I am sure I will get several different suggestions to this question. I want a good performance all-weather smooth riding tire for my rebuilt 1989 XJS 5.3l convertible with inboard brakes, all new springs, bearings, poly bushings, Gaz adjustable shocks / dampers, re-built sub-frame with the original sports alloy 6.5J x 15 H2 x 28.5 wheels. Any suggestions?

 

15 inch tires for Jaguars have been notoriously difficult to find.
The original equipment were Pirrelli P600 I think.
Jaguar knew what they were doing there.
Pirrelli tires are very smooth riding and grippy shoes.
The prices for them were not even high compared to others.
For over 50 years, whenever I buy NEW tires they are always Pirrelli.
I have NEVER had any failures with any of them.
Because they are grippy they don't last as long as others. (Lowest mileage I got was about 16,000 but I ran them hard)
There is absolutely no chance of my driving in snow ever again so not an issue.
Back when I did, they were exceptional in ALL conditions.
When I had my XJS I drove with them in the rain at 120 MPH and the feedback was incredible.
I know of others who swear by some other brands and I don't have any experience with them.
One brand I do have some experience with is Micheline.
I couldn't stand the road noise and had a few punctures and other failures.
My Toyota SUV came with a new set of Micheline so I'm not about to toss them out.
They are made in different countries and some are to be avoided.

 

I think your OEM size is 235 60 VR15. Little less ubiquitous than some other sizes. The V speed rating plus that size is very hard to find, and expensive when you do. But do you really need a tire rated to 149mph? A T rating would be fine I think. That's up to 118mph. You could try the Hankook Kinergy ST. I see it on Amazon at $120 each. Decent price.

 

Having just faced this meat grinder you can either wait for Pirelli to do a batch - assuming you can find a distributor or you're stuck with some real junk and that is even assuming you find any at all. I gave up and moved to 16" rims, didn't really want to but the 'availability' made the choice for me.

Don't know about the US but here in UK if you don't have the appropriately rated tyres then insurers here like nothing better than to avoid a payout on such a technicality and it is also illegal, doesn't matter whether you do 149mph or not, they must be rated not only for the load but the speed here.

 

Move to a 225 60 VR15 and you open up a selection of much more modern types of tires.
I went for Kumho Ecsta HS51 as they were the highest speed rating I could find (so in theory made to better tolerances) in this size from a brand i'd heard of and am very happy with them. Very quiet when cruising at 70mph compared with what was on before.

 

I've got 225/60/15 "Forceum Hena A/S Performance" tires on mine, got them on fleabay at $320 for the whole set!
Speed rating is a V which is a little higher than most of the other options I found but I'm not sure if I'd really push them to 100+mph considering the price.. they do well in the rain at least

 

FWIW, an automotive engineer friend of mine told me H rating tires (and higher) will not shed treads if they go flat.

lower rated tires have been known to throw the treads when the tire loses pressure. If you are going freeway speeds of 70-80 MPH or so, unless you have tire pressure indicators, a flat tire, esp on the lighter rear often won't be noticed until you slow down. Thats where the tread retention issue is important.

Doug

 

Asdrew
Do you mean 225 60 VR 16 !! I have nevr seen a Ectsa in a 15.

 

I also have the Forceum Hena A/S Performance --

Pros -- Really sticky, seems more like a summer performance tire, but it's reported to have good all season characteristics. Good looking tread pattern (I had a guy asking about them as he waited for me to return to the car).

Cons -- If it were everyday driver and you wanted get 40-50K miles out of it, this isn't it. They are sticky for a reason, tread-wear rating is not high. However, the way I use the XJS which is a beautiful day weekend driver, the tires will date out before they'll wear out. Lots of manufacturing "nips" and remnants that have to trimmed off, and the sidewall pattern is tedious to apply a tire dressing to.

For a V rated tire, they are really good value. It's an Indonesian factory, but I switched to Kumho back when Korea wasn't considered as anything other than cheap knockoff tire maker, and had great success across various vehicles including the XJS. Fingers crossed I caught this group on the upswing too.

 

I haven't used them myself yet on the XJ-S but I'm pretty sure my next set of tires will be Vredestein Sprint Classics. I have heard nothing but good things about them from people I trust. They're 215/70, so the earlier fitment, but they've got a W speed rating.

I do have Vredestein tires on my daily driver and they are amazing. All seasons, but between them and the XE's snow mode I have never felt anything but complete control.

 

If your car uses 215/70R15 go with Pirellis for that 1980’s look…

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...S&autoModClar=

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/215...irelli-p5.html

 

Hi Greg,

I got them from Mytyres.co.uk (who I think ship from mainland europe)

This is the exact description of what I ordered in April this year, £354.72 delivered to the UK:

Kumho Ecsta HS51 225/60 ZR15 96W 4PR (Su)

They had a manufscture/date code of week 34, 2024 so i think they are still being produced. Perhaps intermittently to match low demand?

 

Thanks Asdrew, I have just googled it and they are available all over Europe. This is a very good bit of news for anyone with 15 inch rims who does not want to shell our 600 quid a tyre for Pirellis!

What do they drive like?

 

When I was overly aggressive with my Volvo one day, I clipped an apex/curb and shredded two of my Micheline's.
Also both wheels were toast, so I had to order two of the same wheels from Volvo.
The only tires that I wanted, that fit those wheels were Pirelli P-Zeroes for slightly over $100 each.
I was thrilled with them and will probably buy them for my Toyota if/when I need to.

 

Tell us how you drive and what your budget is.

You specifically mention "smooth riding" which suggests that ultimate high performance isn't a priority for you.

I've 100% happy with these Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring A/S tires. Great all-round tire, plenty of grip wet or dry, no hydro-planing, very quiet, great in the hard corners, reasonably priced, H-speed rating.







Cheers
DD

 

Sadly, Doug, H rates tyres/tires not legal over this side on a car that can do higher speeds than H is rated for.

 

Maybe obvious, but here are the tire sizes ChatGpt says fit that wheel size:

 

And proof of why ChatGPT is not a tool that you can or should rely on ... none of those are suitable for an XJS even if they do fit - and size is not the only consideration.

AI should be redefined as 'almost' intelligent ....

 

Horse shoes and hand grenades???

 

Over here, our nanny government has decided driving over 85 MPH (anywhere), and sometimes less MPH in certain areas, is "criminal speed", and may result in a trip to jail. So H rated is usually more than adequate.

A couple states used to have no speed limit on certain highways, oh, almost 50 years ago, until the Feds stepped in and said that wasn't permissible.

All that said, i still put V rated tires on my high perf cars, if for no other reason than they ride smoother at 85 MPH, or so....

And don't get me started about people that drive "the speed limit" (or less) in the fast (left) lane and stay there even as they are getting passed repeatedly on the right.

Doug

PS: attached pic shows V rated 17" tires on a car than can and has done 150 MPH, once on a straight stretch of road. But I won't repeat it. It was bit more thrilling than doing that speed in a new Corvette.