What can I do to my xk8 to fix all the squirreliness of the suspension? I feels like the whole car transmits the road shocks sometimes. How close to x150 ride can I get?

 

I would checking for worn parts first, and think about the upgrading later. Your ride description does lead one to believe that there is problem with the stock suspension being broken or worn.


Z

 

as zray said - look for failing parts - specifically - front upper shock mounts, all bushings, ball joints. The upper shock mounts and bump stops are a foam that crumbles over time. 4 years ago I replaced my crumbling foam mounts with the same OEM foam mounts and just last month had to replace crumbling foam AGAIN!!. This time I went with the Welsh poly. I've also replaced most of my bushings with Powerflex poly's.

I would also check the lower shock bushing and depending on mileage would even consider replacing the shocks.

I've posted threads with pics of both front and rear repairs as have others.

 

front shocks, mounts, bushes and rear shocks replaced 15k miles ago.
When I asked about why the car feels nervous, the dealer service rep just shrugged his shoulders.
I think my volvo wagon responds better.

I will get it up on a rack and look again

 

Did you do the job yourself or did you take it to a shop? Maybe you got scammed, billed for work that never happened or they used subpar parts? Also, the service reps know nothing. You should be talking to the techs instead.

 

I do all mechanical and engine work myself. Jaguar mounts, bump spring assister, and upper wishbone bushings.
Bilstein shocks from Partsgeek
It was sometime afterwards that I queried the service rep when I went to dealer for a part. And I have had it up on rack since then at local tire guy and they see nothing wrong.
Maybe I am just too particular.

 

Steve if you have not yet done these do them now. They are cheap and easy. Made a huge difference for me. I am always striving for improvement in ride quality. Only used poly in upper shock mounts. Rubber bits everywhere else.

• tie rod ends
• sway bar bushings F & R
• sway bar links F & R
• steering rack mounts

The links and ends won't necessarily feel loose or bad until you get them disconnected and compare to a new one. Then you will see how sloppy your old ones are.
Sway bushings should be done yearly IMHO. Don't wait till they are so bad you get clunking.
The rack bushings get hard with age and stop isolating road feedback like they should.

I am curious what tires you have on the car. That makes a difference too.

 

tires are continental extreme contact

where did you get your parts?

 

The conti tires should not be a problem unless balance is out.

All those parts should be in stock at Welsh if you are okay with aftermarket (I was). SNG Barratt might also have aftermarket as well as OEM.

 

Steve, I have same tires. Thought they were lose, suspension a bit sloppy. Then I noticed rear stabilizer link had bad bushings. Replaced them = big improvement.

let us know how you do.

John

 

Good thread and thanks for the responses. My 2002 XKR with 35k miles has had the strut mounts replaced but nothing else. Although there is no clunking, like you say the ride is jittery and somewhat unplanted. It has nice Michelin's so I don't think that's the issue. I know the cars were not intended to have the soft ride of the XJ's, but on my car you literally feel every ripple or other imperfection in the road. I'm going to order what Rothwell suggested from Welsh and just replace them myself.


Rob

 

Forgot to include link to my write up of replacing the parts above.

Also forgot to mention tire pressure. I think there is definitely a sweet spot to find for each brand.

I use the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 with 32psi front and 29psi rear. Ride, noise and handling are good there along with tire wear. I got nearly 40K out of rears and fronts are still going at 50K but nearing replacement time.

Also do the nitro fill to keep them in a lower operating temp.

 

I have run Yokohama YK580 19-inch tires on my wife's 2006 XK8 since October 2012. Like Rothwell stated above, they do best at 32 to 33 psi front and 28 to 29 psi rear. That is the sweet spot for ride comfort as well as treadwear longevity....

 

Thanks rothwell for the great write-ups.....I've been looking at your posts and they are very informative. I recently swapped out the entire soft top on my car (frame and everything) and need to do a writeup on that. Thanks also for the tire pressure recommendations as I've been running mine at about 40 psi which certainly does not sound like the sweet spot.



Rob