tyres

[ronorford1]

which is the best make of tyre for 18 inch wheels? mitchelin, pirelli or firestone?

[Old Peter]

Welcome to the Club, Ron.

 

I used to have an X Type [200] which had 17" wheels and ran on Pirellis.   

 

Jaguar recommend either Pirellis or Continentals.  A friend [who sells Vredestein Tyres] told me not to touch Continentals.

 

I run my S Type on Pirellis with 18" Wheels.

 

Regards,

 

Peter.

[msmicksmith]

I'm prepared to guarantee you won't look back if you try BF Goodriche.

I had them on my Supra 3.0 Turbo which was tail-happy everywhere when I bought it. The BFG's were recommended to me and even in the wet, I'd have to rev up and dump the clutch to get it to break traction in a roundabout and even then it squabbled a little and gripped again without losing the back end at all.

Absolutely phenomenal grip! Since then, i won;t fit anything else.

 

Not got them on my jag yet as the current tyres are ok and have life left, but will be fitting them when I need replacements. Just priced them a couple of weeks ago at my local (Apex tyres, Peterborough - used them for 23 years now) and they've quoted £95 each for the 18's.

 

I had a set of BFG's on my Vectra V6 SRi (which was driven accordingly!) and I managed 25k miles!

 

Can't beat them and they knock the pants off Pirelli, Michelin and the like.

[Old Peter]

That seems a good price, Mick.  I have had no problems with the Pirellis, but they do get some criticism at times from users.

 

I have had a look around on the internet but can't find a dealer near me that seems to want to sell them.

 

The plus point for me at the moment is that all five tyres are in good nick.  Halfords have offered me a free tyre check which I will take up before my MOT in June, and I will make some enquiries of them.  The guy who runs the local Halfords is a good bloke who will tell me the best price etc.

 

Peter

[msmicksmith]

Peter, I've used Apex for 23 years and in that time I've tried beating them on service, quality and price and found no other company to be in contention.

The cheapest I've been quoted for BFG's elsewhere is £115 so they are easily saving me £80!

Even at £115 though, they are cheaper than most other branded tyres and the grip they offer in the wet is beyond anything I've ever encountered.

Couple that with dry grip in equal measure without any tyre squeel when being 'pushed' and my last set returning me 25k miles, I can't find a better tyre!

[Old Peter]

I think that I will make an enquiry with the very helpful guy down at Halfords, Mick, to see if he get BFGs at a decent price.  Otherwise I will be looking to come over to Peterborough.  The best price for Pirellis I can get round here is about £205 a corner.  City prices!

 

Peter.

[msmicksmith]

£205 PER TYRE!! Ouch!

When I had my Renault, I had Kwik-Fit quite me £225 for a tyre! I told the poor unsuspecting lass that I had a Laguna not a bl**dy Porsche!! Best they offered was £125 and I got BFG's at Apex for £79. They were 225/45 17's. 

 

My Jag has 225/40 18's so the price is a bit more but jeez!! £205 is a real rip off!

 

Look forward to meeting you at Apex Peter!! Lol

[Old Peter]

Hi Mick

 

My employers had a account with Kwik Fit, and we were obliged to get tyres/brake discs and pads there.  I told them that I wanted to see all the bills in detail, and found that one of my staff in my Office had been charged over £800 for two tyres and disc pads on a Rover 420.  I queried it and wouldn't sign if off till there had been a reduction in the bill. Lo and behold, £550 off immediately.

 

I have 245/40 s on 18 wheels and most premium brands are over £150  -- there is only one tyre company that is what you could call a privately run business in the area -- all the rest are the big brands, but he only uses Vredesteins.

 

Unless I can find someone who charges a reasonable price in this area I might well tell Doris to take me to Peterborough for a day!

 

Regards

 

Peter.

[msmicksmith]

Sounds like you'll still save a fortune by travelling to Peterborough, Peter.

Vrededteins are ok. I had them on the front of my Supra 3.0 Turbo but they weren't as grippy as the BFG's believe it or not. I swear by BFG's (as you can probably tell!)

If you do travel this way, let me know and I'll pop out for a coffee with you at Apex. It's free and actually quite nice!

For your info - Apex tyres, Mancetter Square, Werrington, Peterborough, PE4 6LQ.

If you go on a Saturday be sure to arrive before 9am or you'll not get seen. They close at 12 and will be packed! I always get there for around 745am and am then among the first 3 or 4 there for opening at 8am.

You'll need to pre order BFG's as they don't stock them but usually get them for next day or day after

[Old Peter]

Thanks Mick.  I have an offer from Halfords  ---  just a little place in the town centre  ---  to do a free tyre check, which I know is mainly to get a bit of business.  I will do that in April, and I will make an enquiry as to the cost of BGFs for my S Type.  The current Pirellis should have 3mm of tread for the MOT in June, so it looks as if I will be replacing my tyres for the winter, which is not a bad thing.

 

If I come over to Peterborough I will certainly let you know, as the drive over there now is not as bad as it used to be with the M6/A14 link.  I used to spend a lot of time in Corby when I was gainfully employed, & I have also played golf  at the course in Bourne so I know the way reasonable well.

 

Regards,

 

Peter. 

[msmicksmith]

It appears most people I talk to know the golf course at Toft near me!

I used to work in Corby to for a little while. I was doing promotional work for Honda Motorcycles and the warehouse is in Corby. We were the guys responsible for the Honda stand at the NEC Bike Show etc.

[Old Peter]

I had one of the first 6 Honda Dreams imported into the UK.  A revelation. I did 120k miles on it and only had the cam chain and clutch replaced, and the wheels rebuilt in all the time I had it.

 

17 and a half years I was up and down the road to Corby Tube Works at least once a week. The improvement of the A14 was wonderful, and I could get home in an hour and a quarter instead of two hours.

[Old Peter]

Hi Mick,

 

I have just found out that BFG do not make a tyre in the size required for my S Type.  I have a bit of time to look around, though.

 

Peter.

[msmicksmith]

Peter, what size are your tyres? I've never come across a size they don't manufacture before. The BFG website lists pretty much every tyre available and it would be worth a call to Apex to check they can actually get them. They've never failed me yet in 22 years

[Old Peter]

I was surprised too, Mick. 

 

My tyres are 245/40 R18 97Y.

 

Prices for Pirelli vary in this area from between £205 to £149, although I think that the latter price is not an all inclusive one and they charge for other bits.

 

I will probably make a call to Apex sometime.