I purchased my 2001 coupe out of Arizona this past Spring, it came with some normal problems--- front end wheels turned in, tires wearing unevenly (inner).

I have changed the following:
Upper shock mounts
Upper Control arm bushings
Upper Control arm Ball Joints
Front Shocks lower bushings
Sway bar bushings
Sway bar links

Balanced all 4 tires
4 wheel alignment

I need the expertise of the forum please:
Front end height --wheel center to wheel arch lip== 14.5 inches
Some steering wheel vibration at 70mph + ( much improved from before above repairs)---better at higher speeds but does not disappear
Tire pressure 32 front 30 back
Tires-- Continental AS front---- no name Summer rear --- different speed ratings
Ride is on the rough side

My local Tire store tells me to change all 4 tires to Michelins P4---- or at least buy matching set of Continentals for rear.
that should fix the wobble and roughness----- next step have the tires balanced on Hunter Road Force Balancer.

Could 14.5 inch height be a cause of concern--- coil springs and or shocks?
Would urethane spring bumper/spacers help--- could raise the front end by 3/4 to 1 inch.

Any help or advice would be appreciated
​​​​​​​Norm --Delta BC

 

If the tyres are wearing on the inner then its toe out . But you have had that done.
Mine is at 14.5 in with 112k miles ..My rubbers are fine so I am going to change the springs ( $60 a pair)
The shocks do not affect the ride height.
Changing the tyres if they have good tread will not help..Suspect the tyre shop has not got the balance quite right and wants you to spend out on tyres they will properly balance .. Get them balanced at another shop.
Put your location in your details it helps people talk in $ or £ in or mm.
Look at mine you will see I am in Coventry.

 

Don't think you can find springs for the price of $60 in this country, but that being said, yes, new springs will get you to the 15.5 range.
The Hunter Balance will tell you about the tires, so that would be second out, you are very low.

 

Regardless of the condition of your suspension components, having your tires Hunter Road Force Balanced is always a good idea. We have owned my wife's 2006 XK8 since early February 2012 and it has always had significantly better ride quality and tracked straighter after having the Hunter Road Force Balance procedure done by my local Discount Tire store. I rotate my own tires at every oil & filter change but every couple of years I let Discount Tire do it because they also Hunter Road Force Balance the tires at the same time (all at no additional charge to me)....

 

Thanks to everyone that has responded.
I am Located in Delta, British Columbia, Canada--- a suburb of Vancouver at the US Border ( Point Roberts WA ).

My XK8 coupe has 55,500 miles on it.

I will probably changeout the rear tires-- put on Continentals with the same speed rating/ type to match the front tires.

I will definitely get them balanced (4) on Hunter road force balancer.

Coil Springs-- the only ones I see online are Lesjofors at $200 USD / pair on EBay-- cannot find the KYB coils as mentioned in other threads.
Does anyone know of major auto parts supplier in US or Canada that carries KYB coils for the XK8.

Your Opinion ? If I intend to changeout the Coils-- and have front suspension dismantled -- should I also change the original shocks (55,500 miles) ?

 

On Shocks for 2001 XK8 --- are OEM or Bilstein the only option?

thanks

 

AFAIK, the OEM is Bilstein.
I would expect your original shocks to have some life left at 55K and, as pistnbroke notes, they won't affect ride height.

Inside tyre wear can also be attributed to the reduced height since camber is affected.

 

Checked SNG Barrettt, a forum sponsor, and their Suplex front spring is $85 each + S&H. These are non adaptative convertible springs. Do not forget to check your Gaiters(boots) and the Bump Stops. Bump stops and boots kit (KYB-S101) on Amazon $25 USD aftermarket but quality. . I have Suplex brand ( German owned worldwide company) on my Coupe and the ride height is correct. New springs & mounts returned the car to correct camber. With Wayne's Poly mounts and careful measurements, we were able to get baseline and needed info to fine tune most ride height problems. My tire wear was on the inner tread edge also. (14.5" old to 15.75" new) The Bilstein shocks are very good and probably least expensive option.

 

I'll throw my .02 in. (or pence if you prefer). I cheaped out and put 2 Contis on the back only of my car. It did indeed make an improvement but I'm sure my no names were in bad shape. I used Lesjofor's on my front end rebuild and they are fine. A little high at first but settled in a bit. I should have put 2 more tires on the front but that's another story. Yes, inspect all your rubber parts if you do more to the front as mentioned. At 55k I wouldn't expect much wear but age can do a number on rubber.

But I have to ask, why no lower control arm bushing or ball joints? Those take most of the beating and wear and tear. TM

 

Because its a version of a McPherson strut suspension

 

His problem is more likely camber wear. My 2005 XKR coupe has the same problem, it’s caused by low ride height, which affects camber. (Yes I did have the alignment checked to confirm the camber angle was excessive, and toe was within specs.) My cheap solution it to use spring helpers to increase ride height to Jaguar specs 15.74”.

 

Shocks should be fine at that mileage. Please note shocks are not load bearing suspension components, their job is damp down spring oscillation, not carry weight. Changing your shocks will not change ride height.

 

White Bear---what brand do you suggest for coil spacers?
thanks
Shamus

 

I am going to change my springs when the weather improves as I am down to 14.5 in ..$60 for the pair. Shock mounts look feel ok.

 

Just measured the front ride height of my 2005 XKR coupe, it’s 14 1/8” inches. Rear is at 15 5/16” so just about at the low tolerance. I replaced the front top mounts a few thousand miles ago so I know they are in good shape. Cant imagine how the front springs have sagged so much at only 52,000 miles. I’ll work on a temp fix of spring spacers after the holidays, too much Gin flowing right now.

 

The springs compresses over time, because of the weight of the car. After 20 years (+/-) the car deserves new springs. That is the only way to get ride height AND ride quality back to spec.

 

NorXKR,
I’m not going to get into a squabble here, but my 1998 XK8 has no sag, in spite of higher mileage, and although you might argue it’s not the same thing, my 2007 Audi A6 4.2 has three times the mileage of my XKR, and significantly more abuse, and there’s no sag there either. I’m not the first owner to face this problem with Jaguar, and I doubt I’ll be the last. IMHO there’s a quality issue here, not an age issue.

 

I tend to think that the issues are more related to the quantity of rubber in Jaguar suspensions relative to those of other makes rather than the quality of Jaguar's parts. Jaguar's original control arms and bushings are typically made by Lemförder, the same Germany-based global OEM that also supplies control arms and bushings to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen-Audi-Porsche, Volvo, Aston Martin, Ford, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Citroёn, Lexus, Infiniti, Mazda, Chrysler, Land Rover and others. But compared to other automakers, Jaguar tends to isolate more components with rubber, and their suspension designs tend to put greater stress on some these components. But that's part of how they achieve Jaguar's unique combination of sporty handling, luxurious ride, and low noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

On the X100, several components contribute to ride height and the effects are somewhat cumulative. In addition to the coil springs, lower shock bushings and upper shock mounts, STLTHMSTA mentioned the lower control arm bushings and ball joints. Also, the subframe/crossbeam bushings and Vee mounts will contribute to front end sag as they soften and perish, since they also effect the body-to-suspension relationship.

I would definitely echo STLTHMSTA's recommendation that ShamusXK8's lower control arm bushings should be replaced. These also have the most impact on steering precision, tramlining and self-steering over road imperfections. The mileage is low, but if the lower ball joints show any signs of play or seizing, or if their boots have deteriorated, I'd agree that they should be replaced also while the LCAs are out, or just replace them preemptively. If you shop around, Lemförder parts are often available from sources like our forum sponsors, Rock Auto, FCP Euro, Partsgeek, etc.

Cheers,

Don

 

To everyone,
Thanks for your comments and advice--- I will change out the Coil springs, Front Shocks, and take a close look at lower control arm bushings and ball joints. With these replacements, I will have changed out 100% of front suspension components. I will need a wheel alignment and have wheels "road force" balanced--- hopefully then --- height will be restored, road harshness and vibration will be eliminated----Thanks again---Shamus

 

My point was that it is not just mileage that affects the springs, but also age. On older MB's they all sag after several years because MB did not want to use "progressive" springs. They thought that springs that became stiffer when compressed ruined the comfort. I assume that Jaguar had done some similar and that it was a "fault" that affected all X100 cars. If some are good and some bad, I have to agree that it is a quality issue.