14.2 - Wheels and Tyres for the S ( David & Patricia Reilly,  December 27, 2005 )

As Editors of the International 'S'-type Register Newsletter, we
were assisted by Longstone Tyres in Bawtry, South Yorkshire,
England (www.longstonetyres.co.uk)in producing an article on
'S'-
type tyre choices. Following is our article:
For an 'S'-type Jaguar I would choose between the 2 best tyres,
depending on what is wanted out of the tyre. For originality I
would fit the Dunlop, if I wanted performance and longevity out
of my tyres I would fit the Michelin. We are always pleased to
provide a free fitting service to all our customers and provide them
with a cup of tea while they look at our well campaigned vintage cars.
185HR15 Dunlop SP Sport (Aquajet) is quite a famous extremely
period tyre, one very similar to this was fitted by Jaguars to
the later 'S'-types, E-types and other cars of the late 60s. (Ed:
Note that while an ‘SP’, the tread is different from the original
‘SP41’.) 185HR15 Michelin XVS-P is a fantastic tyre developed through
racing. Michelin brought out the first tyre with an asymmetric
tread pattern and carcass in 1965. The XVS was developed as an
upgrade to enhance the handling of cars of this period. In
Longstone's opinion, ''You can’t get a better tyre
in this size''. 185SR15 Michelin X is the perfect tyre as an alternative to a cross-ply tyre.
In 1946 Michelin developed the first radial tyre to enhance road holding and longevity of tyres.
A lovely period tall tyre with rounded sidewalls and thin tread but in the case of an 'S'-type
an insufficient speed rating of 112mph.
185HR15 Avon TurboSteel is a good quality British tyre fitted as
the radial alternative for many late ‘60’s cars
including Aston Martins. 185HR15 Vredestein Classic is low cost but not as cheap as the Michelin X.
It also has a more modern looking tread pattern.
Cheers,
David & Patricia