I had a 92 XJS Coupe a few years ago and the ride was beautiful.Very Jaguar like. Smooth and not harsh. My current 92 XJS is a convertible and I feel every pebble and minor bump in the road. It's jarring and very unJaguar like. It has the original springs but the shocks were replaced 3 years ago with Bilstein air shocks. I cant remember the number. I want to get back to the Jaguar smooth ride again and would welcome advise on spring and shock absorber replacement.

Thank you.

 

 

Fit Boge OEM shocks all round. If the springs are OEM the ride will be back to perfect. Boge are also the cheapest, pretty much. Manners have them and most of the regular suppliers.

 

Is the car running on very low profile tyres because that will have a bad effect on the ride?

 

No. The tires are brand new 215/65/R15 inflated to 35psi. I'm going to replace the front Bilstein shocks with hydraulic shocks are see if that softens the ride.

 

35psi seems a bit high to me; ok if you are running around at 120mph all day but not that comfy.
I have 15" tyres but run them at 30psi.

 

Yes, I was about to suggest that TP is very much related to ride characteristics.

Plus.

That nomenclature thing. Air shocks ? Shock absorbers, better described as dampeners, have been hydraulic for a very long time. The air shocks, I recall were actually air over hydraulic and adjustable as supplementry units for load control.

Oh, The four parts at the rear of our Jaguars are known in the USA as "coil overs".

A very sophisticated suspension. But, it is the total of the spring value that does it. Usually rated in pounds. So four smaller ones can equal two larger ones.

Two big ones up front related to the load. Four smaller ones astern related to the load.

A blt of engineering as it is live load, not a mere dead load to support!!

Were it my car and I desired a softer ride, I would gradually reduce the air pressure.

And, more, consult the tire maker for pressure recommendations. And the Jaguar's owners hand book. Don't be surprised if they differ.

Carl
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Can you even get hydraulic (fluid filled) shocks for a Jag?

I'm under the impression, perhaps wrong, that everyone offers only gas-filled shocks these days?

Cheers
DD

 

Do you mean gas-filled, or actual old-school 'air shocks'....the type you inflate like you'd inflate a tire?

I suspect your Bilsteins are gas-filled.

I agree that Boge/Sachs would be a good choice

After you make the change to something else you might find a willing buyer for your Bilsteins

Cheers
DD

 

As far as I know, all shocks have fluid in them. You need fluid to dampen the movements. In the gas shocks, the piston mechanism differ slightly where there is a gas chamber to aid in the movement and recovery to ride height. I believe you can still get fluid only(non-gas) type shocks. Rare though.

 

There is either air - which is also gas by definition, or nitrogen. Latter reduces the foaming of oil and thus improves the performance of shocks.

 

Have you tried reducing the tyre pressures as suggested?
It doesn't cost anything and will make a difference.
The MGC was slated at launch by press drivers because the handling was terrible due to too high tyre pressures.

 

I think it is 26 PSI front 24 rear in the owners manual for comfy ride. For speeds over 120 MPH they suggest adding 6 PSI.