Does any of you feel that the road noise from the wheels / tires on the XJL SC is a bit loud? Kind of bothers me.
My CLS63 with very low profile custom wheel was just as loud. But I am on the OEM wheel on the Jag. Is that from the crappy Dunlops?

Or is simply me being a bit overly noise sensitive? (No, I do NOT want a Lexus, but still).

Any input? Please share. Wondering if I should change wheels, tires or so.

 

I have the Dunlops on my car also and I don't find them loud at all. In fact, I remember being initially impressed because I expected them to be louder than they are. It could also be that the roads here in Orange County are actually pretty good (compared to LA where they are crap)

Have you checked your air pressure recently? Maybe overinflated a bit? Just guessing...

 

I have the Dunlops as well and they aren't too loud considering they are 20 inch low profile tires. I had the 20 inch Pirelli's on my previous car an XF S/C and they were about the same noisewise as the Dunlops. However I replaced those pirelli's with Hankook Ventus tires and they were considerably quieter and as a bonus about half the price as the dunlops or pirelli's with similar performance.

The pirelli's didn't last at all, they were totally worn out at about 5k miles, but I have almost 6k miles so far on the dunlops and they are still in good shape.

 

I, too, have the 20" Dunlops and it looks like I will get 10,000 to 12,000 miles out of the rears and a little more out of the fronts. I'm okay with that since I used to get only 4,000 to 5,000 miles out of the Pirelli P Zero's on the rear of my Maserati QP and they cost $500 a pop, but they sure had grip! They were 285/30's and I constantly dinged my rims in potholes and got bubbles on the sidewalls causing even earlier tire replacement. The Dunlops are not as low profile and this sure saves the rims and tires. Don't really notice any excessive road noise with the Dunlops, but they aren't as sticky as the Pirelli's.

 

No noise problems to report here (SC with OEM dunlops).

Quiet in normal traffic, and the wonderful engine note while accelerating.

On the other hand, maybe Jaguar was up to something when they put the 1200 W B&W in the SC models. Heh heh.

 

I have the OEM Dunlops as well and after you mentioned it I took a ride with the stereo off(because it is normally on 50) and I didnt notice in unusual road noise. Actually it was quite serene.

 

Yes Gears, this car does empirically produce a lot of road noise for an uber-sedan. Far higher dbs than a 7 series, s-class, or A8. I blame the Dunlops mostly, but its not enough of a bother to replace them at 3k miles. Next set will be Pilot Sport 2's or 3's...much quieter tire, and better performance to boot. I think the other part of the issue is that Jaguar wanted you to be able to hear the engine growl, so theres not as much dampening.

 

IMO.
No new tyre is 'noisy' if they are wearing correctly as they should. If a tyre becomes even slightly scalloped I have heard noises that sounds like a dif that has 24 hours to go.

This can happen due to a number of factors from mechanical alignment problems to driving styles. While most of the latest tyres have differences in levels of road noise this is not usually the problem with 'excess' road noise.

 

Guys,
thanks for all the great feed back. First, I don't think the noise was as much initially. I further believe direng's comment is very accurate and I already checked wear and so on. Fact that during braking the noise is higher points in that direction. Thinking possible allignemnt. (Got nasty nasty potholes in Chicago and may be I hit one too many). I even thought of wheel bearing, but don't really think that it. (I will drive through soft grass which will show the difference. Old trick which never fails to spearate tire noise from bearing noise)
I will simply drive my buddy's exactly identical XJ one of these days to make sure to have a good comparison. I simply believe my car was quieter when I got it.
OK, OK I am VERY noise sensitive. I know and always knew (and all tests show) that BMW and Audi are about 1-2 db lower. But I prefer the tighter handling (especially over the so un BMW like new 7 series) and the great engine growl.
I guess I will check in with the dealer one of these days. Possible eak out a tire or 2 on warranty as I have had Dunlop tire issues before on my 98 XJ (and so did many others) and Jaguar just replaced the tires knowing they had allignment issues until they changed allignement specs.
I'll post my update. In the meantime I will enjoy the 1200W Bowers & Wilkins just a bit more. I still love the car, I am just a perfectionist.
Again, thanks all for your input. It really helped a lot.

 

....and this is what I love this forum for and what I appreciate all the great people around here. Great place to exchange info and get input. I needed to add that as I am a bit tired of some completely putting this great car down to the point it becomes almost unbelievable. If they really had so much bad luck I would say, vent here, be done with it, get out and move on. No point staying with a car you don't like (just so you can keep complaining around here.
Again, thanks all for the input, and NO I am not one of those complainers. I LOVE the car and I simply hope Jaguar is monitoring this forum to even make it better.

 

Amen. There is nothing wrong with seeking or offering advice on a forum--that's the whole point. Continuously bashing a car on its own forum is not acceptable--do that on a competitor's forum.

 

Today I thourougly inspected my front tires and wheels. The inside of the front tires is worn about twice as much as the outside. Next to each tread groove is a little bump due to so little rubber left. No wonder it sounds like driving on a washboard when braking.

Now, all that with about 6k mls and modest driving?! Wow. Reminds me about my '98 Vanden Plas. Jaguar replaced tires TWICE at their expense because of known alignment or tire issues. I needed new tires twice under 8k mls and that was not a supercharged car. Also had Dunlops then. Back then they did right by me.

Not sure what to expect now. I sure didn't expect the need for new tires at just under 6k mls. I will keep you posted once I'll bring it up with my dealer (Elmhurst Jaguar) and see what they say. I hope Jaguar is doing the right thing as I don't think it is normal to need new tires after only 6k mls and modest driving. Supercharged or not.

 

The torque of the supercharged model could certainly impact the wear on the rears, but not the fronts. Sounds like an alignment or wheel balance problem. Have you been hitting many potholes? Have you noticed any front end vibration at high speeds? If so, a bent rim could be the culprit.

 

Well I lifted the fronts of the ground. Turned them, took them off. The rims are absolutetly perfectly round and have no dent or scratch. I really didn't hit many potholes but the roads around here are sometimes a bit rough. I can't remember anything that hard which would cause a misalign or bent rim.
No vibration or shimy in the steering wheel.
It simply is both fronts are so far down that the tread pattern on the inside of the tire becomes a "bumpy" surface and judging by type of the noise, vehicle speed and the pattern on the tire, that is exactly what I keep hearing. Sounds like one of those rough deep tread pattern off road tires you see on some jeep wranglers.
And since its on the front, the torque or power of the car have nothing to do with it. And I certainly did't do any heavy driving on curvy mountain roads, since here in the Chicago area all is flat and straight.

 

Gears,
Maybe the tires are bad. Again my car is quite in my estimation. I just got it back from putting ceramic tint on it and its very quite. I only have about 5 grand on my tires with alot of tread left.

 

Any new feedback regarding tires and road noise on the XJL SC? I have to replcae tires. Its my first Jag. My prior Mercedes s63 had less noise on the Conti tires. My dealer in Austin is suggesting Dunlops again with option of Continental Contact or Pirelli Pzero nero a/s. It appears that folks in this forum are also suggesting Bridgestone. My interest is best performance but quiet and good life.

Any feedback or suggestions as to specific tires experience would be appreciated. Thanks to all.

 

I've heard Dunlop, Pirelli, Continental, etc. mentioned but anyone know if Michelin tires are found on the Jaguar? If you have Michelin tires on your Jag what has been your experience? Thanks.

 

I just installed Michelin Pilot Super Sports, but had to go up in size. So I have gone from Dunlap SP Sport Maxx GT 245/40ZR20 275/35ZR20 that are marked "J" for Jaguar to 265/35ZR20 and 295/30ZR20 (sizes used on the XJR) that are marked "*" for BMW. They are untouchably the better tire for me. The response and handling are improved they are quiet and roll perfectly round. The only thing is that I feel slightly more bumpyness in the rear, but as the tires wear in that is diminishing too. My tech Keith at Jaguar swears by Pilot Super Sports and suggests them to jag owners looking for ride, handling, and performance. I made the point of indicating what manufacturers the tires are made for as they are optimized for that brand and if you are buying a set of tires you want to make sure that they match. However not all tires are branded this way but if they are please make sure they match all the way around. Just check on Tire Rack and you see.

 

Thanks for this response. On my truck I first installed Michelin's in 2002 and have been extremely pleased with them in any weather situation. Also had them on my '91 Lincoln Mark VII Bill Blass Edition. On the '12 XJL-Porfolio the original tires (Pirellis) are doing ok but have not yet driven this automobile in rain or snow so don't know how they'll perform in those conditions. I once had Pirellis on my new 1973 Datsun 240Z (traded it for a new '76 Z car but wish I hadn't) but had a bad experience and got rid of them and said I would never again have Perillis on my car, but they came on the Jag when I got it in November. When it's time to change the Jag tires I was thinking about the Continentals, but first wanted to hear from someone who has used Michelins. I'll do some checking with my dealer about Michelins or Continentals for this automobile.

 

I had Pilot's installed as well and at first they were awesome. But as they started to wear they became deathly unstable. To the point where I almost got into accidents because the backend would start to wobble uncontrollably when I would aggressively accelerate. I went up in size as well. This taught me a valuable lesson. Never mess with the OEM recommended sizes on a high performance car. I live in Germany so I am able to drive my car very fast on a daily basis so having the right tires could be a matter of life or death. I went back to the Dunlops because out of all the tires I've tried they worked the best for me.