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I have a 2002 XJ8 with standard rims and tires(225/16) and am very happy with the ride. I also love the look of the XJR asteroid wheels. Can someone who has changed from stock to asteroid give me their impression on how it changed the ride and handling? thanks, Keith
The one member, and long time one, I know on site that has had a variant of each of the wheels is ericjansen....perhaps he'll chime in, he's been on and off the past couple years.
BTW, I'm assuming Charleston SC?
The ride will be more firm, the handling will be more responsive, the suspension will take a little more beating, the look will be better and the gas mileage will be a little less mpg.
The ride will be more firm, the handling will be more responsive, the suspension will take a little more beating, the look will be better and the gas mileage will be a little less mpg.
I'm trying to move there, would like to be up on Mt Pleasant, ..but I've even looked on St John's Island and such...traffic is horrendous out that way.
Like the prior 2 members have said,...it'll be like a girl wearing that red dress on a night out.
Last edited by Highhorse; Feb 4, 2022 at 07:26 PM.
The one member, and long time one, I know on site that has had a variant of each of the wheels is ericjansen....perhaps he'll chime in, he's been on and off the past couple years.
On and off, but never gone ...
When I bought my VDP (OEM comfort springs / shocks) some centuries ago, it came with the standard 225/16, just as you.
Since then, I have moved to the 18" Double Fives, which, although staggered, give the best comparison to the 18" Asteroids.
I have also driven the car with a set of 17" XJR rims (x300), and a set of 19" Apollo's off my XK8.
Frankly, I don't really think the rim size itself makes a whole lot of difference up to 18", where the 19" starts to feel a bit harsher (lower sidewall starts to kick in).
In general, Jaguars have pretty soft suspension, and I presume a lot is absorbed that way.
Even my XK8, which I bought with CATS suspension and 19", feels a bit harsher, but nothing out of the ordinary.
What does however makes a difference is tires, and tire width.
Some tires are simply stiffer than others, with the obvious feel difference.
I also recommend to use 245/45 tires on the Asteroids, instead of the 255/40 they came with.
The difference in sidewall fills the wheel wells wayyy better (my personal opinion), and the slightly higher sidewall adds a bit to that comfort.
Some members here can confirm on that.
Finally, the drawback of larger tires might be some tramlining.
The x300 forum is full of this, our X308 suspension was greatly improved, with much less tramlining as a result.
On fresh tires, my car runs perfect, but reaching the point of replacement, I can definitive feel some movement over bad surfaces.
Nothing to worry about, but noticeable.
Last edited by ericjansen; Feb 4, 2022 at 09:16 PM.
I haven't switched the wheels on my x308 (I bought the car specifically for the ride quality), but I had to make modifications to get some of that magic carpet ride back on the x250 (having a mangled spine, I'm super sensitive). The suspension came in first before the wheels, so I got to drive around for almost a month on 15% softer spring rate and stock 19" wheels and tires. Then later the 18" wheels came in (smallest that would fit over the calipers on the 250) along with overall slightly larger diameter tires. Approximately 3/4 inch sidewall increase made easily as much improvement as the 15% softer springs just judging by my seat-o-the-pants-ometer but the combination was several orders of magnitude improvement. So the moral to the story is to confirm mr jansens suspicion that the higher sidewall does improve comfort more than you would likely imagine.
There is also some difference in the sidewall stiffness even between tires of the same size and class. Unfortunately that's much harder to predict before you've already purchased, but you can "infer" some information from the max load rating. Just in general, tires rated to carry more weight will have a stiffer or thicker sidewall to hold up that weight. But it doesn't guarantee that a lower load rating tire will always ride more comfortably than a higher rated one. There's still a bit of a gamble in choosing tires.
Last thing I want to mention:
Within the OEM tolerances, the outside diameter of a 225/16R16 tire is the exact same as the 245/45R18.
Hence the good look in the wheel wells, and the bit extra side wall compared to the lower 255/40 tires.
Tire width between a 245 and 255 is not noticeable, they both look massive.
Bbs 20 inch
Et35 10.5j rear 275/30/20
Et 25 9j front 245/35/20 Bbs 20 inch Et35 10.5j rear 275/30/20 Et 25 9j front 245/35/20 Bbs 20 inch Et35 10.5j rear 275/30/20 Et 25 9j front 245/35/20 Bbs 20 inch Et35 10.5j rear 275/30/20 Et 25 9j front 245/35/20 Bbs 20 inch Et35 10.5j rear 275/30/20 Et 25 9j front 245/35/20
I have BBS Wheels on the Porsche and really like them....except
when it is time to change tires. Most of the tire mounters around
here, refuse to install on my wheels.
The XJR came with Asteroids shod with Continentals (my first experience with the brand) and she’s been riding on Pentas shod with Michelin X-Ice for the winter. I’ve been more than happy with the ride quality and performance of both combinations but still prefer the look of the Asteroids.
Hey Ken, are they using just sand up there or do they use the sand/salt slurry mix? Definitely need to clean thoroughly behind those well lips and flaps either way.
“The sand mix is a mixture of sand, salt, rock chips (which are being phased out of the mix) and calcium chloride brine. The City follows a matrix for determining the specific ratios of sand, salt and chip required to combat icy or snowy conditions depending on the conditions. Edmonton is one of the lowest salt users of Canada’s major cities - salt accounts for only 12 to 18% of the materials applied to the roads annually.“
The matrix they talk about is temperature related as there’s a pretty narrow band within the swings we get that it’s effective.
^
I’ll have to give that some thought but don’t hold your breath.
wheels
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