Hello troops;
I'm new to the S Type, a roll over from the XJ8 bunch.

Last month a lady used my wonderful XJ8 as a stopping block and it was totaled. Yesterday I purchased a. 05- S Type Sport (what ever that means).

It's a beautiful car inside and out, but unless I'm on a very smooth road, it rides like a wooden wagon. Very rough. Not a bouncy rough, but more like one would ride if the suspension was bottomed out. However, by doing the press down on each corner to see the recovery of each end, it comes back up with no bounce at all---and I had a much bigger fellow then I am to check it for me.
So I'm looking for some advice on what it could be. I'm sure, just because it's called a Sport model, it isn't designed to ride like that.

I've put it up on my lift and all the bushing look as new. Even all the rubber boots are in tact and there is no sign of any leaking shocks. All four are dry as a bone. Do these cars have upper shock mounts as my XK8 does? Looking at the top I can see no crumbing material around the shock bolt and not being on top of things with the S, it doesn't look at all like the upper shock mounts on the XK.

So---any help would be much appreciated (if) you know the S Type well.

Cheers
Chuck

 

Also check the tyres (tires) - make, model, are they right for the car, pressures, etc.

It may be the car has CATS (see below) and is faulting to hard. You have CATS if you look at top of suspension mounts in engine bay and there are (thin) wires from them.

The car should ride very well, though harder than many rather soft (IMO) US cars.

 

They don't bounce around Chuck, perhaps a set of new shock absorbers all round is due? I somehow doubt it will be on the original shocks, but you never know.

 

Car mileage? Tire make, model, size, pressures, and remaining tread depth? You say your suspension bushings look good, but what is the condition of the front upper control arms and anti-roll suspension links? My 2005 S-Type 3.0 is approaching 101,000 miles and we recently replaced the above-mentioned components because they were essentially shot. My car now rides as well as it did when we purchased it in December 2008 at 18,000 miles....

 

Chuck - Sport models have the CATS (dynamic damping) struts. From your description they are defaulting to hard. Do a forum search for fixes.

 

Chuck, I'll make a couple of leaps in logic from your post; First, I'll assume your XJ8 was an X308, then I'll further assume the X308 rides remarkably similar as the X300. IF those premises are true, then I'm sorry to say, your expectations may be beyond the capability of the recently-acquired S-Type.

However, you are indeed fortunate and have either an exceptionally rare bird or a recently fully re-bushed and re-suspended one if all the suspension rubbers are showing in fine nick!

 

jagstuart:

Is that true about all Sport models, because that is exactly they way I would describe how it feels---as if they defaulted to firm--very firm.

Checking it out now. Thanks

Chuck

 

aholbro1:

Nope! It was a 350. About the suspension. This car has been driven. Was not a garage queen. It has just turned 101000 and I expected to see a lot of badly worn bushings and ball joints, but I was very surprised to see that every thing looked really great.

If all Sport models have the Cats system and this is a true Sport as mentioned above, then that may very well be my problem--or at least the ride feels as if everything is as firm as it could be. My XK8 is a real beauty and doesn't have either cats or the air-ride feature as my 350 had and it rides a little stiff because of its suspension, but nothing like this.

I guess the first thing to do is find out how to prove that it is truly a sport model and go from there. Any idea's??

Cheers

Chuck

 

Nope.... Out of Altitude, time, and turns as pessimistic rotor-heads may say.

IIRC, X350 and S-Type share more than a few suspension gubbings and bits by exact part number. X350 sports a longer wheelbase which should improve ride quality somewhat, but the S-type may actually be the heavier car.....I just don't recall the curb-weights presently.

Perhaps the air suspension on the X350 works wonders over the basic coils on the S-type? (when it is actually working and not hissing its air out from various leak points)
I can only tell you that my '95 is a (noticeably) bit more harsh than either '96, but still softer and smoother than either of my S-types.

 

jagstuart and aholbro1 ;

Just went to VIN Decoder on the car and under "Equipment" it says:
"4-wheel independent front double wishbone suspension w/spring over shock spring/damper asserr---"

The last word is cut off and I can't get the page to move, so can't figure out what that last word "asserr" might be.

Can anyone guess???

 

aholbro1;

See your an old rotor head. I've got 36 years being an old rotor head myself. 16 in the army and 20 with PHI after I retired. a big Hand Shake to you Bro...........

Chuck

 

Post #2 re CATS.

Also, try FordEtis home page

 

jagstuart;

Nope! Top of shock is solid and no indications that there use to be wires going to the tops of the shocks, so back to why it's riding so hard.

As I said above, rides smooth on a smooth road, but real sharp ride over rough roads.

Chuck

 

Stock wheels or something after-market (i.e., their HUGE) with rubber bands for tires?

Should be either 17" or 18"
=================================
My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)

 

top of CATS strut




front CATS

so it does'nt resemble this at all? both the sport s type models i have seen were equipped with CATS.

 

jagstuart;

Nope! Doesn't look like that at all. (thanks for the picture)--I knew what the Cats set up looked like, my 05 XJ8L had that system-- least until the woman ran into it, but I was thinking that a pervious owner had changed shocks and did away with the system on this car, but no, can't find any evidence it ever had it.

But still, I wonder if all Sport models had the Cats system. If not, wonder why every ad I saw for this car said the same thing--05 Jaguar S-Type Sport-- of course they say never believe what you read and very little of what you saw and nothing of what you hear--- so, I'll just have to wait and see. No big deal really, just would like to know.

Might pull the trim in the boot (trunk) and see what the rears look like. May tell something.

Cheers

 

Pab;

Thanks. The car has 18" Michelin sports, so I think that's correct. At least that's what Tire Rack says....

Cheers

 

If I may thread bomb, my 17k mile, '07 non-sport S w/stock 17s also rides almost indescribably. I think my bad Michelins(flat spots/slipped belts from sitting 18 months by previous owner) contribute. My old Mark 8 Lincoln was incredible sensitive to wheel balance and tire pressure, are Esses equally the sensitive type? Is that what S-type stands for?

The ride is sensitive to small road imperfections, the big ones get swallowed up. I drove my old Forester turbo and it's the opposite-smoothish over small bumps but a pogo stick on big ones. Strange for a Jag to be this 'busy' of a ride as all the XJs I've driven were like silk.

I'm looking at Conti DW for a fresh set of skins hoping that will help.

 

If the car is a sport model it will have a leather wrapped steering wheel, not wood and the vin number will have a 3 for the seventh digit, not a 1.

 

Catmobile;

Thank you very much. That is exactly what the doctor ordered. The seventh digit is in fact a "1". It does however, have a leather covered steering wheel, and a nice looking chrome and leather gear shifter--not unlike the one in my XK8 convert.

Also different on this car are the dash panels which are neither laminated wood or carbon fiber. They are metal and the design looks sort of like carbon fiber--light gray in color. I've never seen this set up in a Jaguar before.

Cheers