I just drove a 2005 XKR Coupe (31,000 miles) whose suspension beautifully handled typical road irregularities as well as any new car. If my 2002 XKR Coupe (86,000 miles) handled these same roads this way, at a 35 lousy MPH, I wouldn't have any disappointments. I also drove, the same day, a 2003 XKR convertible (51,000 miles) that exhibited the sub-par, nervous, floppy, jiggley handling on irregular surfaces that mine suffers from, and mine has been professionally maintained.

For everyone that has expressed disappointment on this topic (fredXKR2006, tberg) and to those who have accepted inferior suspension behavior as the price for this generation of Jaguars (Jochem00), I can say from direct experience in one day that:
YOUR JAG DOES NOT INHERENTLY HAVE TO DELIVER SUB-PAR RIDE + HANDLING OVER COMMON ROAD IRREGULARITIES! (Stumpy was right!) This is good news. The bad news is that few seem to know how to fix it because I have visited the Jag dealer, two Jag independent shops, 1 general mechanic down the street from me to no avail so far.

Just to be clear, I am well aware that 2003-2006 models included a long list of improvements. My 2002 XKR coupe on 18 wheels with new Michelins (and many new stock bushings etc) handled the road irregularlities in a nervous fashion whereas the 2005 with 20 inch wheels and unrecognizable new tires felt more comfy. Surprise per warning of MarcB and others. Aside from that, my 2002 was surprisingly close to the 2005. If only I could solve this problem...

 

I couldn't agree more. To be clear the switch from 18" or 19" to 20" wheels will not improve the handling of a car that already feels "jiggly". The 20" with a lower profile tire and less sidewall flex will provide more road feel and feedback. If a car has suspension or wheel balance issues it will typically be that much more noticeable when it is fitted with larger wheels.


That said my 06 rides beautifully and my wife and I have taken numerous lengthy road trips without any complaints. We have owned the car since new and the biggest problem was rapidly deteriorating lower control arm bushings. I went through two sets prior to 60,000 miles. At that time I switched those out with poly bushings and now @ 112,000 miles it is still a dream to drive. I met up with fredXKR2006 when he first mentioned the handling issues and took a drive through some local twisties, we exchanged cars for part of the drive and the difference was very noticeable. Although the cars were both 06 Victory Editions it was apparent there was something very vague about the handling in his car. Bushings were my first thought but I am not sure if he has investigated it any further. renderle recently did a fully poly bushing suspension upgrade in his 04 Portfolio and states it handles like a different car, similar if not better than his Audi S5 (I'll let him chime in with more details.)

I see that you may have addressed the bushings with OEM which is fine but you also need to make sure your wheels are "Road Force" balanced and the alignment is correct. I have been told on more than one occasion that the alignment for these cars is very sensitive and the rears need to be adjusted first. I have found this is an area where you shouldn't skimp, I have found an experienced shop used to dealing with sportier european cars get it right most of the time.


Tires also make a huge difference. I recently switched from Yokohama "S-drives" to Michelin "Pilot Super Sports" and the control drastically improved, as expected, but unexpectedly they provide a smoother ride and they are much quieter. It is pricey but in my opinion it is simply the best tire I have fitted to any Jaguar.


I also owned a 99 XK8 from new which had 18" wheels and I never felt like it had any handling issues, it had a great ride, not necessarily sporty, but very proper for touring.

 

I am running out of things to try. Jag mechanic says my car shows rampant evidence of extensive replacements by prior owner in early 2012 that in conjunction with my new Michelins, engine mounts and lower control arm bushings has him wondering if I am too fussy. No way. V mounts on sub-frame ok.

I live in a four-seasons climate and drive year round, so poly bushes not attractive. That 2005 I drove was pure stock and it was solid.

Any suggestions on what else I could do? Check my signature line, my XKR is not lacking professional attention throughout 2012.

 

Wow, that is quite a bit of repair work that you have completed on your XKR! One thing I don't see on your list is ball joints. Have you checked those?

 

My 2005 XKR has 20" wheels and does not, IMHO, handle bumps and other irregularities very well. It's not uncomfortable per se, but the suspension does tend to crash a bit. When I remove the wheels and have a look at them, I always wonder what possessed Jaguar to fit such huge rims: yes, they look lovely, but they kill the ride.

 

+1

Same year, same wheels, same conclusion.

Graham

 

Try a 2007+ XK and then we will talk.
I have driven various xk8s and also brand new ones and none of them handles like the XK.

My XkR handles perfect and as an XKR is supposed to handle but can not compare it to the XK. i have driven my XKR since brand new by the way!

 

There have been many similar theads!

Although I had no complaints about the feel/handling of my XKR when I bought it.
Having read other negative reports the 1st thing I did, that made a world of difference, was to change out those horrible Pirelli (Direzionale/Asimmetrico) tyres that came fitted on it. They are an old early 90's design.

Even though the Pirelli had 4+mm left, the noise, comfort and handling improvement has been well worth it. Also tramlining etc. virtually gone.

I did some research and bought softer tyres, comfort etc. being more important to me than mileage - as I only do about 3k a year.

 

Frog and GGG. Your cars are capable of more. I have experienced it first hand with that 2005 with 20in rims on same stretch of road that has me grimace in mine. Stumpy, I have new Michelins and that did not solve problem. Jochem, I will be driving a 2007 XK coupe with only 10k miles at local dealer on Monday and I will report back, but I am adamant that the jigglely handling on first generation XKR is NOT inherent to the design.

Since I have very few parts left to replace in under 8 months, the culprit is sure to be found soon and I will private message everyone who has suffered the problem. Amcdonal86 suggested ball joints so I am pressing my mechanics firmly to leave no stone unturned...

 

Good luck with your search!

 

I have had a 2005 XKR Coupe for five years now and I have to say that it is solid on the straights and in the turns. However, I do maintain the car in as close to new condition as possible. I am running PowerFlex poly bushings on the Front upper control arm, rear sway bar and rear sub frame, all the other bushings are stock Jaguar. After experimenting with tires (Continentals and Yokohama Advan S-4s) I settled for Bridgestone Potenza Poole position 970s and they have been great. A little more road feel but very quiet and glued to the road. Handling with the Bridgestones has been superb.

Reviewing your maintenance list a few things come to mind. When you had all of your suspension bushings replaced did the mechanic do the final torque on the bolts when the car was on the lift with no dead load or after the car was on the ground under load? If the bushing bolts were tightened on the lift and under no load, then the new bushings could have been stress damaged once the car hit the ground and was driven. I learned this from a very astute Jag tech. If this happened then the new, damaged, control arm bushings would not make much of a difference and the ride could be even worse. So, you might want to have someone check that out. I would also have the new engine mounts checked again to ensure proper seating and bolt torque. One last thing, check both front wheel/suspension knuckles to make sure neither one is damaged or suffers from a faulty part fit up.

Hope this will be helpful

Cheers

 

FIXED! It appears my car has settled into its new lower control arm bushings and engine mounts over the course of a month. I took it in for other minor work (replaced interior door panel with one in better condition and to solve a rattle, plus coolant reservoir that fixed low coolant warning), and the car felt tighter. Mechanics swear they did not touch a thing. Also, ball joints were inspected twice and found to be fine.

 

Well boys I hate to add another dimension to your "ride quality" quandary but here goes.

My 07 XK had a curious vague steering quality. Not darty but a subtle drift in the straight away that made me feel like I had to "drive" the car all the time. A pretty good Jag Tech pointed to a leaking right front CAT shock."Fat chance" thinks I. Anyway I replaced it and the ride/steering returned to like new and a strange knock I thought was coming from the rear end was cured as well.

So, don't ignore the condition of those shocks.

 

Is there a consensus on this issue? The jiggly ride is my #1 complaint on the car. It's smooth as silk so long as the road is smooth as silk but otherwise has this nervous jiggly thing going on, most apparent in the steering. I don't want to throw random parts at it--I have the emissions issues for that.

 

Marsden,
While the "jiggliness" is more annoying than I would like it to be, and it certainly was a great disappointment when I first drove the car home, I would still rate it the second most bothersome trait behind all of the electronic issues and the idiot warnings that pop up with such regularity.

 

picking just one suspension component as a sole source of the feeling can't be done, unfortunately. The only way to cure this is to do all bushings on the control arms, upper wishbone, sway bar, end links and new tie rod ends - possibly shocks if they've weakened. You could do it piecemeal, but with so much disassembly, it makes sense to do broad stroke updates like that. Suprisingly, the new front shocks, months after replacing the bushings, made a noticeable improvement to my ride..stiffer, and more responsive.