So after my ~600 mile trip home from purchasing my first Jag, in addition to falling in love with the car, one other thing also became evident. Car has 45K miles, and while it rides "good" (in my opinion), I do get some minor vibration from the steering wheel at certain speeds. After taking a look at the topside of the strut towers, I think I'm due for a pair of front shock bushings. See pic and note some of the deterioration:



I've done some research, and I see many folks opt for poly replacements. I'm hesitant to go this route, as I don't want to sacrifice the "plush" ride quality of the Jag (I have a Z51 Corvette for days that I want a "firm" ride). So my question is: What would be the best "rubber" bushings to buy, and where would you recommend purchasing them? While I have the car up on a jack and have the shock assembly removed, what other (if any) items should I check off the punch list?

 

Hi DK Ranger,

Buy replacements from Welsh, nice upgrades from OEM. They will make your cornering crisper without sacrificing ride noticeably. You're not getting much "plush" effect from what is nearly metal on metal contact from worn out / compressed mounts.

While under there, be sure to check condition of all of the suspension rubber parts(lower shock bushings, a-arm upper/lower bushings, stabilizer bar links, etc., although nothing degrades like upper shock mounts.

Regards,

Jerry Lippmann

 

You can rest assured that the Welsh poly upper shock mounts are suitable for a nice ride. I am as "anti-poly" as you can get and I used them for this one case.

If you opt for OE foam versions then plan to do it again in about 25K miles, sooner if your roads are shitty.

I would strongly suggest you go ahead and replace the shocks for the couple hundred in cost. It is smart to not have to deal with the spring compressing again later and replacing the lower shock bushings is a PITA..

As far as what other bushings, etc. to do here is a good list to follow in order. These are all cheap parts and relatively easy to do until you get to the last one on the list which requires a press and ideally some special tools. With your mileage you are nowhere near needing the stuff in #6.

1. anti-roll (sway) bar bushings
2. anti-roll (sway) bar links
3. steering rack mounts
4. tie rod ends (requires realignment)
5. upper control arm bushings (requires realignment)
6. lower control arm bushings, ball joints, wheel bearings (requires realignment)

Overall cost of upper mounts, shocks, and 1-5 on list is about US $450-500.

So far I have covered the DIY of 1-5 in my working thread here.

I have all the parts to do #6 and hopefully soon I will find the motivation to tackle that stuff.

 

Another very satisfied Welsh Enterprises poly shock mounts customer here. Installed them in January 2016, 21,000 miles ago, and am certainly glad that I did. Far superior to the OEM shock mounts....

 

Gents,

Appreciate the quick responses. I will investigate the poly version from Welsh. I agree that while I have the springs compressed, it would make sense to do the shocks as well. Any recommendations on brand of shocks? I see Welsh offers front shocks for $145/ea. I haven't explored the shock side of things yet, so not sure if that's a good buy or if I should consider other options.

 

Bilsteins - can't go wrong there and another satisfied Welsh Poly customer. Yes I did the OEM and within 4 years had to replace them due to failure - so from experience - do it right the first time.

 

It looks like you don't have the adaptive shocks, so I assume the customary bilsteins will do. They're around $95 on rockauto if I recall correctly.

(although someone correct me if I'm wrong and later cars, even without adaptive damping, have different shocks)

edit: Ah, Steve, you beat me to it!

 

Get the appropriate Bilstein shocks. You can usually find them for less than $100 each and some vendors offer free shipping. I purchased mine from fcpeuro.com with free shipping. Others have purchased from rockauto.com but they do not do free shipping. Others have purchased from tirerack.com with free shipping. Shop around for the best deal - it varies from time to time....

 

With that low mileage, the shock should be OK, that said the weak point of the shock is the lower bushing, easy to replace and under $50 for the best ones. You can check and find them for less, sometimes the same named ones.
A press would be great, but if you are taking the towers to a shop, just have them put them in. I used a ball joint kit from HF and the right socket and it was a 20 minute job. You need to take the spring and rubber off the end you are pressing on until installed.
Wayne

 

Really appreciate it gents - this forum is already proving to be a great resource. Many thanks!!!

 

+1 on fcpeuro for the shocks. Rockauto is usually a little cheaper. But....

You get lifetime warranty on shocks from fcpeuro. While the hydraulics may not wear out the lower bushing might so I figured the few extra bucks for a good warranty was worth it. I vowed to never deal with the lower end shock bushings ever again after the PITA I had with the fronts. So when I did my rears fcpeuro got the business. Next time I am working on the front stuff I plan to put in new shocks there too. I just got to 99K miles this week, and 60K miles of problem free driving, largely due to proactive maintenance. Creeping toward the big six digits...