Submitted by janetgmartin3@… on Thu, 09/27/2012 - 16:59

Need to replace the tires on my XJS. Any recommendations on Brand? Performance? The rims were changed at some point (prior to my purchase of the car last summer) so instead of 235/60 VR15 (Perelli), I have 225/60 R16s. Looking for a Performance Touring All Season Tire.

Submitted by janetgmartin3@… on Sat, 09/29/2012 - 20:28

Oh and the Defenders ran me $140 a tire.

Janet Martin
1990 XJS V12 Convertible

Submitted by janetgmartin3@… on Sat, 09/29/2012 - 20:27

Thanks all for the feedback. I wound up with the Michelin Defenders - what an amazing difference in the ride and handling of the car! Previously, it was a much harder ride. Reminded me alot of my MGB i n college where you felt every bump. The Defenders are definitely a softer, quieter riding tire. You can tell a diffence in handling too. I just wanted to drive the car around for the afternoon, but a storm was rolling in so I had to get it home to the garage. Darn it. I will put some real miles on them tomorrow as I'm running over to Hondo, TX from San Antonio for my first car show. Wish me luck.

Thanks,

Janet Martin
1990 XJS V12 Convertible

Submitted by nsmith@twcny.rr.com on Sat, 09/29/2012 - 08:52

I too will be looking for new tires for my '90 XJS for next season. I had a lot of luck replacing Pirelli's on by 1996 Volvo 850R station wagon (the Walkinshaw racing version limited edition for the street). It was a 3800 lb "sleeper" for those who aren't familiar with it. Top speed in excess of 150mph, zero-to-sixty in 6.6 seconds, front wheel drive. A blast for the 15 years I owned it. The rubber band Pirelli's were just too sensitive to getting sidewall injuries from slight potholes. I went through TireRack and had good success with both Kumho's and Yokahoma's. They were both uni-directional tires with great dry and wet grip, good mileage and decent life spans. I am involved with the Slalom series and have turned around 46 second times with my ancient rock hard Pirelli's (for what that's worth). I've also done a fair amount of real racing in Europe and with the SVRA in the States. So for next season, I be seeing what I can get through TheTireRack - but definitely not buying Pirelli's.

Submitted by ghcunningham@c… on Fri, 09/28/2012 - 05:12

Janet- Pirelli stopped making the OEM tire for the XJS (235/60/15) and a lot of people switched to 16" rims to access a larger selection of tires. However, Pirelli recently announced that a new limited-production run of Z-rated tires for the 235/60/15 size will soon be available. The bad news is that they will cost about $300 a piece and you will have to go back to your original 15" rims. So Doug's suggestion about the BF Goodrich tires makes a lot of sense to me. -Gary

Submitted by dougdwyer1@com… on Thu, 09/27/2012 - 23:28

Lots of choices in 225/60x16

I'm on my second set of BFGoodrich Grand Touring All Season. "V" speed rating, "98" load rating, got 40k miles out of last set, only $103 each. Quiet, great grip wet or dry. Slightly weak on steering response compared to an all-out performance tire but I'm a little critical in that area

Cheers
DD