OK, the OEM wheels on my '90 XJS convertible are a little rough and I am thinking about replacing them with something like American Racings Libre. Question is how do you determine the best size, 15", 16", 17", etc. the best width, 7", 8", and what offset? My car is a "driver", not even close to concours, so what I want is the best fit and performance. I am thinking that 16" or 17" might work while leaving enough sidewall on the tires that the car will still ride OK.

Thoughts? I am sure that this is not the first time this question has come up ;-)

Submitted by silver007@shaw.ca on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 16:10

HI George,
yes they are very good also, I bought my last set for my XJS many moons ago at tire rack... Fitapaldi Monolithic..... I used them on my Silver show car for several years in CH 16......... now Silver sports much larger footprints......

Submitted by browder@nuventrs.com on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 12:53

Steve > thanks, but I think that if I can't get something like the American Racing Libre's I will probably just redo my OEM wheels.

Art > I buy a lot of tires from Discount Tires, so I will probably just stop by in person and see if they can come up with something.

Best,

Submitted by dougdwyer1@com… on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 10:24

As an alternative to aftermarket there are a slew of Jaguar wheels...various styles from XJSs and other models...that would bolt right on, including several 16" models.

The 17" wheels from a 1995-97 XJR look particularly good on an XJS, in my opinion...but that's subjective, of course. However, the low profile tires used with 17" wheels (and 18-19-20") have more "cons" than "pros" so some thought is required before taking the plunge.

Cheers
DD

Submitted by browder@nuventrs.com on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 09:46

Ahhhh, good point on the center....don't want to be "boring" anything...if it doesn't fit as it comes, I don't need it. I can get the current OEM wheels redone of course, and that is what I may do and just use a slightly narrower tire from Michelin. By "performance" I merely mean that I do not want any negative effects. Agree on the 16" if I do find something that works.

Best,

Submitted by dougdwyer1@com… on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 08:52

Before selecting any aftermarket wheel make sure the center hole is large enough to accomodate the Jaguar hubs. Most aren't...but some have enough "meat" in the center section to allow the center hole to be bored to a larger size.

"Best performance" is very vague, and "performace" (however it's being defined by you) will come more from the tires than the wheels.

Using a 16" wheel will give you the broadest selection of tires....which might be an important consideration.

So...what exactly are you aiming for?

Cheers
DD