For anyone who is installing H&R's, I would recommend also replacing your tie rod ends while you're in there because it will only take 20 extra minutes and you already have to get the car alligned after the drop, so knock out two birds with one stone. Don't be like me and realize your tie rod end went out and have to go back in less than 150 miles after the H&R's went on

 

I am not getting any wheel rub on 20s with 215s and I had 10 old desktops loading down my back today and the rim was riding right next to the fender, this picture is just where it rides with just my woofers in the trunk

 

Why do the tie rod ends need to be replaced? Do they wear out on all x-types? I found them on ebay for $40 but I am not sure if it's a part I should replace now or if mine are fine now or what. Do they go bad after a while? How can I tell if mine need replacing or is it just a preventative thing that would be good to do now?

The front tie rod ends right? I am watching some youtube videos about them. I guess there are two, the outer and inner. Are you referring to the outer?

 

Are these what you are talking about? My car has 81k miles. Is it time to replace them?

Jaguar x Type Front Tie Rod Rods End Left Right Set 2 C2S 012013 C2 S47357 | eBay

 

I've checked your car out a few times man I love that style wheel and how the 20 fills it out but there's no way I could run that size tire in Michigan. Looks good dude! Makes me want to clean mine up haha

 

Tie rods wear out on every vehicle and should be checked periodically and replaced before they wear out. If your car has 81k and they are still original equipment, you might want to think about doing both inner and outters for ***** & giggles. Like dude said, It sucks to have to go and work twice when you could have caught it in the first place. I didn't need anything other than sway bar end links during the install so that was good. I was expecting some worn parts under there but lucky me it wasn't too bad!

 

Also keep in mind that the more you modify the suspension, like with lower and stiffer springs, you are going to be putting more stress on the other parts in the suspension system, like tie rods and ball joints for example. Any ten year old car with close to 100k miles is going to have worn out suspension parts. Do as much as you can right away. Think about why you want to put these springs on, to handle better as well as sit lower. I can guarantee once you have them installed you'll be pushing your car harder... because you can... so you'll be putting more stress on everything in the suspension. Suspension, brakes and tires are all something you don't want to skimp out on, especially when modifying them.

 

LOL, ya man thanks I gotta watch out for potholes like a mother out here too...I have lifetime alignment so almost everytime I hit a big pothole I am off to get it realigned.

 

Agree completely. I drive mine more like a show car though rather than a race car...want this thing to last and last

 

I wanted mine to be extremely functional and still look good which is why I went with 18's and springs with the hd's instead of the coilover set up. I know myself and if I could slam it down I would and I'd be banging crap up constantly lol. I agree with justink completely though, if you want a fun and safe car don't skimp on those parts. You won't regret it.

 

Thanks Disguay, you just saved me an expensive repair down the line. For a while I had been noticing a slight but noticable looseness in the front wheels when going around turns on a bumpy road. It almost felt like my wheels were shifting. After your comment about the tie rod ends I researched them and it seems like the outer ones are the common ones to wear out and they were pretty cheap on ebay so I figured what the heck, how many times am I going to be upgrading my suspension and getting an alignment, so I went ahead and ordered them this morning (before even checking if I really needed them). I assumed they were probably starting to wear out if not worn out and new ones are probably the right idea if I want to get the suspension and steering more stable and responsive. I lifted my car up today and did they recommended test, trying to move your wheel side to side and up and down to check for movement. The drivers side, which I checked first was perfect. I detected very slight movement side to side, but so little that it seemed still in pretty good condition. No up and down movement either. So I was starting to get a little worried I had bought the tie rod ends for nothing. Well then I jacked up the passenger side and tested the front wheel. No up and down movement but a good amount of side to side wiggle. Much looser than the drivers side, and almost for sure what's been causing that loose feeling around turns. So in other words, it was the perfect time to replace the tie rod ends and I am glad you mentioned them because I had no idea what they did or that they eventually wear out. Anyways, I hope I am doing alright just getting the outer tie rods. I am hoping I am catching the problem early enough that the inner tie rod ends are still in good shape. So with new springs, new front struts, new outer tie bar ends, and an alignment, I think my car will be handling like a sports car. The tie rods add a little bit of extra work to the project but I am glad I caught them now before I got the alignment. It would suck to have installed the springs and struts and still had a wobbly wheel around the turns.

 

04, the only reason you would have to replace your inner tie rods ends (in my opinion) is if you hit something like a curb and end up bending it to the point that you can no longer use the outer rod end to adjust it and get the alignment in spec. The outer tie rods ends will screw up everything if not replaced because you'll be driving down the road and the slop in your outer rod end will put your toe in and out and will cause you uneven tire wear. That tire wear alone is enough to cost you hundreds down the road (it did for me) which is why I just decided I would share my experience about what I wish I would have done when installing the H&R's. Glad I can help out!

I drive mine like I stole it, and I get rub when I pull .8 G's with just me in it

 

Ok good to know. Didn't think I would need the inner rods but wasn't 100% sure. I'm pretty sure that outer one is just a little worn out from the road. Pretty sure with the struts and springs, and the new outer tie rod ends, my car will be handling like a million bucks compared to before.

 

I may have already made a mistake. I wasn't thinking when I was looking for front shocks with the lowering springs. I forgot that you are supposed to get struts made for lowering springs. I ended up getting a pair the Monroe OE front struts. They sound good, twin tube, lifetime warranty, lots of good reviews and they were almost half the price of the Bilsteins. I researched around tonight and found some people have lowered their car with Monroes without a problem. The H&R's are a pretty mild lower, so I am hoping it is not going to be a problem. Plus the struts are brand new, where as my stock struts are 10 years old and have 80,000 miles on them. They are most definitely going to be better than what I have on there now, but they are not designed with sport springs in mind. I could have got the Bilstein sports for like $70 more, but I already bought the Monroes and have them, so I guess it's a done deal. Anyways, I'm not looking for a race car suspension, maybe the Monroes will be nice and work fine. The good thing is if they go bad I can take them in and get them replaced, it'd just be basically a giant hassle to reinstall them but at least that option is there. For the back I will get the Bilstein sport shocks I guess when I have a chance, maybe next year or something when my rears go bad.

 

Do you think the monroe struts will be ok in the front? I already bought them and had them shipped. From their description they sound like really good quality struts, but I forgot I was supposed to get the bilstein sport or hd struts (which are almost impossible to find by the way). Eshocks has them though. The HD are like $250 each for front and the sports are $106. I'm just not sure what to do. I think the Monroes will be ok but I'm not sure. If I got the Bilstein sports I would have to ship the Monroes back.

 

First, the reason shocks get trashed on lowered cars is A. when the spring rate is too high for the shocks, or B the car is so low, because of short springs, that the shock itself bottoms out on itself internally causing damage. If that's the case, either A or B, most companies wont replace them under warranty. You should be fine though since the HRs don't lower it hat much and they aren't crazy stiff.


Second, don't mix and match shocks. If you are staying with the Monroe shocks in the front, get them for the rear too when you replace them. The Bilstiens would be a better shock to pair with those springs as far as handling, although I can't say for sure since I haven't driven an x with that combo, but the Monroe's I hear are better than most OEM shocks too so you'll probably be fine.

 

I would suggest sticking with the same brand front and rear but would also suggest the HD's. Damn thing handles extremely well. By far the best handling vehicle I've driven minus the slight understeer but I think that's inherent in most AWD vehicles. The feel is almost the same as stock except m for when you push it a little or feel your first moderate bump lol itsa lot stiffer feeling. I feel the road a lot more as well which is amazing. Seems like there is almost no body roll! The price is extremely worth it so I would suggest saving a little longer or something, do whatever you gotta do. I'm sure you can return the Monroes no problem. I got my HD's from eshocks and paid what I thought wasa decent price. The company is headquartered about 75 miles from me so I got them in about 2 days.

 

The understeer comes from the suspension design, all factory cars have understeer built into them because they feel it is "safer" since they feel the average driver can't handle over steer. When I got the kws they helped get rid of a bit of the understeer. Sway bars, especially adjustable ones, would be the best way to get the car to feel more neural, or over steer if you wanted. I haven't found a set of bolt on sway bars though.


The awd is split 40% front 60% rear, so, its not so much the awd, because I get some on power understeer then eventually over steer once the rear tires bring the car around.

 

Well one of the problems then is that it appears Monroe only makes front struts for the jaguar. Only ones showing up for the rear shocks are Bilsteins and that English shock company that starts with an "S." Not sure what to do. I have the Monroe OESpectrums sitting here. The bilstein sports would be about $35 more each. Not that much but it looks like I would have to get rear shocks too. Either way I am going to blow out my old rear shocks within the next year. It almost seems like a waste of time to put stock shocks with 81,000 miles back on with lowered springs. I'm not sure what to do. Wasn't planning on spending $450 on shocks right now but it seems like the right thing to do if I'm going to install the springs. I don't know what to do. I also have the tie rod ends coming next week. I badly need one on my passenger side. That is my first concern. I am not sure... can I install the tie rod ends first then wait to do the lowering, or are the tie rod ends (outer) something you don't want to unbolt again once you've installed them? From Patterson's install it sounds like the outer tie rods and calipers have to come off/out to get the front springs out. Is it possible to remove the springs without disconnecting the tie rod ends? Also, Monroes, yay or nay? I would have to get the Bilstein sports for the rear anyway soon. At the time I thought it was a good thing to do save money and get some decent new struts in there, but honestly I'm not sure I want "oem" comfort springs in the front and German sport shocks in the back on sport springs. I'm sure the monores would be great if I were keeping my stock suspension, but I want a sport suspension. But they're expensive. Originally I seriously thought I would install the springs in one day on my stock struts and be done with it. Eehhhhhh wrong. $900 later and I still need to spend a weekend under my car wrenching on it to install them and hope it works.... Please tell me what you would advise. Send the Monroes back and get the bilstein sports all around? HD's are totally out of the question. They are more expensive than life. If I weren't paying my car off I would think about it, but the sport are within my reach.

 

Just wait and get the bilsteins. Trust me, you're only going to want to do the front end once.