Dunlop and Jaguar: Performance History

Dunlop has been appointed as the sole supplier of bespoke tyres for the 19 and 20-inch fitments of the new Jaguar XK Coupe and Convertible. According to the company, the Dunlop and Jaguar partnership embraces many of the iconic successes in the history of both brands. Six Le Mans victories were shared between the two companies, with the success story spanning the 1951 Jaguar XK120C through the legendary D-Type era to the Jaguar XJR-9LM that won in 1988.

Dunlop has an established British motorsport history. The Dunlop tyres used in the current Le Mans Endurance Series are designed, developed and manufactured at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, England, directly adjacent to the Castle Bromwich factory where the new XK is manufactured.

Jaguar and Dunlop have worked together for over two years to fine tune tyres that provide the handling, responsiveness and roadholding demanded by Jaguar engineers and customers.

The new XK models with 20 inch wheels are fitted with 255/35R20 front and 285/30R20 rear Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres. The Sport Maxx features a sophisticated Multi Radius Tread (MRT) design. This technology permits the calculation of an exceptionally accurate tread surface. The more accurate the tread shape is calculated the more homogeneous the pressure deployment in the contact patch becomes.

The new XK models with 19-inch wheels are fitted with the Dunlop SP Sport 01 tyre. This is an asymmetric tyre, rather than a directional tyre like Sport Maxx, and was chosen by Jaguar because of its blend of performance, handling and comfort. The 19-inch sizes are 245/40R19 front and 275/35R19 rear.

These Dunlop tyres which are tuned to the needs of Jaguar are differentiated with a small letter ‘J’ on the sidewall of the tyre.