Best tyres for a MK1 or MK2 saloon

Hi

Have any of you guys tried these https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/5434/category/6427

they are the best tyres for these cars, we generally ship them free of carriage charges, and they are a bargain.

what do you think?

Over priced at the best part of £1000 for 4 tyres , £100 each would be about right !

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I’m sure I had a set n my ‘65 ‘S’ many years ago, worked alright I think, didn’t crash the car if thats anything to judge them by :innocent:

Isn’t Coker tire licensed to manufacture Michelin antique tires from original Michelin molds in the USA?

Nope these are proper Michelin, made by Michelin in a Michelin factory with Michelins quality control, compounds and build quality.

You can’t get a tyre suitable for these cars for £ 100

i pay loads more than that for tyres for my modern XJR, and they are just a modern generic tyre.

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/jaguar/mki-mkii.html

Hopefully on the page above it will show you why they are so much better for a MK2 Saloon

What is the DOT wear rating for the following:

Michelin 185HR 15 XVS-P

Michelin 180R 15 XAS

Vredestein Classic 185-15

Are all of these tubeless type? Are any unidirectional tires?

They don’t have to give that data on classic tyres. the demands on a classic tyre are different to a modern tyre. They don’t make tyres like the XVS or XAS any more they are pretty special, with than Asymmetric Carcass as well as asymmetric tread pattern developed to give a dramatic improvement to the self centreing of the steering of classic cars which were begining to find themselves maintaining higher cruising speeds on motorways. Michelin invented the XAS in 1968 when they owned Citroen to make the DS perform better at cruising speeds, and take out some of the wandering. which is why they are so brilliant now with our crap rutted motorways. I have them on my Rolls Royce.

Vredenstein are very good. Have 4 on my Mk 2 right now.

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I also have the Vredensteins on my MK2 and they are great.

Tim

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I have P4000 now 215/70-15 :thinking:
its ok just like to see pictures of my car :smile:

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You’re a funny man, Ian. :sunglasses:

The tyres, which were on the front of the car, were the wrong size when I bought the car. Note the fairly obvious difference.

Cheers,

Tim

I’ll jump in here with a shameless self car picture post. I have Firestone Firehawk Radials, 205 / 65 / 15. I like that they give the car some attitude and meat. As for performance… Not much to compare them to as the old tires were old and thin. But they hold the road very well.

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Vreds are great.
John

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Guys is it me?
Have we started the international GREEN
Mk2 club with our wives?


That’s her test drive
I didn’t know we had a posi rear
Her new name is Lead Foot Lambchop!
Onto the tires the Michelin’s are different from long stone
I’ve been using cinturato on everything lately
But the vredestens are what I used on the mk2 this time due to the rake and suspension
Gtjoey1314

Has anyone had any luck putting 16x5" rims on their Mk2 ? What size tire would be the bees knees for that size rim if they fit ?

A 16" X 5" wheel would lead to you fitting a tyre with 1/2" less side wall height so not as good ride.

It would also need to be a low profile tyre so totally inappropriate for your car. unless you fitted the Michelin 550HR16 X https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/tyres/550-16/550r16-michelin-x.html . I am a big Michelin fan, it is appropriate technology, but even that tyre is a little taller.

Don’t do it, the totally modified cars you see with wheels like this fitted made by the likes of Eagle, are fantastic things but have a completely different set up to a sytandard MK2. They are brilliant peices of engineering but they are not a 1960s car. 1960s cars benefit from tyres developed to suit 1960s cars.

Basically:

Dunlop no longer make the 640H15 RS5.
Avon Make a crossply Turbo Speed. but if you are going to fit crossply you want original or better.
There is a 185VR15 Dunlop SP Sports Aquajet, However why would you fit that, it is a later 1968 tyre that isn’t actually even made by Dunlop any more.
185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato, were the tyre in period. That is what you fitted if money was no object and you just wanted the best. It is still the same. that tyre is even better than it was in period. better compounds, better quality control, but with te same handling characteristics.
Then the other excellent option is the 180HR15 XAS. 1965 tyre and if you find your steering a little heavy this will improve it. and on motorways it is fantastic.

try this link https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/daimler/dart.html

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How about XWX ?

XWX Michelin

great tyres but they do not make an XWX the correct size for a MK2. https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/michelin-classic-tyres/xwx.html

the 180HR15 XAS is great.

Michelin also make a 185HR15 XVS-P which is great. https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/jaguar/mki-mkii/185hr15-michelin-xvs-p.html They are also making a 185HR15 XVS white wall soon for anyone vulgar enough to put a white wall on a MK2 Jag. It does upset me to see European cars with White Walls. Yuk! I mean why would you?

If you want Michelin, i would fit the 180 XAS over the XVS anyway. more appropriate carcass https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/jaguar/mki-mkii/180-hr15-michelin-xas.html

the bad news is however they are going to make a white wall 180HR15 XAS soon as well which may well end up spoiling the appearance of a MK2 Jag. stick black wall like nature intended.

Ironically, only for the US market , advertising brochures featured Mark 2 photos with whitewall tires. In the early 1960’s, when my father bought a Mark 1 with whitewalls ,even then, I thought they looked out of place. For the last 20 years, my Mark 2 is shod only with Vredestein blackwalls. I would not use anything else.


Vredesteins…185s

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