Jaguar XJ40 Tyres

Jaguar XJ40 Original Equipment

The Pirelli P5 was an OE tyre fitted by Jaguar from new on the XJ40.

My 1992 built 1993 model year (according to the handbook) was available with:

Jaguar XJ40 Red

• Pirelli P5 225/65 R 15 99V.
• Pirelli P4000 225/65 ZR 15 (IIRC the load rating was 99).
• Dunlop SP Super Sport 100TD 220/65 R 390 97V (Michelins were also fitted in the same size - but presumably in earlier model years.)
• On the 8Jx16 forged Sports lattice wheel:
• Pirelli P600 225/55 ZR 16.
• Dunlop Performa 2000 225/55 ZR 16.
• The following year the XJ40 moved to 7Jx16 on cars with alloy wheels, replacing the 15" Teardrop and Roulete, and thee Metric Teardrop.
• These used a Pirelli tyre in 225/60 16 size.

For a long time only the Pirelli P4000J (and later the Pirelli P4000E) were available in 225/65 15. Pirelli stopped making them - and I had to switch to 16" lattice alloys. It’s always the way; if the P5s had been available from you back then, I may not have changed wheels!

Jaguar XJ40 History

Throughout the 1970s, Jaguar worked on the iconic Jaguar XJ40, an all-new vehicle designed to replace the original XJ6. The automobile was repeatedly delayed due to issues at British Leyland and the fuel crisis. Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina submitted proposals. It was eventually determined that an internal design would be used for manufacturing. This automobile was ultimately introduced in October 1986, with controversial square headlights on all except the lowest spec models, a holdover from the 1970s development. The car was considered evolutionary rather than revolutionary, including innovations such as the second version of Jaguar's IRS. It had to contend with a new rival, the freshly expanded classic E32 7 series BMW.

While the Jaguar was favoured by the British press, the XJ40 consistently lost comparative tests conducted by German magazines. Initially, just two six-cylinder variants were available: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L. The V12 and a long-wheelbase variant, including a high-roofed Daimler Majestic type designated for official usage, were delayed further still, arriving at the end of the XJ40's lifespan.

The delay in installing the V12 engine was caused by the design of the engine bay, which was too narrow to accommodate a V formation engine, and was said to have been done on purpose because the designers feared that their parent company would insist on using an engine based on their widely used Rover V-8. Following Jaguar's acquisition by Ford in December 1989, work on modifying the engine bay to fit the V12 commenced. Ironically, owing to Ford, Jaguar was subsequently reunited with another member of the old Rover family, Land Rover, where they had previously been owing to British Leyland. However, after developing their own more contemporary V8, they saw the opposite happen with a version of their engine installed to now-classic Land Rover vehicles, from which the old Rover V8 was eventually withdrawn.

XJ40 4.0 Sovereign Tyres