I had the same problem. Here in Aus it is law that the speed and load rating must be maintained or better. My car came with V rated so I can not put H rated tyres on. My car came with 215-65-15 V, I priced these and the only maker was Pirelli at $400 each special order.

I was luck to find a set of genuine new old stock Jaguar 16x8" BBS wheels I installed Nexen CP641 245-50-16 tyres. I was a little skeptical of the Nexen as I wanted Kumho. The guy at the tyre shop assured me these were good. I have just rerturned from a 2000km road trip where we got some rain, and these tyres are very good.

Looks good and Wheels/Tyres cost less than the Pirelli.

 

'Sovereign Gold' code GDF

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug, My car outran its paint! Tungsten not exactly an exciting color, thinking of Rhodium Silver as new paint, my interior is saddle I think.
Dick C.

 

Many thanks for this post and the links. Most useful.
I am currently running on 215/65R15 lattice wheels and although the rubber is quite good and performance is very satisfactory, I am sorely tempted to replace them with 17" revolver wheels. Further investigation as to tire sizes...

 

My car calls for 235/55 15 according too the tag in the trunk. .. honestly 245/50 wouldn't be a bad upgrade

 

I am getting mixed results on searches as to whether 245/50zr17 will fit. Some sources say they won't, but others say they will !!
33 offset. XK revolvers rims.

 

i have 255/35/18 rear and 225/40/18 fronts on my 89 xjs

the wheels are from an XK , Flute alloys


IMG_1099 by MyPix on Talk Photography

rears bolt straight on and the fronts needed a 25mm hub centric spacer

i have Vredestein Guigiaro Ultrac sport tyres on her ( JEC UK tyre manufacturer sponsor )

BB

 

Be glad when these Toyos wear out---I'm going back to Pirellis!

 

What offset did those flutes have ? I suspect 33 but please advise.
Thanks.

 

funny you should ask , as I had a back one off the car yesterday

it said 35 on the inside, the rears are way deeper than the fronts though

BB

 

Thanks for this.
I may get an opportunity today to at least try to fit the Revolvers which have Pzeros.

 

Well, I can now advise that I have fitted the 17" rims which came off an XK8 I believe.
I bought them off Kijiji and they were advertised as coming with 215/50zr17 Pirelli Pzeroes. Of course, I failed to check the actual tire size when I went to look at them, being more concerned about the casting numbers on the inside of the rims. I got them home only to discover that they were 245/50zr17's. I thought there would be trouble ahead especially as I had had the benefit of Bernie Embden's excellent write-ups on Tires and rims on the XJS.
However, I thought I should plod on.
I fitted the rears wheels/tires with no problem. Quite enough clearance with the inside of the fender.
The fronts were not as cooperative. They went on OK and they clear the tie rod ends by 1/2" or so. The emblem at the axle end was gradually pushed off as I tightened the wheels down. Also not an issue that silicone cannot solve.
The wheels do not rub or scrape except on full lock, as happened when I backed out of my driveway this morning. I have NOT pulled the fronts off to discover where.
I think that 235s may be about as high as I could go, comfortably, with these rims.
I emphasize that I am talking about Revolvers which ( I understand) are 35mm offsets. These remarks may not apply to other 17" rims with different rubber.
I welcome suggestions as to installing spacers on the fronts.

 

cool

got any pics ?

the main rubbing problem i had before the right spacers were fitted was on the splash shield at the bottom of the wing in front of the door hinges

BB

 

Happy to put up this photo...
Oddly, it seems to rub only when reversing to the right. Doesn't seem to do it if turning to the left, or if moving forward. I am sure that is down to my hearing.
If it stays mild I'll pull a wheel off and have look-see.
Do you recall the thickness of the spacers you used? I suspect nothing much more than 12 or 13 mm.

 

I just realized my 600's are now 11 years old. They look perfect, but I'm planning a cross-country drive this summer. So it's time...

As usual, there is a dearth of 235/60 tires available. I have the lattice 6x15 rims.

Would 245/60 be a touch too wide for these rims? I've not seen this discussed here before.

Cheers

 

The Lattice/Sport Alloys are actually 6.5" wide.

But, yes, 245-tires are a bit much. To be honest I think even the 235s were a bit much for the 6.5" wide wheels. I have the same wheels with 215 tires and the fit looks about right....but I really wish the wheels were 7" wide, to be honest

If you use the 245s nothing 'bad' will happen. It's just that the sidewalls will be pinched together and, besides looking wrong, you won't be getting the best out of the tire. Might end up with a sort of squishy feel

I'd suggest going the other direction, to 225/60 tires.

Cheers
DD

 

Doug,

Thanks for confirming what I was feeling.

There is a large selection in the 225/60 sizes. I'll probably go with that.

Where are you in the NW? I'm coming back stateside later this summer with my rally partner from Uganda. Planning on taking a long drive from Wash DC to Seattle with the Jag. This will be his first time in the states, so I wanted to make it a fun road trip.

Cheers

 

It will not ride as smooth, did that on a 99 SL500 and it rides rougher.
The more air and rubber displacement the smoother the ride.

 

Well, I just came across this thread and I'm surprised that I don't have any participation here, since I'm one of the XJS owners who successfully replaced the stock Lattice wheels with chrome Revolvers and Pirelli Pzeros. But, that was about 15 years ago and now I need to replace those tired Pzeros, but I'm not necessarily sure that I will put the same tires again. The reason is that I first need to learn which available brand/size tires are rated the most comfortable ride wise.

It's that, what you gain on grip and awesome looks when you lower your tire profile, you do lose -to a degree- on ride comfort. Then, if to this I add what I remember hearing some time back that ride comfort is not necessarily one of Pirelli tires best features, then the least I can do at this replacement point is to pick the best ride comfort tire in an attempt to offset whatever I can that I have lost in that department.

So, the question is, has anybody heard similar about Pirelli tires lesser ride comfort by comparison? Would tires other than Pirelli's necessarily offer a better ride? One thing I hear for sure in this regard is that Michelin Primacy MXM4 would be the best rated tire for ride comfort, but unfortunately they do not appear to make them on the size I need, which is 235/50 ZR15. If not, well then I just put new Pirelli Pzero Asimmetrico and just get it over with.

Feedback is welcome!

Cheers,

 

What I'd like to know about the tires on the 17x8 wheel size is whether you can lower/stiffen the stock suspension (for instance, with the kit Driven Man offers) and still go to that tire size. I love what Embden is doing, just want to make sure things fit before I order.

Jess