I realize cars that are low to the ground feel just about every bump, especially on crappy roads....but....I remember reading some comments about the rear of the XKR's being extra rattly or noisy.....any thoughts?

 

Mine doesn't make any rattles, front or back, on bad roads unless I have something loose in the boot.

 

Thank you for the reply Cee Jay. Do you agree that a car as low as this feels bumps in the road more? On a nice road, it's as smooth as glass however!

 

Ride height has nothing to do with feeling bumps unless you're going over stuff large enough to hit the bottom of the car. Tire diameter, sidewall height, air pressure, tire construction, wheel size, suspension bushing durometer, shock valving, shock oil viscosity, spring rate, and seat foam durometer and thickness all play in to how bumpy it rides. No, you can't realistically change any of that other than softening up the spring rate a bit with XK springs. My hot take on that is that if you're that displeased with the ride to where you want to change things and the XK springs don't help, you're in the wrong car and should probably just get some other car that rides more to your liking.

fwiw- go drive an XK over the same roads to see if indeed the spring swap would be worth your time.

 

I don't "feel just about every bump" and the rear of my XKR has never been "extra rattly or noisy." The XKR was designed to be a high performance grand touring car, so you can't compare its firm ride, responsive handling, brisk acceleration, and sporty exhaust noise level to a Lexus LS460 or similar luxury sedan that was designed to be a cocoon to insulate its occupants.

The XKR is not for everyone. For me, it's hard to beat in smiles per mile! Same conclusion for my XJ, but one's a sport coat and the other's a suit. Or sneakers and wing tips. They'll both get you to where you're going, but the experiences will be vastly different. Fun versus boring. Life is about choices, and the choice is yours.

You won't know if the XKR is right for you until after you've driven it.

Please let us know what you decide to do.

 

Sometimes you also have to factor in the hardness of a seat.

Coupe or convertible?

Sometimes if I close my coupe without a door/window open it will squeak from not getting a perfect seal.

 

I'd start with tires. Low profile big diameter stuff rides like the rubber band they are. Taller sidewall makes for a nicer ride. Mine does make some groans but usually it's from articulating over my gate track into the alley. Nothing horrible but you can hear it.

 

The OEM Pirellis on my '12 XKR are starting to get very noisy and rough. So yeah, start with the tires.