Hi,

So my 1993 XJ6 is fitted with SLS - and since that's failing big time i need to replace it with a traditional shocks. I was looking for a replacement kit and have found those two :

Jaguar Specialties

and

Jaguar SHOCK CONVERSION KIT, REAR, WITH SPRINGS - JLM11698-X

Since there's almost $400 difference between those i'm looking to buy the cheaper one but before i do something stupid I was wondering if anyone got any experience with that/can suggest something here?

Thanks,

 

The Jagbits kit comes with New Boge brand shocks, the correct coil springs, correct bushings, and instructions. We do not recommend KYB shocks for your Jaguar or any other Jaguar for that matter. Boge is the OEM shock for 1988-1994 XJ6 cars.

 

Hi Gary,

Thank you for replying to medeski's inquiry. It's always great to hear from a parts supplier with your knowledge and we appreciate your sponsorship of the forum.

I agree that Boge is the OEM shock for the XJ40, but I notice that in the photo of the kit on your site the shocks shown are Sachs. I have Sachs shocks on the rear of our '93 and they seem to perform just like the original Boges, with a great combination of control and smoothness. I tried Bilsteins on our '88 but they were noticeably firmer and harsher.

My understanding is that Boge and Sachs are both now owned by ZF. Do you happen to know if the two companies have combined manufacturing so that the Sachs shocks for the XJ40 are the same as the old Boges? Or is there another explanation for the Sachs shocks shown in the photo of the kit on your site?

Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

Cheers,

Don

 

Sachs Boge is the same company and the picture of the shock boxes on my wesbite is outdated, they are sold in the new blue boxes that have the Boge company name on them and Boge offers a lifetime warranty on them.

 

I have fitted the KYB rear dampers to dozens of XJ40s, most with the original SLS springs with 2 extra 'thick' shims to compensate for the spring height.

Most people did not want to buy the Jaguar parts to convert the SLS to conventional suspension due to the price difference and seemed happy with the compromise.

The KYBs work OK but if you keep the original front dampers, you will notice the different damping rates when going over abrupt changes in the road surfaces (ie a seam in the road or edge of a bridge). The car front and rear will oscillate at different rates giving you a 'rocking' effect instead of of just a gentle 'up-down' (same at both ends).

I guess you could put KYBs on the front also to match the damping rate??? They are a bit 'stiffer'.

I had the KYB rear dampers on my 1992 XJ40 for a few years and I finally replaced them with the factory springs/dampers because the 'rocking' over bumps was annoying.

Just some info on my experiences with the KYB conversion.

bob