Tyres

[volospian]

Just changed the tyres on the Jagwar. Went from Falken FK452 to Vredstein Ultrac Sessanta.

I had the same Falkens on the Cerbera (albeit a different size) and they were fantastic, but with the different vehicle characterstics of the Jag they struggled. The Cerb was light and made it's power up in the rev range, while the Jag is a heavy beast and dumps huge amounts of torque to the rears from the off.

On the Cerb the Falkens rarely span unless the road was very wet and you were seriously pushing on, but on the Jag they'd only need a hint of damp before they lit up like a pair of catherine wheels. Trying to nip out of a junction in the wet was a nightmare as the wheels would spin and the TC would come down like a hammer, cutting all the power, then it would allow it back in a big lump, which would spin the wheels and send the TC mad again, resulting in kangarooing wildly out of the junction... However, I will say this in their defense, they were extremely predictable when they broke away. I knew exactly how much throttle to put down on a corner if I want the back to slide out.

OK, so with the TC off it made for lots of tail happy motoring, but sometimes, when it's dark and raining and you just want to get home, it was a pita.

Anyway... I had the Vreds put on this morning, so they are not bedded in yet and pulling off from the garage forecourt sent the TC light flickering so I expected them to perform similar to the Falkens, however, when I got onto a straight piece of road (William Nadin Way in Swad, for those who know the area) I decided to try them out properly.

I switched the 'box into sport mode (it has the CATS system, so it also stiffens the dampers and sharpens the throttle response), switched the TC off and booted it.

Not even a slight slip. I was amazed. They are working on construction down there at the moment and the road is brown with muck from the trucks, it had been raining earlier and the road was shiney and brown and yet the Vreds stuck like glue. I must say, I am seriously impressed with their directional grip... I just wonder how predictable they will be at breakaway... I think I'll have to find somewhere quiet and damp on the way home and see...