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Bottom line up front, I got my hands on a set of Sepangs in great conditon with new trim rings! Haven't mounted yet, looking at tire options. Scared to death of potholes already. I can see visions of the ones in my area I know about and am strategizing lane changes now. Has anyone mounted a wider tire (and barely taller sidewall in the same series) to try and help protect against curbing, without rubbing? Can spacers be used effectively in conjunction with this objective?
Here is the output of options from that great Miata tire calculator that I'm impressed is still online and serving everyone of all stripes. OE size is on top. Bottom three sizes under consideration but please provide others and advise.
It'd be great to be able to tweak the new setup just a bit to protect the wheels and also potentially give it a sightly wider stance and lower COG. Done slightly different tire sizes and spacers with multiple other vehicles more times than I've left well enough alone, with good results (big fan of H&R Trak+ and Spidertrax hubcentric spacers).
If you have chrome trim rings, doesn't that mean that you have X100 Sepangs? They are incompatible to the X350 hub (5X120 vs 5X108). I am currently in the process of putting the 10" rear XK barrels on the X350 rim face, and use a H&R 20mm spacer to compensate for the new ET of 62. 15mm would be better, but with 20 I can hope to keep the inner wheel liner.
I would add 255/40R20 as an option, that's what I have on the front (285/35 rear). Another member here tried the 255/40 & 285/35 rear combo, and was very satisfied to the results. I tried 285/30 rear, and was not (potholes...).
One caveat, unless you go to something like a 285/45, a 9" rim is too narrow for a 285. I mean it looks almost OK (I drove with 285s on 9"), and I don't think it's dangerous, but it's outside the recommended rim range. If you want to do it right, you either go crazy like me and buy another 2 rear Sepangs from an XK & split them, or you limit to a 275/35 rear. You could go 245/40 front to keep F/R diameters in check.
I also tried 265/35 as a square setup, but I found that they still don't offer the rim protection I desire (admittedly, the roads in Transylvania are awful).
Next weekend I hope I can get the weels back from reconditioning, and perhaps also put them back on the car, if I can repair the supercharger in situ, and not have to pull it for a rebuild....
Last edited by Matei Dima; Feb 8, 2022 at 05:32 AM.
What I have on my SV8 to protect my 20" Calisto wheels is a set of 255/40 R20 tires.
The difference is 3.7%.
With such a set, no issues up to now wrt potholes.
Advantage is also that you do not need any spacer, and the wheel arches are slightly more filled.
2494317[/url]]If you have chrome trim rings, doesn't that mean that you have X100 Sepangs? They are incompatible to the X350 hub (5X120 vs 5X108).
Man, you nearly gave me a heart attack this morning. Thankfully this was incorrect and mine fit OK. I wrenched two of them on for good measure after jacking the car up this evening to be sure with all 5 bolts and they’re perfect. All four wheels are numbers matching.
Not sure if the chrome ring bit is accurate as you mentioned to ID 5x108 vs 5x120, but certainly worth anyone confirming before purchase. Seller of mine just said they were compatible with the X350 but didn’t mention the bolt pattern. I should have asked, but I also got lucky.
Now… a strong nightcap after all that and back to tire shopping…
What I have on my SV8 to protect my 20" Callisto wheels is a set of 255/40 R20 tires.
The difference is 3.7%.
With such a set, no issues up to now wrt potholes.
Advantage is also that you do not need any spacer, and the wheel arches are slightly more filled.
Hi paydase
Could you possibly post up a pic of the car with those tyres? My car had 245/40-20 tyres on my Callistos when I got it so replaced them with the correct size, but I would be interested in the size change if it helps on our rough roads.
Pete M
Sentinelist, first of all I owe you the whole quantity of alcohol needed to get over the scare I caused you, I just wanted to make sure you haven't got the wrong rims. To my knowledge, the X350 didn't get chrome rings, but the same way some XK owners remove them, perhaps some XJ owners add them also?
I tried going 265/35 all-round, the improvement is marginal, still had to straighten rims once every two weeks. If traction is not your major concern, I would strongly recommend going 255/40. I can confirm that 255/40 F + 285/35 R does not rub, not even lowered (20mm front, 15 rear I believe, like Cambo did to his XJR - there is a thread on the matter). Again, 285/35 is just outside the 9" recommended spec. If you wish to go wide, get at least 275/35, it may be sufficient, but as I said, 265/35 is deffinitely not. Like I said before, if you don't care that much about traction in corners, 255/40 is awesome, and it also looks quite good!
Sentinelist, first of all I owe you the whole quantity of alcohol needed to get over the scare I caused you, I just wanted to make sure you haven't got the wrong rims. To my knowledge, the X350 didn't get chrome rings, but the same way some XK owners remove them, perhaps some XJ owners add them also?
I tried going 265/35 all-round, the improvement is marginal, still had to straighten rims once every two weeks. If traction is not your major concern, I would strongly recommend going 255/40. I can confirm that 255/40 F + 285/35 R does not rub, not even lowered (20mm front, 15 rear I believe, like Cambo did to his XJR - there is a thread on the matter). Again, 285/35 is just outside the 9" recommended spec. If you wish to go wide, get at least 275/35, it may be sufficient, but as I said, 265/35 is deffinitely not. Like I said before, if you don't care that much about traction in corners, 255/40 is awesome, and it also looks quite good!
Thanks, it was a good heads up and glad it could be clarified so hopefully this helps someone in the future as well. I think you're right on the trim rings getting changed- perhaps they're not supposed to be chrome for the X350 (?), but with chrome being all over the SV8 already anyway, it'll be OK. Interested in other X350 OE Sepang owner's thoughts.
What do you mean you had to straighten the rims once every two weeks?
I ordered a set of Continental Sport Contact SRS all-seasons in 265/35-20 and am having them mounted tomorrow. I think I'll be happy with this setup, but TBA. Considering how the X350 factory OE size for the 20s is 255/35-20, I hardly see this as not sufficient and should be a net improvement in lip protection and width. Roads around me are pretty smooth and this isn't a daily driver for me.
What do you mean you had to straighten the rims once every two weeks?
Originally Posted by Sentinelist
Considering how the X350 factory OE size for the 20s is 255/35-20, I hardly see this as not sufficient and should be a net improvement in lip protection and width. Roads around me are pretty smooth and this isn't a daily driver for me.
You have to understand that the choice by Jaguar of such "rubber bands" was governed more by aesthetics than ride considerations.
Actually 19" and 40 aspect ratio would be largely enough.
If you make a search of flat spot issues and 20" rim bending in this forum, you will find many...
See e.g.: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...wheels-143320/
Part of my commute is a shortcut that circumvents 20min of traffic, but goes through unpaved roads. Perhaps not truly representative of the usual XJ route However when driving at high speed, even smaller bumps that would normally not deform the rim, eould warrant straightening. When I had the 255/35+285/30 combo, I drove about 300km at around 200km/h, just after straightening the rims, the majority of which highway. I suspect the culprits were the dilation spaces on the bridges and viaducts that made the rims in need of re-straightening when reaching the destination.
If your roads are smooth, and care only about lip protection, get a tire that already has a rim protector, but since you have 265/35s on order, the whole point is moot. You may be ok! As a side note, I feel the 265 has the best look on a 9" wheel.
Do you guys look on the road when you drive?))) I've been rolling on sepangs and calistos for 8 years and 100k kms with factory spec tyres and never had to straighten them not saying every two weeks))
There are Sepangs with lips with both bolt patterns. I had to buy detroit rims to take 10j outers to marry with 108's inners from sepangs, not straightforward but doable exercise and they don't have niche for factory TPMS sensors
I ordered a set of Continental Sport Contact SRS all-seasons in 265/35-20 and am having them mounted tomorrow. I think I'll be happy with this setup, but TBA. Considering how the X350 factory OE size for the 20s is 255/35-20, I hardly see this as not sufficient and should be a net improvement in lip protection and width. Roads around me are pretty smooth and this isn't a daily driver for me.
This is complete. Mounted. Happy. Over 100 mi. driving them so far since Friday morning. Perfectly barely-over-flush width that should have been this way as OE. Stay tuned for pics.
For once in a very long time, I'm probably going to pass on the spacers. This is pretty much perfect for me. I'm going to pour another drink and go stare at it in the garage again before bed.
For once in a very long time, I'm probably going to pass on the spacers. This is pretty much perfect for me. I'm going to pour another drink and go stare at it in the garage again before bed.
P.s.: don't trust your life to Chinese tires
Hi Sentinelist,
Those look really great. Thanks for showing what the 265 width looks like on 9" rims. I got the standard 255 width (to remain standard) and they look a bit narrow. Next set I get will be 265.
Here in New Zealand (next to Australia) they charge for one of those Continentals over NZ$1000. I really like good tires, and my V12 has Pirelli P400, but $4000 for a set was out of my price range. I haven't had any issues at all with the Triangle tires I got, even in the pouring rain on 300Km of winding hilly road in the middle of the North Island. Perhaps for my next set I will be able to afford something else.
Pete M
What I like most about this forum is the level of civility, and mutual respect that forum members give each other. I avoided local forums from the place where I live, because there's something about Eastern European males that makes them want to belittle others, to make themselves appear better - most cited example being how bad a driver someone else is, and how good a driver the person talking is. Perhaps it has something to do with the poverty brought on by decades of communism, and so as soon as one gets a hold of a little money, first thing done is to flash it around, and make personal attacks on others. I hope that our next generations will uphold better values.
Sentinelist, I'm happy for you, I bought the exact same size for my winters, and as I previously stated, aesthetically 265 is the perfect width for a 9"; if the roads where you live are OK, then you'll spend many happy miles driving. For me, I'll stick with the +5 sidewall for both protection, and traction, if I have any chance on hooking up with 20"s and a 3.2 KB that will go in this month
For once in a very long time, I'm probably going to pass on the spacers. This is pretty much perfect for me. I'm going to pour another drink and go stare at it in the garage again before bed.
Haha do not make decision so quick despite the car looks factory clean now. It's just the matter of accommodation time to new look. I experienced that it also depends on height of the car. On stock height wheels stay quite far from archs and quite perpendicular to the road which looks factory balanced. But if you decide to lower the boat the wheels become closer to body and go inward due to suspension kinematics - then you would like to restore the look by spacers. I see you have long base thus unlikely drop it decently but who knows. Spacers make it looks meaner especially with solid plate style design sepangs. Callisto looks narrower on car in whole perspective thus requires spacers from factory))
20" tire size options, spacers even?
However when driving at high speed, even smaller bumps that would normally not deform the rim, eould warrant straightening. When I had the 255/35+285/30 combo, I drove about 300km at around 200km/h, just after straightening the rims, the majority of which highway. I suspect the culprits were the dilation spaces on the bridges and viaducts that made the rims in need of re-straightening when reaching the destination.
