I have taken 2 cars off Vredestein and fitted XAS and they were miles better. one was an Alfa Spider and one was a Daimler V8. And i mean much nicer. Oh yes i have XVS on my Shadow 1 too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKRf4Mp980Q But my Lotus Elite has Cinturato with Borrani wheels https://www.borrani.com/jaguar-wheels/e-type.html
I am amazed to hear some one say they took Michelin off and preferred Vredestein. That is completely contradictory to the general response. I can only assume that is down to the fresh rubber compound having taken off with old Michelinās and fitted with fresh Vredsteins. Which is the case with all the coments on here. This will be particularly apparent in a warm climate. Or determined by what values you judge it on. if you value a soft ride over directional stability and progressive handling.
I know i am going to get a series of people defying that, now but i also base my theory on the fact that we never get any come back on the Michelin, but we used to get complaints about the dintās in the side wall of the Vredestein. And here is the real crux of the matter. when we sell XAS and XVS tyres we regularly get people ringing us up elated with the improvements to their cars.
And the Vredesteins look dreadful. It just does.
I have a Jaguar bulletin about tyre pressures for radial tyres which includes the Cinturato which we are just putting on this web page as i write http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/jaguar-e-type
It hasnāt been easy to get documetation from Jaguar, however i have had this email from their Heritage department.
Hi, ref our discussion yesterday, I tried to check with our archive team but they are temporarily closed for business due to a refurbishment programme. However, I did manage to pick through a very good ā E Type guide book last night and found the following paragraph:
Jaguar E Type Series 1 - 3.8 litre - Wheel and Tyre Equipment
Dunlop Road Speed RS5 tyres were fitted, size 6.40-15. Cars for the USA commonly had white sidewalls, originally with a wide band, later with a narrow band. Dunlop RS5 Road Racing Tyre were available, sized 6.00-15 or 6.50-15 for the wider rim rear wheels.
Jaguar Cars would fit other tyres on request, including radial tyres such as Michelin X. By May 1963, both Pirelli Cintura HS and Dunlop SP.41 HR 185-15 were stated to be available. If SP.41 tyres were fitted, maximum speed should be restricted to 125mph (200 kph).
Hope this helps ā¦ Martyn
It is worth pointing out that the Cinturato was available well before 1963, like 10 years before 1963! Jaguars comments and tyre choice is very heavily weighted towards their neighbours Dunlop who of course were also producing cheaper tyres than the Cinturato.
I have also been told by period Jaguar employees (who wasnāt keen to have his name used) that the Cinturato was used in period. Though of course that is not evidence that would stand up in court it did give me the confidence to look for more evidence. if anyyone else has some please post it.
There is of course the excellent film and an advert with Jimmy Stewart on this page https://www.cinturato.net/e-type-jaguar-tires.html Incidentally that car is owned by a friend of mine that lives about 5 miles from where Longstone Tyres is.
Changes such as āadjustable Gaz shocks all around w/adjustable perches at rear. Poly Bush all around , up-rated anti-sway bar and EBC Red-Stuff pads.ā are all things that you would do to a car to modernize it. modern tyres work well with modern cars, so your experience of how a car handles in these circumstances are sort of difficult to consider in relation to a standard car which will have a much softer ride and very importantly will roll more in the corners, which is all part of the vintage experience. Iām not saying modifying cars is wrong, but it is not comparable.
Here is a rather cheesy picture i drew to try to demonstrate the benefits of a proper period tyre over a modern tyre https://www.facebook.com/longstonetyres/photos/a.212924405440944.58518.205313032868748/1155809451152430/?type=3&theater of course it is exaggerated to demonstrate the point.
More modern and wider tyres have effectively sharper shoulders and a flatter foot print which among other things puts more rubber on the road, which even on a classic '60s car with soft suspension and lots of travel that rolls in the corners will improve straight line braking in the dry, but you donāt have the caster or adverse camber to take advantage of it when the car rolls in the corners.
A perfect example would be if you assumed the top car is fitting 205/70R15 P4000 (which incidentally are now probably very old. I also believe when these were fitted to the XJ6 they softened the suspension to make up for the harsher tyre)
And the bottom car is fitted with a nice period carcass that is developed in conjunction with cars of the period. in this case cars that were developed with crossply tyres. lets pretend it is the 185VR15 Cinturato https://www.borrani.com/tyres/185x15/exact-match/185vr15-pirelli-cinturato.html
An E-type does not add adverse camber when the suspension is loaded up when cornering, like a modern car does. the wheel stays parallel to the side of the car, and the suspension travels further than a modern sports car. so when the car leans in cornering it rolls onto the rounded shoulders of the tyre and gives progressive handling. However on a modern sharper shouldered wider tyre, it rolls up onto the edge of the tyre and lifts the inside of the tyre and lets go much more dramatically. so lots of grip, then let go, lots of grip then let go.
That description and those pictures might make it look like, if you fit a modern tyre, you are immediately going to crash, which is clearly not true. However what is true is that a period tyre, and i would suggest the Cinturato, will give you a much more pleasurable sporty, light, progressive, rewarding drive that feels fantastic. a modern tyre will give you slightly more ultimate grip in a straight line, but who cares. Only really racers. i donāt think you chaps are suffering from locking up your wheels under braking, and the compounds used in the Cinturato are smack bang up to date and move water out the way fantastically. and just having a bigger foot print isnāt exactly relative to how much more grip you get you still have the same amount of weight just shared out over a larger area.
Oh yes fatter tyres might mean you do less wheel spins. But give me a brake, iām trying to make a living here. I sell tyres not transmission and half shafts. because of course more grip wears and brakes all that stuff quicker. fatter tyres will make your steering go sloppy and loose quicker.
Oh yes and wheel spins are cool!
These tyres are cheap really, over the years they are on your car. when you buy high specification tyres for a modern sports car from a top brand the prices are comparable.
Here is the thing; if you drive the car put the best tyres on; you will enjoy it more, they are a drop in the ocean compared to other jobs you do on your car.
Pirelli and Michelin cost more than other tyres because they are the highest spec, they have the best build quality and they are made to suit these cars, which means they are made in small batches and cannot be produced like say a Ford Mondeo tyre. also Pirelli and Michelin are 2 of the worlds best tyre manufacturers. I can justify the cost, but i do accept that it is a big hole in your credit card bill.
Back to that rounded shoulder thing. If you have got wide wheels and you like the full wheel arches look and are therefore determined to fit a fatter tyre, then if you fit a period tyre (surprise surprise) such as the Michelin XWX http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/205-70vr15-michelin-xwx.html or the Cinturato CN12 https://www.borrani.com/pirelli-tyres/cinturato-cn12/205-70wr15-pirelli-cinturato.html and the derogatory effect will be diminished and they look miles better.
The P4000 http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/pirelli-p4000 was a great tyre. they were great on my late series 3 XJV12 but they look awful on a '60s car. all that big modern writing on the side wall and the tread pattern look completely wrong
