I test drove both V6 and V8 models with 19" and 20" wheels respectively. The low speed ride on the V8 was better than the V6.

But, the V6 was lacking the adjustable dampers.

I bought a V6 with 18" wheels, as I knew I could get a set of 19" or 20" wheels complete with nearly new tyres off eBay for less than Jaguar were charging (and I'd have 2 sets of wheels).

Having also bought and fitted a set of Gyrodynes, I can report that while the car can be unsettled by repetitive undulations at speed, the bump and rebound wheel control actually seems better. It now absorbs bumps on the first attempt, making me wonder about a mis-match between the tyres and the suspension when using 18" wheels fitted with the OEM Continentals.

 

I have a V6 S and went for the 20 inch black. All I have to say is awesome. Car rides great all modes all the time.

Tom

 

I will throw in my 2 cents, as I too am looking at bettering my ride even though it's not too bad now, but I'm thinking the width of the tire will count also, just more rubber on the road. With the 2014 6s, I'm seeing that 295 rears will be my max and I. Think I saw 255's on front

 

Extra tire width is not going to change the quality of your ride at all. I feel very little ride quality difference between the OEM 18's I had on my car and the OEM 20s (295) I installed from an R Coupe. However, I think the handling is better on the wider tires but, of course, that's just my subjective perception.

And BTW, V6 vs. V8 , S or R, or model year, makes no difference, in terms of what tires fit. They all have the same wheel well, and hub dimensions. You can fit up to at least a 305 rear tire with no problem. As was said in another thread, some of the cars do have bigger optional brakes, but that's only potential issue if you were trying to downsize.

 

If anyone is contemplating the move to 19" wheels or just want to have an extra set on hand and need new tires, please check out my classified: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/p...2/#post1279054

 

Part of the problem (confusion about what is "better") is that the tire is essentially the front end of your suspension. I've only got 142 miles on my 6S so far, but I find Dynamic mode on the suspension to be a little bouncy on our local roads. I think that there is too much high-speed compression damping for the tire and wheel combination. I haven't yet formulated an opinion on the rebound damping.

 

Did we ever settle on a size to increase width on 19's? The front and rear relationship? I know we did lengthy discussion but I forgot to print out.

 

lizzardo, with the S you fool around with the settings, believe me you'll drive yourself nuts but you can find a custom setup.

 

Interesting. On my Base V6 coupe my impression is that it doesn't have enough low speed damping - particularly on rebound. Yet, the ride at low road speeds is worse than a V8 in Comfort setting...

 

I have 20" tornados on my S and they are surprisingly forgiving. I wouldn't swap them for anything smaller.

 

To clarify, I mean low and high speed as suspension travel speeds, not vehicle speeds.

 

The beauty of these cars is that you can customize your personal dynamic mode and can dial back the suspension if you like while keeping the aggressive steering and throttle mapping.

 

The problem with the adjustable damping is that it doesn't alter the spring rate. It's also just a toggle. There are only two settings.
I'm hoping the dampers break in a little. The Bilsteins I fitted to my previous car seemed to have a break-in period of a thousand miles or so.

 

It may be an issue the Pirelli tires. We have plenty of uneven and bumpy roads around here and I have found the suspension to be exceptionally compliant regardless of road condition with the Michelins.

 

Yep. That would be why I said low road speed in the second sentence.

 

I have the factory 20's on mine and no regrets. It rides surprisingly smooth and handles extremely well.

 

That could be. My C30 came with P-Zero Nero, and I never liked them. These are not the Neros so I was hoping for better (they are) but the Michelins seem to have quite a following.
Not trying to be condescending, just being sure I was clear. Some of our crumbling roads here stress the high-speed compression damping at low road speeds.