2001 XK8 Conv - Little help / input on Tire Stagger. Getting ready to replace tires next couple of months. Have seen several threads where the back and front tires are staggered as to rim size (i.e. 17 front and 18 rear). Have also seen where the tire widths have been staggered (i.e 8/9 on front and 10 rear). I presently have 255/45R18 on all wheels front and back. I am not an aggressive driver or looking for super performance, just decent handling in an everyday situation. The cops and radar are much to heavy around here for taking the curves at speed. Just enjoy the drive and the vehicle. Do like a ride that is a little stiffer than the 'driving a boat' feel, though. Any suggestions or views as to stagger or not would be appreciated.

 

The XKR came with an option for 20" wheels which have an 9" with 255/35 front and 10" with 285/30 rear tires. This combination works very well with the car but does give a much harsher ride. I think the car also has a stiffer shock rate to go with it. It is probably tuned for the tires but you could use these wheels without worry unless you are driving at 10/10ths. The cars with the smaller wheels were the same width front and rear. From your description of driving style, the 20" tires may not fill the bill.

 

I'm pretty sure that your car came stock with 18x8 rims in the front and 18x9 rims in the back. The front wheels were supposed to have 245 tires installed and the back wheels were supposed to have 255's. If you have 255 tires all the way around, I bet a previous owner installed the same size on all 4 corners so the tires could be rotated from front to back. You might have the narrower rims on the rear right now, or, both narrow ones might be on one side and the wide ones on the other. you should look into that. It would definitely affect the way the car drives.

 

That's how I found my first car. There was one 9" on front, one 8" on back. Obviously, the PO and the tire shop had never heard of staggared wheels.

Jaguar spent a lot of time and effort at producing the best compromise between comfort and handling. I would not propose to have a better idea.

 

Rev Sam and test point - yup!! 1 @ 8 and 1 @ 9 on front and 1 ea of same on rear at opposing corners to the front. Like riding on a Tilt-A-Whirl at the Carnival. 1st order of business get them straightened out, can't be any good for the suspension or steering elements, let alone the ride. Next order of business, get staggered tire widths on next tire purchase.

Thanks for the info, may help or solve some problems...