It's almost time for me to buy some new tires for my first jag. What would be the best tire for the smoothest ride possible? Thanks!

 

To ensure a straight ride make sure they're asymmetric tread, they're sensitive to tram lining or following truck runs in the road

Pictures to show the types I mean...
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...82/#post444718

I don't think there's bad tires now as long as they're not re-tread/mould. Good feedback on Michelin, I've run mine on Pilot Sports II before now but switched to Bridgestone Potenza RE50 Y96 I've found better all round performance. The Pirelli P Zero Rosso, Yokahama, Continental take your pick. Khumo are a solid budget tire. It really depends on how much you want to spend.

 

+1 for Bridgestone Potenza though P-Zero asymmetric are good 2

 

I Really REALLY liked my Eagle GT's. I got all four mounted, balanced, road hazard, for just over $900 out the door.

 

For excellent performance at a great price while still being comfy, I've had excellent luck with the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K112. It's very grippy in wet or dry, reasonably long lasting (30k-40k miles) for an ultra high performance tire, has low road noise, and rides very comfortably. It has been a little knocked in the sports car world because it has a softer sidewall than most UHP tires and therefore response isn't as good as others, but that same soft sidewall makes it about the best riding, most comfortable UHP tire out there.

Very similar but with a slightly stiffer sidewall for better response and feel but at the cost of some ride comfort is the Kumho Ecsta LE Sport. This is what I run on my XJR. Still VERY affordable, very long lasting for a UHP tire, similar grip to the Hankook, but with better response and feel, although it rides worse and is just a touch noiser (although they are both VERY quiet tires).

 

My car has Bridgestone Potenza RE760s on it very reasonable and very good long life tires not bad when they get hot and sticky either pretty good traction, though now they are only on the front, rears wore out quickly and replaced with something stickier.

 

I have Khumo on all my other cars and they last a long time and not very expensive. I think I'll put them on the Vandenplas when I get it next month.

 

My VDP came to me with a set of brand new Good Years. I like them,.....they were FREE! Wife's Tabby came with a brand new set of Michelins,....also free.

Free name brand tires are always good.

We'll see what happens in the three to four years.

 

deleted

 

well if you had to buy the car you probably didn't get them for free but I'm glad they all match lol. Mine came with 4 different worn out tires lol

 

I think original specs were Pirelli P6000 and another Pirelli one also ...ie there were 2 original specs available.
My spare tire is one of these Pirelli P6000.. but seems P-zero is now better:
Whilst in production between 1997 and 2003, the X308 series of the Jaguar XJ was factory fitted with Pirelli P6000 tyres. These are premium touring summer tyres that are designed to be used in dry conditions. They wear well because they're made of a hard compound. This can lead to low grip, which is not good for wet weather driving. This also makes the noisier than some rivals. As this tyre offers good economy, it won’t offer much performance. It’s best used on motorways where the noise will not be as noticeable and the lack of grip will provide good fuel economy.

P-Zero

Tyre technology has improved greatly since the car ceased production in 2003. Today, Pirelli produce the P-Zero range. The standard P-Zero tyre is a marker by which other performance tyres are graded. It’s also original equipment for manufacturers like Aston Martin, Bentley, Mercedes and Jaguar.

 

then again i have the starburst 15 alloys.. whats the best Pierelli out there for 16 inch wheels?

 

Doug,

Pirelli have long produced 'special' tyres for Jaguars.

I don't know the carcass construction of the P-Zero, but in certain sizes of P6000 (225/55 ZR16 for example) the Jaguar 'special' tyres are identified as 'J tag' tyres - i.e P6000(J) which is clearly embossed on the sidewall.

The carcass ply construction of the normal P6000 is :-
Tread = 1 Rayon : 2 Steel : 2 Nylon
Sidewall = 1 Rayon

The P6000(J) plies are :-
Tread = 2 Rayon : 2 Steel : 1 Nylon
Sidewall = 2 Rayon

That information is embossed on the sidewall of the tyres too.

The P6000(J) construction matches the original XJ40 P600 tyre - I believe that when Pirelli introduced the P6000 for lesser cars, Jaguar insisted that they build them to the same standard for their XJ, hence the 'J tag' tyres.

 

I paid $3500 for a 2003 XJ8 with 102K on the clock, with new Michelins (all five!). I figured they were free.

I also paid $4500 for a 98 VDP with 80K on the clock and the four new Good Years (the fifth one is the original, new Pirelli on the new spare rim that never came out of the trunk). That's also free in my book.

I'm sorry your cat needed the shoes right away. Tires and wheels is what I look at when I inspect the vehicle. If the owner was too cheap to match the tires, and drive on the decent tires,.....I always wonder what else he was cheap with.

 

I had P-Zero's on mine when I bought it. They were VERY noisy (loud hum), but I cannot help but wonder if there was something wrong with them. As soon as I changed to the Goodyear's, the sound went away, and the ride improved immensely! But again, might have been something wrong with originals.

 

Thanks for all the great feedback...its between the Continental
ExtremeContact DWS, Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season, & Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum.

 

Purchased 4 Kumho Platinum Ecsta LX tires for $370 plus tax less $70 promo rebate in March 2011.

I have them on an extra set of Jaguar rims with center pieces that I bought from local foreign parts breaker (wreaking yard).

I also have Michelin (X ICE 2) tires mounted on our original set of Jaguar rims that we only use during the winter months.

Kumko tires last as long as the Michelin all season tires and are almost as quiet, but are available at lot lower price. See Tirerack website for comparsion testing.

Jim Lombardi

 

That's a GREAT deal. I gotta see them for the staggered AMGs I have on my W220.

 

Look like the price went up at these tires (225/60R16) - Tire Rack now wants $101 each plus shipping and no longer has the mail-in $70 rebate on the sale of the 4 tires.

Maybe they will reinstate the rebate near the end of March.

Jim Lombardi

 

Yea I was quoted locally 85 per tire so I figure at least 500 by time balance and alignment are done.