I was wondering of any of you have ever heard of someone replacing the xj8 cats system with suspension components from the same year s-type. I have been doing some looking and they look very similar in dimension and i all ready know the rears take the same size bushing. I'm thinking of bidding on the suspension of a s-type 3.0 right now. The cars are nearly identical in weight but the s-type has an inch less ground clearance. I will keep you all posted on my progress and appreciate any input.

 

Why not just get the Arnott or Motorcars coilover kits off the shelf???

No point in reinventing the wheel....

 

just trying to save some $ i can get all 4 corners off the s-type for $500 ish

 

This would be very interesting to see.... It's inovvations like these, us sourcing ford parts etc that make these cars affordable second hand.

Please let us know.

Thanks,

George

 

+1

 

You need to measure up the dimensions of the S-type spring units and compare with your car, PLUS check spring rates, because the S-type is a heavier car.

 

nobody got back to me on measurements but i have huge ***** so i went ahead and ordered the springs. the 2004 v6 s-type weighs the same as my 2004 xj8 and the s-type has 1 inch less ground clearance. I did my research and most suspension parts are the same on both cars. control arms, bushings and some others.... It also looks like Xj8's use the same upper wishbone as the S-type and thunderbird. These parts can be sourced for $90 they go on later this week and i'll keep you guys posted

 

Does that upper wishbone include the bushing for $90?

Thanks in advance.

George

 

Good luck with it mate!

 

the swapped worked! the ride height and quality is perfect. i actually prefer the ride of the s-type coilovers over the stock airbags because the car felt a little more responsive and and connected to the road. The only issue was the top mounts did not line up perfectly with the stock holes in the strut mounts of the car. Easy fix since my mechanic is a badass and we both agreed to just let him drill the holes to make them fit. As you can see from the picture the holes are about 1/4 of an inch off and he had no problem making them fit. He is a long-time hot rodder and is good at making things fit. He assured me that this did not compromise the the integrity of the suspension system since they are such a tight fit and really have no where to go in an impact situation.

I ended up spending about $460 for all 4 springs/shocks thru ebay and they came from a 2004+ s-type v6. If anyone is in the Dallas area and needs a mechanic that can make this happen then by all means go to City Garage in Euless, TX and ask for Paul. He is the only guy i let touch my car since i'm a bit of a perfectionist and an amateur mechanic myself.

In case you were wondering about the visible pipe clamps on my exhaust.... yes i sawed off my rear mufflers and replaced them with pipe to retain my exhaust tips. I did this because its classier than driving around with my rear sections removed and my car still sounds awesome. I get compliments from my homies at UPS when they hear how BOSS my jag sounds. I've heard a sound clip before of an XJ8 with just the middle resonators removed and it sounded like crap. There is no comparison. If any or you are curious i would recommend you also unbolt your rear mufflers and enjoy the music. Its gonna drone a bit at low rpm's but it only takes a few minutes and it makes driving more fun you can also reduce the drone a bit by bolting on some turndowns if you decide to leave ur car that way.

 

OMG! This is so cool! Does it handle better? I've already had to replace one rear shock. My part was $380 and the damn thing was under warranty! That was for a used one, too.

We're gonna hafta come down and see you dance sometime!

 

The front looks a bit high to me.

 

the ride home from the shop was terrible and extremely bumpy. i took the pics right after i got it back. the car sat for a couple hours and by the time i drove to the gym last night the new/used shocks settled in and felt great. the front looked a little higher because my mechanic ran out of time and my car still has a right rear airbag that he's gonna swap out next week. 1 new shock in the rear and 2 new struts in the front is the reason for the slight lift in the picture. I think the car actually sits a wee bit lower now that the fronts settled in. it definitely drives better and feels more sporty.

What i find odd about the left rear bag blowing is that the previous owner replaced that same bag a few years ago, about 40k miles. i suppose its from my enthusiastic driving style that puts so much pressure on that corner of the car

 

Hey great post!

My XJ8L VP has a clunking front air shock on it now that doesn't leak but makes loud clunks when going over big bumps. The air shock evidently needs to be replaced and I was just about to go with Arnott's coil conversion kit....but your posting is making me think about trying out your solution....thanks again for the info.

I'll post how my conversion goes.

 

How much did you pay total for the entire conversion parts and labor?
I have a 2006 xj8l do you know if I could do the same thing? Or is the L too heavy?

 

i'm pretty sure the XJ8L is less than 100lbs difference over the short wheelbase. I ended up paying about $460 for all four corners shipped off ebay. My mechanic charged me $200 which i though was fair for the work.

i dont think tansd's front end clunk is an airbag though. Probably one of the many bushings that can go bad on these cars. my my air bag leaked it was like a slow sqeaky fart when the compressor aired it up half way.

 

SexyBeast: The front end clunk was verified to be a bad air shock by a Jaguar mechanic.

Evidently aside from leaking they also can go bad and make the clunking sound...there are other posts on the forum regarding the same issue. Initially I thought it was a bushing too, but it turns out it is the air shock that needs replacement even though it doesn't leak and the car stays up.

Bbracken: I was wondering how many miles do you have on your 2006 and if the air shock is leaking or clunking?

I have 80,000miles on mine now and it's just one shock that's clunking. I'm also thinking about doing the Arnott Industries spring conversion for $1295 parts only.

My plan is to keep the car so I would like to eliminate future leaks/clunks/air compressor issues.

Thanks guys for all the imput!

 

My xj8l has just hit 80k today actually. My dad bought it when it has 25k about 2 years ago and it's had no problems except a faulty starter until now

 

I bought the Arnott conversion and installed it myself. I love it too. Rides great! This conversion that this thread is a good idea, but 1st, used shocks, 2nd, the Arnott kit has a limited lifetime warranty, at a fraction of the price of stock oem air strut parts. Everything had pros and cons.

 

My 2005 VDP has the same thing...rattling front shocks when hitting larger bumps. It also shudders over washboard type surfaces which if severe feeds back through the steering wheel, and sometimes even 'hops' sideways. I've had it diagnosed as bad shocks, which of course means replacing the whole shock-spring front struts at $1200 plus labor.

Since my compressor works and springs don't leak, I'm holding off until something fails. But at that time the coil-over retrofit seems the way to go and be rid of the air suspension hassle. S-type is an interesting idea / alternative to the Arnott kit, but sounds like you need a very capable local mechanic to make it work.