Introducing my XJ aka Willain

everything white is painted and the rest is chromed or yellow galvanized
the plastic parts are also painted
not every painter here does or manages to do that
I have a very good one

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Hi Alex and welcome.
You have done a great restoration with an admirable attention to detail!
Love the white engine bay and the very tasteful interior modifications.

In my artistic and humble opinion, the chrome steel Turbo rims with hubcaps are the nicest wheels for the SI and SII.
It would be nice if they were 16" but I don’t think they exist.

Personally, I am not fond of wire wheels, and besides the fact that they are very problematic both in rigidity and maintenance, they just don’t look right on the XJ.
And if you go with 17" or 18" you are entering the Pimp my Ride territory, and sorry to say that the blue car with the skinniest tires looks untasteful.

Those cars are made with one thing in mind: Elegance, Style and Taste.
As I said, you have done a very tasteful restoration, so don’t go overboard.
If you want a sportier look, the wider 16" lattice wheels as Jochen mentioned, or others from the later XJS models, will fit the car very nice and without compromising the superb ride that the XJ has.

There is also this company that makes Kent wheels in larger sizes

.
PS.
And the Kents are the nicest wheels for the SIII.

Alles besten.

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You need to befriend @MartinScherz!

According to those who know, the S1 & S2 suspension was designed with the 15 inch wheels and Dunlop SP Sport tyres as integral parts of the suspension setup. I tried 16 inch rims and tyres on my S2 and I didn’t like the ride. It is also common knowledge that low profile tyres give a harsher ride than standard profile tyres. The ride of the S1 & S2 XJ cars was superb and part of the car’s character. Changing this just for “looks” is, in my humble opinion, sacrilege.

This may be of interest:

I can’t imagine that changing from 16 to 17 inches would make handling so much worse.
Of course I would like the car to remain elegant and tasteful, but there are other Jaguar models with spoked wheels and they also look stylish
So I agree with what you say, but I’m looking for an interim solution
a way between pimp my ride and classic
I have nothing against a bit modern
the 18 inch rims are only an option because the car is quite big and i don’t want the 17 inch rims to look too small and a bit lost
my 15s, for example, look tiny and i’m a fan of big rims that fill out the wheel arches nicely

It isn’t so much the size of the rims. It’s the radical change in tire profile. Lower profile tires will result in a harsher ride.

As I said, before, it’s your car, so knock yourself out!

However, it will lose a good amount of the supple and stately ride that it was designed with. Were it me , I would go +1 on the rim size and I think that you’ll find the ride will be pretty much normal, and the bigger tires will fill out the fender wells pretty well.

does anyone have photos of the xjs rims mentioned here?
I currently have 15 inch BBS cross spoke rims on it

Who is Martin Scherz?

Thank you for the photos.
I love looking at photos of Jaguar XJ

Martin is a fellow German, and has a friend who is pretty intelligent also about all matters Jaguar.

You would be surprised. I owned 2 modern s-types over the years. One had 16 inch wheels and the second one had 17 inch wheels. There was a very noticeable deterioration in ride quality. If your concern is strictly that you want big rims with low profile tires go for it. There will be a price to pay in ride and handling though.

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It‘s me :sunglasses:

Owner and fettler of an old E-Type S2, located in southern Germany. Short ownership of XJ6 S2 and S3, but not much knowledge on those, they were drivers.

Whereabouts in Germany are you?

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from Northern Germany
right at the other end

I am in the West near Dortmund.
And I have gone the opposite way on the wheels for the Winter. Went down to 15" XJ40 wheels from the original 16" x300 wheels. Just because I had a spare set of the 15" wheels. :joy:

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Your XJ is very far from original, so you have just to follow your taste. The result for the moment, is really good.

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Thanks a lot

[quote=“XxX, post:25, topic:432459, full:true”]
I can’t imagine that changing from 16 to 17 inches would make handling so much worse.
[unquote}

The suspension was made for 15" wheels, Alex, and Paul is perfectly right; the 15’ tyres will absorb minor road imperfections - the much less rubber on larger rims cannot do that. Imperfections are transferred undampened directly to the car body.

‘Handling’ is a different issue - it may well be crisper with larger rims/less rubber. It is your choice - though to me those large rims and skinny tyres looks wrong. But looks is in the eye of the beholder; to me it is the wheels that should suitably fit the wheel arches - not the rims…)

You have done quality work - and if it satisfies you; other peoples opinion of the result is neither here nor there…

Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)

I think in this wheelrim size discussion, what we have here is largely a generational issue. For one generation they perhaps feel that big wheels and low profile tires look cool. And they’re right, they do look cool.

For another generation (perhaps one that knew the cars more when they were new) they feel that low profile tires compromise ride and originality. And they’re right, they do.

But at this stage in the cars life, for me, anybody who is prepared to put time and money into preserving, restoring and using these cars deserves respect. The choice of wheel rim really is not that important in the grand scale of things.

So go ahead and create the car you want. Just keep that car on the road and make it better. It’s not like its difficult to change wheel rims back later if you change your mind.

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That is very well said and hits the point.

if someone only drives a few hundred kilometers or maybe even 1000 kilometers a year, then it doesn’t matter if the car isn’t as soft as before.
I might not even notice it, and if I do, I’ll have to live with it, which I’m happy to do.
and if at some point it doesn’t work anymore, I’ll swap the rims again.
I look forward to more photos of your cars and maybe also the story behind your car and of course other suggestions for rims

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Welcome aboard. I am kind of speechless. You did an amazing job with a lot of attention to detail. I am sure this XJ cost a fortune. Priceless.

I try to keep everything the way it was in when it rolled of the line but I still applaud you for taking an awesome car and making it yours in a very unique way. Its pretty bold to use a white color on the engine. Your XK must be the only one that doesn’t have the tendency to return parts of dead dinosaurs back to mother earth. But in the end any XJ still driving is a great XJ.

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Thanks very much
Yes, I put a lot of effort into it and made every decision very consciously after much deliberation.
i love the shape of the XJ and wanted to build my very own dream car.
I just had the transmission flushed and the shift points adjusted.
the air quantity meter is currently being worked on and an oil change is planned for friday
When changing I will use the Liqui Moly engine flush.
I just used the Liqui Moly tool to clean the fuel system and I’m curious to see if it helps.
i also think it is very important that the car not only looks good but also runs and drives as well as possible.

As others have more eloquently stated, that’s all that counts! I applied your efforts, and I wish you many, many miles of enjoyment!