In reviewing the records I do have for the 2007 I just bought, I see many trips to the Jag dealership for suspension repairs. While I have a new 4 year parts/labor policy I thought the next time the suspension system fails I am going to replace all four with an Arnott Coil Spring Conversion Kit.


Has anyone done this? Arnott claims it equals the OEM ride of the vehicle. Any thoughts? It sure would solve the leaking air suspension problems our vehicles are cursed with.

 

Dan,


If you search the archives you'll find many posts about the coil spring conversion. I had mine done a year or so ago, after the original (as far as I know) front air springs, two compressors and two sets of Arnot lifetime guaranteed air springs failed. I've been very happy with it, especially because of the sense of security knowing I won't come out one cold day and find the car hunkered down on the stops. I could probably be convinced that there is a slight difference in ride/handling but I can't quantify it. Basically for the non-aggressive driving I do, I would say no difference. An expert might say otherwise, but to me it seems the same.


Ray

 

I have the Arnott coil kit. It's difficult to compare the two, as you are going from a dynamic suspension system to a static suspension. Depending on the road conditions as well as driver behavior, the coils sometime seem the same, and at other times seem firmer.

Have you considered the effect the conversion kit may have on your warranty?

 

Ray, thank you. I also am not "aggressive" when I drive. I bought the Jaguar as a touring car, something to sit back in and relax on long trips. I am going to change mine over to coil overs as well.

 

I just bought an extended warranty for 4 years/48m. It does mention items are not covered if they are modified unless they are of a like item. However, with the coil overs (not like air suspension) I don't suspect I'll ever have a problem again with the suspension so I'm not too concerned. The front air suspension failed about a year ago with the previous owner and was substituted by the Jaguar dealership in Rancho Mirage, CA with Arnott air suspension. And the car was in warranty! Kinda shows you how some folks in Jaguar are reacting to the problems. On the other hand, I will email my insurance provider prior to going coil overs and make sure they will only not warranty that part of the suspension. I don't want them to say the coil overs were responsible for the control arms, etc.

 

I got a ride in beachy's coil over car; we did a quick lunch and were able to compare it to taking a ride in my stock 90k air suspension.
We both noted a difference, his did feel different, we both noted it was a firmer/rougher ride, but it wasn't a 'deal breaker' of any sort. This quick compare was on fairly beat up Ohio roads - lots of frost heaves and pot holes.

I keep vacillating between just doing the coil over or doing an arnott new air system to keep the best ride possible. I'm intrigued to see if their shocks are valved better at small oscillation/bumps than the stock Bilsteins - which I've noted Bilsteins do in many applications (the theory is that they set the damping on the fantastic german roads, so on our rough roads, at least in the midwest, the ride isn't optimal).

 

In a previous posting by a member there was mention that after installation of the Arnott coil overs the front of the vehicle sat a little higher than the rear. Has this problem been resolved? Is there a way to correct this problem if it still exist? Also, when you have passengers in the back do you see a significant difference in the level of the car? Any input would be appreciated.

 

As rosskuhns mentioned, the drive in my coil over seems a little rougher and more feeling of bumps than with the air ride. But with my gentle riding style it's certainly worth the peace of mind and not anticipating more $ investment with all the parts of the air suspension that can fail.

I do find the front riding an inch or so higher than the rear. Arnott told me the front would settle over time, but it hasn't really. I find that with a load in the back the rear does drop some and ride lower than the air suspension would permit.

Overall I would do the coil over replacement again at the earliest sign of air suspension problems.