Title is supposed to say after lump, not pump!!! Damned autocorrect!!!



Ok, so I was out having a fun day and noticed that while
i was entering freeway at a certain on-ramp with a large radius turn to get on it, I used to be able to take it at 65, now tires are howling at anything above 45!
will this go back to normal after I drop the nose by dropping pans? Or will I need to get realigned??? Just curious, doesn’t matter, just don’t want to get alignment 2 times, before and after. Adding the spacers to the pans... anyone know??

 

Darren:
Add spacers to spring pan first.
Drive the car to let the spring settle in its new position.
Verify the the car is riding at the height you want.
Get alignment done.
I went through the same when I did my lump on the XJ6.
I lumped my XJS also. the ride height is good but the car tramlines slightly.
Will address that issue when my shoulder gets better (Torn Rotator Cuff)
Cheers.

 

The front end of my car rose slightly after the ;lumpectomy. Visual only, No difference in ride or handling noted by me?

And, later tire and wheel swap. Same 215 70 15's. but, new B. F./ Goodrich T rated. Nicer rides, But, a bit more "push" in fast tight turn!

Higher ride height would mean a camber change and perhaps caster. A spirit level in the vertical position might indicate camber/

In my case no visit to the align shop, I'm fie with it..

Carl

 

Yes, Jaguar suspension gains camber as it lowers, just like all upper A arm suspensions are designed to do. So if raised up... you've lost camber. Also the lower weight may have allowed some of the take up in the suspension to be diminished, thus throwing off your alignment even more

This it why the tuner crowd with their Mcphearson struts need camber plates...there is NO up upper A arm to shorten. As they lower their cars they've already used up all designed in the camber gain so an adjustable plate is necessary.

Would you consider learning to do alignments at home? Here are some things to consider.

1. Somewhat necessary at this point.
Very few modern shops have the time or knowledge to do a proper alignment on any classic car especially a Jaguar. The camber / caster on the Jaguar is very hard to set right and requires work to the upper ball joint and control arm mount. Time consuming to do on an alignment rack. These days few shops are willing to tie up an alignment alignment rack for 2 to 3 hours to add shims and spacers to the upper ball joint / control arm and go through the effort to strap lower or weigh the car down for a proper set. And if your rear toe or camber is off then that's an even bigger project most shops wont tackle.

2. It's easier than you think.
75% of the items you need can be bought at a hardware store. The one item that cant be bought local is a camber gauge but it can be bought online for as low as 25$.

3. It's one of the only DIY projects that's cheaper and less time consuming than having a pro do it, even the first time.
The cost of the items you need to buy is about the same at a single alignment service. (150$). The first time you do an alignment it will take some time, a few hours, and the supplies will cost you. The 2nd time you do an alignment you're getting paid in time and money.. And at anything other than a pricey race shop there is almost a zero chance anything other than front toe would be right.
The first time I did an alignment it took hours. At this point, it takes me 45 min to setup and do a full alignment on a Porsche 928. About the same time as just driving to a shop and checking in. The 928 is unique though... in that it was designed to have all the alignment adjusters accessible from the ground and with the wheels on. 928's are amazing GT's BTW for many reasons. The jag takes longer becasue camber / castor adjustments are a jack it up, wheels off/on, roll it around endeavor.

4. Its one of the few DIY endeavors where you can easily get better results than at a shop.
Modern laser / light beam alignment machines are designed to be fast so they can pay back their investment and allow a low skilled technican to operate them. . Everything in America is designed for cash flow first, results 2nd and alignment machines are no exception. Race shops and pro race teams know that a string box is the best way to do an alignment by far. And if you need to order a parts to set your alignment straight you wont have to go back and pay again. Project cars may need many trips to the rack to get them right.

5. Times have changed...You can do better and you may need / have to.
The factory alignment specs may no longer apply. Modern tires, chassis changes and bushing upgrades may render the factory alignment specs un-applicable and many alignment shops wont do custom specs. For example I've noticed a modern high performance tire needs about 1/2 the front toe-in that a mushy high aspect ratio tires does to feel right. High powered cars need more static rear toe, because under power the wheels toe-out and rear toe-out under power leads to considerable instability that makes it easy to loose control (spin). Lightened cars or cars with stiffer front sway bars / springs need more static camber becasue when the suspension compresses less, you get less camber gain when cornering. Stiffer bushings transmit more feedback and precision so I've noticed that less castor can be run. For example I was able to run about 1.5 degrees less castor on an OT car. This worked best for my needs of precise and light steering. Stiffer bushings, lowering and more precision leads to bump steer that was cured with 1.5 degrees less caster on a project car I just finished an alignment on. (Porsche 928), This allowed me to save 300$ on a "bump steer" kit. Why you may ask... ? Less caster works and feels more communicative on a car with better bushings as the non-rubber parts need far less take up.

6. You may find it fun. Most real car guys do.
If you like to tinker on your car and change things like ride height and bushings you will need frequent alignments. As you have seen almost any change upfront will require a realignment. Alignment is the most experiential aspect of driving and if correct will greatly improve the driving experience even if you just like to cruise around.

Here are some resources for DIY.

DIY Wheel Alignment It?s Easier Than You Think! | Speed Academy
I use the 3/4 EMT tubing with holes predrilled for the string. This allows me to setup prefect parallelogram in about 5 minutes. (EMT and mason string can be found at any hardware store)
4 jack stands, you may already have,

Slip plates, I use two nylon cutting board from Ikea with spray of silicone lubricant.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/legitim...hite-90202268/

Camber / Castor guage
https://ebay.us/7Wd2yo

Angle finder for castor swing. Castor is measured 20 degrees off center in each direction (40 degree swing)

 

Great info!! Thanks, I’m going to give it a shot!

( after I lower it)

 

Maybe I can help with the most difficult aspect. Caster. See below
Camber and Toe is super easy.

This is kind'a easy when you're in the know. I needed to do an alignment tonight becasue I installed Poly upper control arm bushings on the 928. After doing so the alignment was way off and my old bushing were fine.

You CAN get really good results and do this at home at a high level. How good?...I recently did a track day with the Porsche with consistent low 1.08 lap times and managed a best of 1.07. New C8 corvettes... and there were more than one and they were doing 1.10's and 1.11's. Then I jumped in a spec Miata that was fully prepped by a pro race team on race slicks and I did consistent low 1.08's again. I was surprised by the C8's numbers becasue they have 190 more HP than my 928 and weigh about the same but Limerock favors handling not power. The track day was only for experienced drivers.


Camber... Just point the wheels ahead and measure. Then index the gauge to zero on the floor. Then measure on the wheel, the result minus 90 is your camber. As shown below -2.2 degrees.


Caster... hardest to measure but easier if you know how.
1. Make a X on the floor in tape at 40 degrees, 20 in each direction.
2. Swing wheel in 20 degrees 1 direction. attach gauge and set to Zero.
3. Swing wheel in the other direction and the result is you caster. 3.4 degrees in my case, I was shooting for 3.5. Good enough.

No fancy tools or lasers. Just a simple camber gauge, masking tape, angle guide, and a tape measure.

Wheel swung to the left. Guage set to zero


wheel swung to the right



Some picts of the 928 and the 6 speed XJS at the track just to make this post Jag related. LOL

 

Thank you for posting those alignment tips. That's a beautiful Porsche.

Dave