I am looking to replace front shocks. I see Bilsteins are the OEM standard replacements BE5-6726-HO front; and BE5-6727-HO rear. No CATs/ non SC or R.

1. Are there any other brands I should look at considering down the road I may want to drop the car an inch or two with lowering springs?

2. Should I consider XKR springs shocks, or are they all CATs?

3. Are there any coilovers worth looking at?

Here's the symptoms: After applying thetime-tested corner bounce test, it is obvious the right front is not damping like it should. Allthe front suspension bushings and ball joints have been replaced andthe suspension is solid, but the springsstill judder on a washboard road or after hitting a pothole. I know these shocks are pretty durable, however, this shudder in the ride quality has all the earmarks of a worn shock absorber. I couldn't zero in on it while there were bad suspension bushings because I thought they might be the cause. But now everything is tight with new rubber, and there is still a residual judder on rough road surfaces. Otherwise smooth as silk.

 

sometimes the front springs tend to sag on older xk s i nthe front.. and i wud stick with the bilstein.. also the xkr s are adaptive shocks. CATS

 

I see a huge disparity in Bilstein prices for non-CAT XK8. Do they have more than one OEM replacement shock? Pricing for fronts range from $90 to $200 plus.

I am thinking maybe there Is one factory OEM and another a replacement fit, but different quality?

[blockquote]
Also the ride height is factory spec for '97 Vert at 28.5" at all four (4) corners. That is why I want to drop it an inch or two. [/blockquote]

 

Gordo,

I took the whole Winter just to get the top to work and all the routine things caught up.

In the past 3 weeks you have just about completely rebuilt that car. What are you going to do for entertainment when you get through?

tp

 

I knew I was buying into some mechanical work when I purchasedthe car. But it was only $13.7 for arust-free, verystraightAZ body and undercarriage; spotless interior and like new top. So I expected to be doing someof this work.My original plan was to have a low budgetinitial outlay for the purchase and use the monies savedfor thepurchase ofnew parts to refurbish an eleven year old vehicle.

More to the point, Iretired a year ago and moved down to Florida from NYC.In the middle of Manhattan, I didnt have a garage to work on my cars. Daytona Beach is a great car town andthere are lots of automotive machine shops to help you out. ... so this is 25 years of pent upcar hobby in a big 2.5 car garage with all the tools and equipment. So yes I have been busy having fun with my new toy.

AfterI stabilize the driving platform (I am hoping new shocks will be the answer); thenmaybe I'll swap in some lowering springs, although I might be cautioned to leave them stock. We'll see.

Tensioners are next as I am getting the dreaded chain slap on start up. Its just a tick when I burp the throttle, so nothing to worry about now.But its there and I know what comes next.

The rest of the stuff is just crawling aroundunderneath to see what she's made of; and learn better how things work on a Jag. The Brits have their own way of engineering things. Sometimes I just pull a part off, clean it up, lube it, paint it and bolt it back up. I think the operational term is tinkering.gordo