General Thoughts
The first thing to remember is that with the
E-type, Jaguar was revolutionary and pushed the boundaries of what a
British car could do in a way not often seen. They chose partners to
work with to develop components that were beyond the competition in
order to make the E-type the sensation it was. When it came to tyres,
at this time Jaguar formed a close alliance with Dunlop. Together they
chose the Aquajet, code named CB73, it was “state of the art” and a
truly iconic tyre design of the 60s and 70s, and
it offered performance for the E-type in excess of the competition.
For this reason, in most cases it is hard to recommend anything beyond a
Dunlop for an E-type – they go together like bread and butter, and are
usually the best choice, it was after all “the tyre Jaguar chose”; though we also supply direct from the manufacturers Avons, Michelins, Vredeteins and many more.
For general road use we believe it is a mistake
to “over-tyre” an XKE – whilst it makes sense to fit a 185VR15 radial to
your series 1 instead of a the crossplys if you drive your car
regularly and prefer it on radials; on any e-type wide or low profile
tyres will not only ruin the ride and handling, but will not work so
well with the suspension systems and will often foul.
Specific choices
When the series 1 E-type came out, it was fitted
with crossply tyres, and if authenticity in both appearance and
performance on an early car is important, then there really is only one
choice – the Dunlop Roadspeed RS5 was the OE tyre, and is now the only
crossply with appropriate performance capabilities for an XKE and is
still available today.
When refining the series 2, Dunlop worked closely
with Jaguar for development of the CB73 (known as the aquajet thanks to
its unique water clearing ducts that “pump” up to a gallon of water a
second away from the contact patch). It was chosen by Jaguar as the
best choice radial when the cars were new, and it still is today – still
made in the original moulds in England, these days updated with modern
compounds and rated V(150mph) for speed thanks to continued development,
and thanks to its popularity it can be made in larger batches than the
other options, keeping the price competitive.
It is a similar story when it comes to the series 3
V12 E-type - Jaguar chose Dunlop to develop the “ER70R15” version of
the aquajet, and it remains a supreme choice for these cars today.
There are other period
choices for your series 2- The Avon Turbosteel is a V rated steel
belted radial made in the England and a good alternative, while the
Pirelli Cinturato is an older design at a higher price than the correct
tyre. The 185HR15 Vredestein is a European made tyre at a good price,
whilst owners of US spec cars may wish to fit a white or red band tyre,
and the Universal option is the one to go for in these cases as it has a
pattern reminiscent of the original equipment tyre.
There are several high performance tyres available
for the series 3 – whilst the Dunlop remains the tyre of choice, in the
equivalent 205/70VR15 size Avon make the CR28 in England at a great
price; the Michelin XWX whilst not
an original pattern has high performance, as does the Vredestein, though
both of these options are fairly expensive.
If you race or hillclimb your E-type then the Avon
CR6zz is an excellent choice. Retaining a period tread pattern, the
internal design of these tyre by Avon Motorsport is actually very high
tech, using modern design elements such as steel breakers and modern
compounds to offer excellent performance and grip. Bear in mind that
whilst road legal this tyre is designed primarily for motorsport, and
therefore no compromise is made when it comes to longevity and wear.
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Series 1
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Adv
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Disadv.
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640H15
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Original Equipment, Only Suitable Crossply, Made in England
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Some people prefer to fit a radial these days
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Series 2
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185VR15
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Original Equipment, Best Appearance, Recently Upgraded and Very High Performance,
Popularity ensures larger volumes so excellent price, Made in England
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185VR15
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High performance, period appearance, made in England
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Jaguar chose Dunlop
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185VR15
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High performance
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Later tread pattern (introduced in 70s), more expensive than Dunlop and Avon,
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185HR15
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Kerbing Rib
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Lower speed rating than some, Later tread pattern, more expenisve than Dunlop and Avon, J
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185VR15
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Period appearance
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Older design of radial, high price,
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185HR15
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Competitive price, Made in Europe (Holland)
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Lower speed rating than some
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185HR15
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Available with Red or White Band, Appearance
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Lower speed rating than some
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Series 3
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ER70VR15
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Original Equipment, Best Appearance, Recently Upgraded and Very High Performance,
Popularity ensures larger volumes so excellent price, Made in England
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205/70VR15
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Made in England, High Performance, Good Price
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Later tread pattern
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205/70VR15
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High Performance
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Later tread pattern
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205/70VR15
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Good performance, Made in Europe (Holland)
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Less competive on price than it was,
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205/70VR15
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Period appearance but very high performance for track days and racing as well as road legal
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Primarily designed as a race tyre so no compromise made for road use when it comes to wear and longevity
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