Series II Tires

I know this issue was talked about before but how about the p400 Pirelli p205/70r15 on the stock 5" rim? I know that some tire mfr make a stronger sidewall so this would hold up better on a 5"im for my ser2 FHC. If you or any other members have tried this please send your comments.
Some of the tire mfg like Pirelli,Michelin, Avon, Dunlop are some talked about in a prior Forum
Thanks

Steve
70 FHC

I can attest from first hand observation that both Warren's and Mike's cars look great with the tire combinations they have. I know Ray Sharp has 15x6" Daytons on his Ser. 2 car with no problems. Not sure what size tires he is running. My "racing" tires on the Ser. III car are 225/60x15 Yokohamas, on the stock 15x6" rims. No interference problems except catching the mudguard on very tight radius turns.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'72 E-type 2+2
'70 XKE FHC

Stew,

I'm one of those couldn't-care-less-about-concours-deductions guys. When I got my S2 fhc I installed 15x6 Daytons, tubeless with heavy duty spokes. Tires are Pirelli P6000 205/65. My car has uprated suspension which lowers it about 1/2". There is barely 1/4" clearance between the tires and the rear wheel arches, but I never have any fouling between the tire and the sheet metal. I don't believe that I could use a larger tire, either in width or aspect ratio. (AFAIK, the bump stops are still in place, and cause no problems either.) Oh -- I also changed from Federalized spinners to the original style two-ear knockoffs; tsk, tsk, even more deductions! ;-)

Warren Hansen
70 E-Type FHC "Silver Bolide"
96 X300

Almost forgot...no accelerated spline wear. The spline pattern is the same on all Jaguars, from 120's through S3 E-Types. I'm not sure why you suspect any special wear problems.

Mike Frank

I'm running 6" rims on my '69 2+2. I'm currently using 215 65 tires, which tend to just catch the front mudguard on extremely sharp turns. I used to run 225 60's which are fine. Do your tires rub the bodywork or the rear bump stops? You can remove the bump stops with no ill effects.

Mike Frank

Jeff and Steve,
I may be off base here, but will a 6" wide Dayton fit on the S2's? I thought 5" was stock and 5.5" was the maximum. My 185x15 Avon's rub the inside wheel well on my '69 S2 2+2 on tight radius turns - I'm going to get a set of Dunlops, the Avons are over 10 years old - ok for a trailer queen, but I like to drive my car too. The S3 has the wheel well flared to accomodate a wider tire, not so with the S2. With the wider tires mounted on wider wire wheels, has anyone experienced accelerated spline wear?

I must admit that driving a 2+2 on original sized tires is like driving a giraffe when compared to driving a contemporary car.

Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2 and other LBC's

Jeff,

Stew makes a good point here... What do you intend to do with the car? If, as Stew says, you want to show the car, especially in Championship class, you have to be sure that both your wheels and tires meet original specifications. Otherwise, you are looking at major deductions.

But if you are just out for driving and want to enjoy the car, like many of us in the club, and you don't intend to try for a national concours award, the Pirelli P4000, 205/70WR15 combination should be a good one. I have P4000's for my Ser. III car and I love them. When I got my Ser. II car last year, it came with 185-15 Vredesteins. I'm not happy with them and am seriously considering going to the P4000's, also 205/70WR15's. I don't think you can go wrong with those for general driving, touring, even slaloming.

Another alternative, which some people do: Keep your original wheels with "correct" tires and put them on to show the car in JCNA concours. The rest of the time, enjoy driving the car with your nice new Daytons and Pirellis. Unless you intend for the car to be a "trailer queen", I'd opt for the tubeless Daytons and great driving tires so you can get the most out of your car's performance on the road.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
'72 E-type 2+2
'70 XKE FHC

Jeff,
You need to decide if you will ever become interested in showing the car in JCNA Concours d'Elegance competitions. If you think you ever will, take a look at the proposed Judge's Guide for the Series 2 on the Concours Page of this website. Its down toward the left bottom corner. If you enter Championship Class (most demanding) only 185VR15's will do and Dunlop SP's, as listed on the inside face of your glove compartment door can't be beat for originality. Driven Class rules are being proposed that will loosen up the range of acceptable wheels and tires. Those proposed rule changes are also listed at the bottom left of the Concours Page. Unless you have a shop that is totally familiar with balancing wire wheels and has the proper equipment, I'd suggest that you buy the tires and wheels from a single source (several usual suspects to choose from) and have them mount and balance them and send them to you ready to go on. I did this around 1989 and the shipping was reasonable.

Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2 and other LBC's