I have a 2004 jaguar x type and i want to lower it with the Eibach kit or the H&R not sure which one i should go with. I also would like to know should i change my struts and shocks they are not blown and ride real good still. Never lowered a car so i'm open to all suggestions thanks

 

H&Rs are cheaper if that means anything. I had a set that I sold a few weeks back that I never put on. If your doing the work yourself then maybe I wouldn't change the shocks and struts. If your paying someone else then definately I would change the dampeners. At the very least I would probably change the front struts when I did it as you'll also want to get the car aligned after installing them. Will save ya in the long run.

 

thanx thats what i was planning on doing

 

BeneBob, When you say dampers you mean the struts themselves, right?

I want to lower my X about 1" - 1.5" and I read input from a Jag tech on this site that you can just pull the springs and clip off a half loop or whole loop, (not sure which) to get around 1.5" of lowering.

I'm just warming up for this one and trying to gather as much info/input from X-Type owners who have already done it. Does this sound crazy to cut my existing springs instead of buying new ones? I don't want my car bouncing around like the fools I see in bad neighborhoods with lowered hoop-dee rides.

Any info would be much appreciated!!!!!

 

your car will bounce like crazy

 

Patterson, cutting a coil is an older car trick. It can't be done on most newer cars due to them have progressive coil springs (ie, coils are not evenly spaced from the top to bottom) or the ends of the coils are wound in some (making for a larger surface area for the coil to rest against with the rubber sound isolator). You cut off this coil in portion and you are going to dramatically increase the suspension noise in the car. If you are thinking you can cut out part of a coil in the center and then have it welded back together, think again. Spring steel is specially heated and if you weld on it, it will loose all its springiness, leading to major problems in the future.

 

No sir, I'd never dream of cutting them in the middle and then welding them back together. I was thinking of cutting off a loop at the bottom or top of the spring. I guess you're right, I'll have to buy new springs for this purpose. I wonder how much BeneBob sold his for? I went to the H&R website and they had all 4 for $350.00.

The only thing that kinda erks me is that the H&R springs claim to lower the front more than the rear by a tenth of an inch, or 2.54mm. I guess you'd never notice but my car is already a little higher in the rear than the front.

I measure 65.25cm at the front and 68.25 at the rear. I'm measuring from the ground to the center of the fender well lip. 3cm higher in the rear! Why????

Anyway, this will turn into a pretty hefty project if I also install new struts and shocks at the time I lower it. Kind of a nonessential mod but it would be nice. ....I added a 3rd cold air pick up for like $20 last week. Talk about bang for the buck! Now when I drive the car just seems to pull better and accelerate a little quicker. Almost like it was starved for air before.

 

Patterson, yesterday I was attempting to install a lowering kit on another members Jag. Yes, our coils are setup such that cutting a coil is not possible (the ends of the coils spiral inwards to give a wide base). So, cutting the springs is not an option.

As for why the rear is higher than the front, there is 2 reasons for this. The first being that the front of our cars carry a majority of the weight (around 60%). So, the springs will tend to wear out faster due to having to work harder and this will cause them to settle. The second being that when you add people to the car, all of their weight pretty much goes to the rear of the car. You add weight, the springs are going to compress. So, you need a bit of room for this compression. If you look closely, almost every vehicle sits with the nose down just slightly. This is most noticeable with the larger trucks (Ford F-350's, Chevy 3500's, Dodge 3500's, etc). This is due to their ability to have upwards of 6,000 pounds being put in the bed.

 

i have a question i bought my eibach springs already and im looking for struts now, i was told to go with the bilstein sport struts and shocks but i cant find any front sport struts for my car every website says FWD but my X is AWD is there a difference

 

Dont cut your springs. Springs are made to compress at a certain point, cutting and rewelding them will completely ruin the spring rates and you will be left with a bouncy, awful ride.

If you just want to get a little lower you dont *need* to swap your struts out when adding lowering springs. Just make sure you get an alignment after the install. You will get a nicer, sportier ride with a set of Bilsteins and if you're in there anyway I would go for those too. Hit up Vivid Racing if you are having trouble finding the proper struts, they've been my parts suppliers for the last 3 or 4 cars I've owned.

I used to have H&R springs and they were great.. Just not as low as I like to be, hence why I've since swapped them out for a set of KW coilovers.

 

Sorry to go sort of off topic but how are the KW's? I was also thinking of either Eibach or H&R but the KW's keep getting my attention. The lowering springs just don't seem to bring the ride height down enough for my liking.

On topic comment:
I've seen compact imports with cut springs and the ride quality looked horrible, and it's always evident when an owner cut his/her springs.

 

There are proper ways and improper ways to cut your springs. As mentioned before some designs are more conducive to being able to cut your springs and other designs will preclude the ability to having them cut. As with anything you should always do your research before taking on a project like that.
Some spring designs have what is called a 'dead coil' at the bottom or top of the spring. This coil does not add to the overall spring rates of the car and hence removing it will not appreciably change the ride quality, only minimally change the ride height. (Read: usually around half to 3/4 an inch.)

 

Did you check out www.tirerack.com

 

I <3 the KWs very much.. Easily the best mod available for our cars. The only model they make is the version 1 for the X Type, so only the fronts are adjustable. The rears are static, but even so are way lower than my old H&R springs. If you want to be truly ballerific and slammed, air bags a'la Jeremy are the only way to go (and quite possibly next on my list)..

Cutting springs is what the kids used to do back in like 1998 to lower their cars.. But if the products exist to lower your car properly, why not go that route?

 

There are lots of reasons to go that route (cutting springs). If all you want is a minimal drop and you like the overall spring rate of the OEM then all you're out is a few hours labor (free if you do it yourself). There CAN be performance gains by doing it this way. However ultimately it's in what the user desires. If you're going for a slammed, flush look (which eventually will die by the wayside like every other style fad) then that's not an option for you. If you're going for budget-friendly ways to improve the handling of your car in order to get lower lap times (something that will never die) then it can be an answer for you. (Just had to throw a few jabs in there... LOL)

 

I'm also in the same boat and I have been told to buy the Bilstein HD struts and shocks. I feel like my ride is a little bouncer than it should be so Im going to order the new bilstiens soon.

 

Just did a little searching and noticed that the rears of the KW's are 1.4" so the lowering seems a bit hampered by the rears.

I noticed the Eibachs give a 1.4" F/R and the H&Rs give 1.4/1.3 F/R Aside from the luxury of going lower in the front is there really an argument for the KW's? They're a grand+ more for a 'similar' drop.

 

There is more to choosing suspension than just ride height. Things like build quality, ride quality and cost should ALL be considered. My advice is ride in X's equipped with all of the above and decide which you want. Be aware the shocks will make a difference in the ride quality as well.

 

A few weeks back I contacted JaggyX about a set of H&R springs he had for sale. Jaggy basically gave them to me, $100, and today my buddy David removed the stock springs on my X-Type and replaced them with the H&R’s. My friend David is a mechanic; Me? I just handed off tools, and moved the floor jack around. It's the best I could do without getting in the way.

The front end was quite a job - to say the least. We had to pull the wheels, brake calipers, tie rods, and drop the A-arms on both sides, just to get to the spring/strut assemblies and remove each one. The front springs took about 2 hours to remove and replace. Luckily D boy has air tools, this made dis-assembly & assembly go quick compared to trying to turn every nut & bolt by hand with ratchets. Plus, his air ratchet has a torque setting for re-assembly! At this point it’s just about knowing how to take it all apart, and, get it back together exactly how it was in the first place. Lol!

Rear End: It was much easier to R&R the rear springs. For one, we didn’t have to pull the wheels off. We simply jacked the rear end up pretty high, and removed the large (alignment) bolts holding the lower control arms to the frame, and then dropped the arms to free the spring/shock bundles. The 2 rear springs took about an hour.

The ride quality is the same... taking it easy over speed bumps...

[Total front & rear springs replaced in 3.0 hours]

 

Do u not think tho tha the kw coilovers will give a far better turn in? From previous experience on ter cars u just cantbeat the coilovers as u can set them up for a relly great drive tho can be slightly frmer. U can soten the dampening too.

I c from ur avatar u changed the front and rear way bars? Did it make much difference? What sort of cts and we u get them from?

thanks

Richard