, no clear-coat. Winter roads eat clear-coat. Powder-coating holds up.

I. Shopped. Rims.

Hard.

More on my shopping travail below, in case you’re interested, but here’s my recommendation:

For an inexpensive aftermarket rim that looks good, with a finish that will hold up, TSW makes a few. Some black, some silver. A few different offsets. (More on offsets below.) TSW’s website has a good configurator. And Niche makes a couple beauties; look at the Niche Misano M117, and Altair M192. Those are offset 40. They need hub rings. More on hub rings below, too. All these wheels are priced under $300. (2018)

Spacers for the rears:

This set-up with rear wheels as narrow as the fronts results in those rear wheels’ faces mounting an inch-and-a-half inboard of the fronts. Too far inside the rear fenders. Fugly. So, get spacers for the rears – technically hub-centric adapters – an inch-and-a-half thick, to bring them out to the fenders to match the fronts’ stance. $140 for a pair of them custom-made, black anodized. From Motorsport Tech, 280 S Rock Blvd, Ste 100,Reno, Nevada 89502 775-351-1000. Lenny. Good guy. Did a couple group-buy deals for JaguarForum members in the past. http://www.motorsport-tech.com

Regarding offsets:

If I’ve done my math correctly, to get the face of an 8.5”-wide wheel to where the OEMs’ are in front, the rims would need an offset of 47.5. That means the common offsets of 40-42 will move the face of the wheel and tire outboard of where the OEMs sit, approximately a quarter-inch.

Some of the JaguarForum guys have pushed their OEMs out 15 - 17mm, plus lowered their cars, and have found there is still no tire rubbing.

In other words, regarding offsets, you do have quite a bit of lee-way.

Say, for instance, you go with 19 x 9s. You could get away with only a 40 offset. (Although, since that would move the face of the wheel outboard a bit, it would make for more winter road grime on the side of your car.)

I bought a 19 x 8 rim with an offset of 40. So my rims’ faces are just a touch further outboard than the OEMs. On those rims, the 245-45-19s clear the front fenders just fine, even at full lock while turning to enter a driveway.

Hub rings:

The Jag’s hubs are 63.40 mm diameter. Most of the non-custom wheels I found have larger center bores than that. So, you put perfect-size rings on to keep the wheels centered properly. Hub rings. TSW offers hub rings. I don’t know if Niche does, but I bet they do (although the two Niche wheels I listed above both have the correct center bore diameter: 63.4.) The rings offered by aftermarket wheel manufacturers are typically made of plastic. They won’t last forever, so buy a set of replacements to have on hand. They’re just a few bucks. Or better yet, have some made of aluminum, to last. Motorsport will custom-make those for you, too. Or this place just might have some in stock: https://www.uswheeladapters.com/hub-rings/ They make custom hub rings, too.

Those are my recommendations for driving your F-Type in the winter.