I plan to buy an 05/06 VDP/Super V8 soon, with the stock Jaguar 19" x 8.5" wheels, and I've always driven very casually and do not corner hard or fast, AT ALL.

I am curious if anyone seeking a soft floating ride has upsized their tires from the stock size of the VDP/Superv8:
255/40/19

If one does upsize, what size is it?
255/45/19?
255/50/19?
265/35/19?

i am unsure of how this works, and what to consider in an application such as this.

If any tire experts are here, or other memebers with questions/advice/discussion at all, much appreciation.
Thanks

 

This style:


I also have liked the feeling of stability that comes riding on wider tires, especially the wide rear tires of a 2001 BMW 740il with the staggered 18" wheels.

If anyone knows which tire or tire size can raise the height of the VDP/super v8 just slightly, while providing as soft and cushy a ride as possible, and perhaps even offer a feeling of stability from a wider tire, I would be supremely grateful.

Thanks again.

 

Are you looking for a "coushier" ride, more tire to fill the wheel well, or a wider stance? A lot of times a softer ride can be found in the same size but different model tire. The composition of the tire has a lot to do with it. I have the same wheels in chrome and am looking for a wider stance . For the softer ride and minimal road noise, I am looking into different brands and models within the brands. Reading reviews on the tires from others that have them helps a lot.
For a 255 width tire, the total diameter is increased by one inch as the aspect ratio is increased. For instance the overall diameter of the stock 255/40R19 tire is 27.03"
255/45R19 = 28.03" 1" taller
255/50R19 = 29.03" 2" taller
265/35R19 = 26.30" 10mm (little less than 1/2") wider but 2/3" shorter
265/40R19 = 27.3" 10mm wider and 1/4" taller - this would be my recomendation but I can't find any.
275/40R19 = 27.66" 20mm (about 3/4") wider and 2/3" taller - this is probably what I'm going to get
275/35R19 = 26.57" 20mm wider and appx. 1/2" shorter

I'm not saying that all of these tires will work for this application. They're just a reference.
Of course this would affect your speedo calibration. A tire 1" larger in diameter will raise your car 1/2".
Don't hold me to this but I think a 275mm tire is the widest some tire places will mount on a 8.5" rim. If so it may rub the inner fender well when turning tightly. You would notice this most when backing out of a parking space for instance.

I like having as much wheel & tire filling the fender as possible. BMW has a knack for wonderfully draping a car around it's tires and still making it all work together.

I know this isn't a clear cut answer as to what tires you should buy, but I hope it helps.

 

Do you think these would possibly fit?
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

I'm sure the ride would be very very soft.

If not, these seemed good:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

 

You're first choice-Goodyear Eagle LS-2(275/45R19) will definitely not fit at 28.75". You'll hit the wheel well before you get out of the tire shop and won't even be able to turn the wheel all the way. The wheel opening on the XJ's is only 29.75". That tire didn't get very good reviews anyway. If most of 255 people who had it wouldn't buy it again, I wouldn't buy it in the first place.

Second choice- Pirelli P-Zero Nero 275/40R19 is probably the best choice of the three. Again, I'm not 100% certain that a 275 will not bulge too far over the rim and/or rub when turning tight. I haven't tried it yet. I passed over this tire when researching tires because of the treadwear rating of 40 that they showed. In the reviews though, no one complained about treadwear and the tests showed good treadwear. For the price, this seems like a really good tire and I may try it out.

Third choice- Conti 275/40R19 I would go with the Pirelli. This didn't get great reviews. The 400 treadwear rating tells me that it should last a long time but is made with a stiffer compound thus being a stiffer tire and probably louder too.

 

PIRELLI's are noisy! Take my word and many others for that!

Remember that a softer ride means more rubber and air between the wheel and the road. i.e. a smaller wheel and a larger tire. Trade offs are cornering ability.

I have 17" wheels on my XJ8 and a friend of mine put 19" wheels on his car that is the same year and model as mine. His car rides a lot rougher than mine. Huge wheels is not a good trade off for a comfortable ride for me.

 

I don't mind cornering slower. Even with my XJR, taking a corner fast is something I never do. But I am opting instead for a car just as beautiful(not as quick) with hopefully a much more comfortable suspension, and the cushiest all-season tires available. If those tires happen to have a nice wide profile, that is also a plus.

If Pirellis in your experience are loud, how about these:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes


I know when I was scoping Yoko AVS DB-S2's for my XJR, they got really high marks for silence and ride comfort? Does this stand for Yoko's compound in general?

If you try this tire, please let us know how you like it, and post many pics of the wide stance. These are the best looking tire available in 275/40R19 IMHO. And if they have good ride comfort, I don't mind a little extra noise, as I ride with the volume fairly high. And again, KruBruder, thank you for all your info about tire upsizing.

 

I can't comment on the Yoko's as I have had no experience with them. The consumer rating seem to be very good. If you try them let us know how you like them. I don't know how much longer I can stand the Pirelli's on my car!!

 

To revive an older thread...

I have burned through my set of FK-452's in less than four months so on Monday (tomorrow), I am going to a local tire shop to get a new set of Pirelli P-Zero Rossos. The only reason I am getting these tires is the incredible deal that was offered to me.

In regards to this thread, I was considering running a staggered setup this time around. I will keep the factory spec on the front (255/40/19) but I have been seriously considering running 275/40/19's on the rear. I understand that a 275 width tire can be mounted on an 8.5in wheel with minimal issues.

I know the 19's my car came with have a ridiculous offset so I don't think they will rub, especially because the rear tires won't be turning like the front tires would.

Does anybody see a problem with doing this? Maybe some techs can provide some insight on potential clearance issues??

 

Yes. the back tires would be no problem at all to fit, and I doubt it would cause any problems with the different widths, as one of the nicest driving cars I've driven ('01 740il sport) has very staggered tire widths, I believe and extra 1" or 1.5" in the rear.

Maybe someone else can explain the speedo calcs and such, IDK.
My question now, since there aren't any 265/40/19's to be had...

...is can the front wheelwell fit a 275/40/19 at full turn and barely miss rubbing by mm's or more?

Perhaps someone running light-worn 255/40/19 stock size tires can turn the wheel all the way and measure both outer treads for clearance in MM or fractional inches?
THis would help because I'm also considering 255/45/19 which would make the car a 1/2" taller, and need 1/2" of room on each side of the outer tread at full turn.
A wider tire such as a 275 may require more or less than 1/2" between outer tread ond wheelweel.

 

I just put Pirelli P-Zero Nero 275/40ZR19's on my VDP. They are the largest tire that will fit in the front without rubbing. You can go much wider in the back if you have a wider wheel. These tires are 2/3" taller and 3/4" wider than the stock 255/40/ZR19's. The Pirelli P-Zero Nero's got good reviews and are supposed to last much longer than the stock Pirelli P-Zero Assimetricos. They seem to be much quieter than the Pirelli P6. I'll probably get new wheels (Foose Speedster) when I wear these tires out keeping the sizing to 275/30ZR20 in front and 305/30ZR20 in the rear(according to the tire shop pro that I use).

 

^they look very nice from that angle.
Where can we find more pics?

Also, whenever you feel you have driven/experienced enough on your new tires to definitively comment on changes in ride quality or stability, please speak your mind. I am super eager to hear.

Thanks.

 

I'm in the market for tires for the 19"x8.5" Jag "Custom" style wheels. As you know, the stock tire fitment is 255/40/19. I called the TireRack to see what wider tire I could go to on the 19x8.5" wheel, and he said the 255 is the widest recommended tire for a 8.5" wheel. He said a 275/40/19 calls for a 9"-11" wide wheel, and that the sidewall of the 275/40/19 on the 8.5" wheel won't perform correctly, and the tire also won't wear as designed. Just something to think about.

 

Shouldn't take much to find a quieter tire... Suprised is was a Pirelli that was quieter.

 

Is the slight inward pull of the sidewall enough to be pulling the outer tread upward off the pavement?

Kru Bruder can you confirm? I assume the difference must be mm's or fractions of 1mm, and the Tirerack representative, while telling the truth, is overstating a very minor concern?

 

Pirelli and quiet? Oxymoron!!

 

I ordered these tires from Tire Rack. The rep called me and gave me the run down and disclaimer. The owner of the tire shop that I use mainly does custom tire/wheel combos. He said that it was a much wider tire than most cars use. His concern was because of possible rubbing issues. Corvettes are the only car that I know of that use 275 on front. They don't look that much wider to me and don't rub at all. They ride great and I can't hear any road noise on asphalt roads. There is noise on concrete sectional roads but I don't know of a vehicle/tire that doesn't have the same issue on concrete. I haven't done any hard cornering in it yet though. I did some research and found that a lot of autocrossers will even go up to 285 on a 8.5" wheel. If cornering was a problem with the wider setup, I'm sure they wouldn't use them.

In the pic the worn tire is a P6 255/40ZR19 the one on the right is is the Nero 275/40ZR19

 

That was my single concern, of cornering producing too much pressure pulling the sidewalls, making them pop off the rim in some extreme event. But autocrossing? Cornering concerns dispelled. Keep us posted KruBruder.

 

With Pirelli road noise and handling characteristics are very proportional to inflation pressure. They tend to have a soft side wall and this allows a lot of variability by change in pressure. As an audio engineer, definite that this is part of noise issue.

See posting for 2003 sebring with p6's all around. I always try to get a feel as to priority of potential buyers as running at chrysler recommened pressure with standard or wider tires road noise is not an issue. The side walls are not all that stiff and provide very good handling. If the potential buyer wants to "carve the canyon roads" running the P6's at about a pound below max pressure gives race car precision and cornering but boosts interior noise by a good 6dB. This probably would not be as severe in the Jag as the vibration isolation is better, particularly in the model you have.

On second hand information, the p-zero is generally a quieter design than the p6.

Regardless of make the following apply:

The wider the tire the lower pressure required to distribute load. The larger diameter of tire, the lower the pressure you can run and maintain dimension from axle to ground (this is where speedo and gear ratio difference actually happens as it is a function of the rolling diameter determined by ride height).

If you go wider and taller and lower pressure you will gain in lower cabin sound level and trade off will be more edge wear relative to center of tread. This will be less of a problem for drivers who do not corner hard.

If you go wider and or taller than manufactuer's recommendation. be sure to verify clearance not only at limits of suspension travel but at intermediate points. Nothing like slicing corners off new tires and scuffing inside of wheel wells. Do not push dimensions beyond limits in search of quieter ride. Save that for the guys who want to go fast around the corners.

I have continentals now and not impressed favorably or against them. Handling precision is not that good. Noise is OK. I will go Pirelli P-zero this next time.

Is Avon still out there as a manufacturer? At one time they were the hot item for quiet luxury ride tires?

Steven (1avguy)

 

I don't mind a louder ride. I am just in search of the softest ride possible for these 19"x8.5" wheels. I take corners fairly conservatively, and tend to slow down alot in construction zones with level changes, so i assume my suspension will never be anywhere close to even 3/4 it's limit of travel. But this is a excellent advice for others seeking these tire changes for other reasons than ride comfort.

Funny you mention it, as the 740il sport I mentioned earlier in the thread had avon tires. I loved the stability and softness of that ride.

Eager to here more from everyone about makes and models of tires.
And thanks to everyone who gave advice so far.