hows the XJS typically handle stock? is it a slushy, comfy pillow top ride, or is it a sporty, rigid kind of handling?

is there much of a difference between the Flathead, HE, 6.0, and XJRS in terms of ride?

just wondering cause i was looking at a bilstein suspension upgrade kit.

 

No, not pillow top








Sporty might be the right word. Rigid isn't.

When faced with a compromise over cornering/handling versus comfort, Jaguar always takes the comfort side. Not that Jaguars are wallowing land yachts. No, not by any means. But they ARE known for a comfortable ride.






Not sure about the XJRS. The others would all be similar. Jaguar offered a Sportspack option in the late 80s, and the rear anti-roll bar came-and-went several times during the 20 years production run....but the XJS was always a "GT" machine and never intended as a canyon carver. It's just too big. Still, the roadholding and cornering are very good, IMHO, for a car that was never intended to stray too far from comfort.

They respond well to upgrades so you can firm things up and upgrade the a/r bars and really feel a difference.

What's this "kit" that you're referring to? What's included?

Cheers
DD

 

The only reason why I did not junk mine all these years, is because of the ride. When it goes, it goes like heaven

 

hows the body roll?


the kit, ill provide a link soon, consists of upgraded front and rear sway bars. total suspension bush kit, 6 bilstein shocks and coils, probably a few other things.

edit: couldve sworn the kit was on fasterjags.com
it was a cool kit for around $3k. ill find it eventually.

 

Not that much by most standards. Someone specifically interested in cornering/handling would think it's too much.




Not sure how far you wana go but, in my experience, adding/upgrading the anti-roll bars, together with good shocks and steering rack bushings, will transform the car. I prefer stock/soft-ish springs on a street car, personally. Not so much for comfort but because of the realization that lots of corners have bumps...and too stiff becomes a detriment.

Cheers
DD

 

well, im not interested in something thats so stiff, youve got wheel hop at every bump. especially dangerous in the corners.

 

I'd go for the anti-roll bars first....and then buy more if you want more. Just my 2-cents.

Can't go wrong with Bilstein (or Koni) shocks but I ran Boge on mine and never felt that the handling suffered because of it.

I wouldn't go more than 5/8" on a rear anti-roll bar. I tried 3 sizes on the rear of my XJS, ending up with 3/4". It was too much.

Good poly rack bushings make a big difference. Have your alignment shop dial the caster all the up to the maximum listed in the specs

What tires and wheels are you gonna use?

Cheers
DD

 

havent given it much thought, but the stockers would have to go. theres too much sidewall roll.

 

Personally I would keep the stock springs at least to start with, they are not too difficult to replace later if you decide the ride is not firm enough.

Larger front and the addition of a rear sway bar with poly rack bushes will transform the car. I was amazed at how much difference the rack bushes made - the single most beneficial upgrade I have made.

Body roll can be controlled with swaybars as well as spring rates.

I would not install poly bushes in the front wishbones - I have poly in uppers and rubber in the lowers and I intend to replace the uppers with rubber. I was talking to a guy here that has built a few XJS race cars and the poly will chew out very quickly - for the ultimate road handling he suggested rubber wishbone bushes and then solid subframe mounts back and front.

 

Taking a '87 XJS as an example:
Compared to a stock grand prix it corners completely flat. It rides smoother. The suspension is stiffer, but still not as harsh. They're just not in the same league.
You'll think I'm trashing the grand prix, but my other car passion is a '65 Mustang. Also, not even remotely in the same league. The stock mustang rides rough, rolls to approximately it's door handles, and still can't take a corner as fast as a modern pickup... loaded! You can make mustangs handle well enough, but by then the suspension is usually so stiff and harsh they are no fun to drive.

 

ive got KYB struts and coilovers on my Grand Prix. its solid and rigid and pretty harsh. but i love it.

the stock ride is better than my G body, but not amazing.

 

You won't need to stiffen the XJS as much for it out handle the GP. The XJS has very low center of gravity and corners quite flat compared to most sedans and coupes. Mine would show a clean pair of heals to my Commodore (you guys in the US got our Commodore as the Pontiac GTO coupe) even with questionable rear shocks.

 

ok i get ya. so its really that much better than your holden?

 

It means my Calais would not keep up with the XJS through corners

 

thats suprising. i figured, being mid 80's it would handle like a living room couch.

 

Not even close. I've been told they are stable and will corner up to 180mph stock. Remember, it's not a lowest bidder American car. I love my mustang, but they are nothing alike. Well, think about the inboard rear brakes. Why? It's more expensive, harder to maintain, harder to install, and on and on, but it handles better. 5" ground clearance, means no margin for error, the exhaust, transmission, suspension really have to tuck up into the body, one again costly, hard to work on, slow to produce. But if you really want it to handle.....
As far as I can see the ONLY concession to handling was comfort. So they used a very high quality suspension to get both, rather than American cars which would use cheap suspension and soft springs to imitate(poorly) a good ride.

 

Yeah, Jaguar has a reputation for tuning suspensions for an ideal compromise between comfort and cornering. But a compromise is still a compromise, so not everyone is 100% happy.

The old inboard-brake IRS is a marvel IMHO.

My old Mustang 5.0 would almost certainly beat my XJS thru a timed road course or slalom....as long as the road was SMOOTH. But it had nowhere near the control, high speed stability, or rough road abilities as the XJS.

Cheers
DD

 

No - even my first Jag a 1969 XJ6 handled extremely well, I would say better than most cars 20 years its junior. I had a 1983 HDT Commodore at the same time and the Jag had a much better ride than the High Performance HDT without giving away very much in handling.

The HDT had ultimately better handing but only if the road was reasonably smooth but the ride quality was no where near the Jag with its stock suspension.

BTW the HDT was like an AMG or BMW M version of the Commodore.

 

this whole thread makes me want one even more.

 

Make sure you find a good one. Unless you are in it for the work, it's cheaper, easier, and faster to buy a good one.