Hi All,

I’m noticing a clunk from the front suspension of my XKR, likely from the upper shock mounts, and I’m considering overhauling both the front and rear suspension. Does anyone have a general checklist of components worth updating? I imagine this is a common issue with these cars, given their age.

• Are the springs typically replaced during this process?
• Does my model year require a specific connector to work with the updated Bilstein rear shocks?
• Does Jaguar still offer the original front spring mount design? I’d prefer to avoid the elastomer/urethane versions, as they don’t ride as well in my experience, but I’m open to opinions.

Here are the options I’ve found so far:

• OEM
• Elastomer version (SNG Barratt)
• Urethane version (DCR Autoparts)
• URO (I’m ruling this one out based on reviews).

My car has low mileage (just 10,000 miles), but some parts will need updating due to age. My car is a 2001 XKR Silverstone Coupe. It has the handling package and slightly lowered ride height.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

My own car is 2000 XKR "with R features" which includes all the same handling packages as the Silverstone. My mount rebuild kit has been the cherry on top, no downside at all.
as to your list, OEM are getting on in age and expensive, Welsh had a bad run with their poly effort after an apparent material change, l am not familiar with DCR product and as you mentioned, URO will be bad very shortly after fitting them.
All these options still rely on the 70mm donut in a 90mm cavity for top damper retention which in my opinion is a design flaw and the cause of the majority of mount failures.
Suggest you contact Wayne (cjd77) or check out my own rebuild kit for a permanent fix.

 

How much are your kits? I'm about to do this job myself, for the second time, and would rather not do it a third.

 

Private message me dibbit, happy to give you details.

 

I thought I'd take apart my old shock mounts to see what state the OEM donuts are in after 20+ years. The actual material seems to still be solid, not crumbling away, but you can see the problem is as Baxtor describes - the donuts are too small for the cavity they are sitting in, so over time as they become compressed, they can slip sideways. Eventually the donuts reach the edge of the cavity and metal starts hitting metal.



I've ordered a replacement kit from Baxtor as it looks like it solves that problem. I'm certainly not going to go down the OEM style route a third time.

 

Has anyone had experience with Eurospare parts from FCP Euro, especially with their lifetime warranty? I’m being told that Eurospare is OEM equivalent, but I’d appreciate any insights or feedback from those who’ve used them.

How can I tell the difference between OEM vs others? Just color?

Thanks!

 

I'm not really sure what the value of a lifetime warranty is, unless they are also going to cover the labour involved in swapping shock mounts over. If I had an OEM style shock mount to fit, I think I would take it apart and see if I could fill the void around the donut with something to keep it centred. This is what failed on my last two shock mounts, one OEM that came with the car, and the other aftermarket. Both failed in the same way, although admittedly the OEM lasted many years longer than the aftermarket part.

 

I just did this job! I opted to go for the H&R lowering springs (off of amazon / eBay). Your dampeners are meant to last the lifetime of the car, however I would recommend getting the shock absorber bushing for the bottom of dampers as they are usually shot. An example from PartsGeek.

I went with Peter Hobman's shock mounts which are a total of $110 and come with the rivets for the job which was super helpful. They ride very nicely and I would recommend getting in touch with him at Phobman@Yahoo.com for your set. He includes two different sizes in his kit to fit the two sizes of dampers. You will want to purchase a rivet gun.

What I used
-Impact gun and impact set (long socket too!)
-Penetrant
-Blue threadlocker
-Rivet gun
-Spring compressor
-Some Torx and Phillips to remove the wheel liner (you don't have to)

It's not a very difficult job thankfully, everything is very straightforward. I watched John's video which was also helpful! If you want to upgrade handling while under there, I'd also recommend replacing the sway bar bushings with poly. It's a 15 minute job. I got mine from this seller.