Should I switch back to the air suspension? Or is it not worth the hassle? The previous owner still has all of the parts.

 

I would leave it alone. The air suspension was originally going to be an option on the X350s. The next model, the last of the XJs cut the air suspension down to the rear wheels only. The whole system is extremely expensive to repair.

 

If it were me buying the car, I'd make sure that the original air struts are included with it. Putting the air struts back on is pretty straightforward. I personally prefer air to springs...

I bought a fairly low-mile (just over 100k miles) '05 XJ8L in the last couple months that had been converted to conventional suspension, with the idea that it would replace my '04 SWB XJ8 that's quickly closing in on 200k. Ride height on the '05 with coils is higher than the '04 at its correct calibrated height, and I considered finding a set of struts and converting back to air. Between that and the fact that the L is a halogen headlight car, the XJ8L is now for sale and I'll keep on with my '04.

Paul

 

bilstein is like a grand a corner…it’s a 20 year old car

i can slap on s-type 3.0 or xf 4.2 shocks straight out the junkyard for like 100 dollars and they ride at the same height. xf shocks are firm, 3.0 s-type is supple

 

There will be a reason the air was removed. If it was in good working order it would still be on the car. These are well past their design lifetime, expensive to maintain, even more expensive to repair if they weren't maintained.

 

Exactly what @wfooshee said, he didnt take them off just to spend a few hours under the car and $1k for the swap. My car is still on original air and love it, but when it fails it will be converted. Would really love to find a local car with a conversion that I could drive, have only driven these on air. I don't like the looks of the standard coil replacement (car rides too high) so would like to go coilover if I can find a way to get the lights of (06+ car).

In your case I would buy the car expecting to leave the coils on. Of course you could put it back, but there will be an issue somewhere (at the very least leaking dampers) so budget a few thousand to get it back into shape if you really want the air. I wouldnt let a coil conversion put me off if the car was clean otherwise and rode decent. Could use it as a negotiating factor though, nothing wrong with that. Best of luck.

 

I have one of each, coil over and air. I doubt anyone could tell me which was which if I took them for a ride. I definitely don't think it's worth the effort to switch back.

 

I have 3.0 S type struts on mine and have not looked back. Lowered the car and 1 to 1.5 inches all the way around.

Wooford XJR

 

What exactly is involved with this, doesn't the OE tower need to be drilled? Curious because I'd much rather go with an OE setup that Arnott when I end up converting mine at some point.

 

87LC2,

Yes , The bolt holes have to be trimmed to fit the smaller bolt pattern of the S-Type struts. I know some of the Jaguar purist will cringe over this but my car has a rebuilt title due to it being close to something very hot that melted the right headlight, bumper cover and grill. I don't get to upset about modifying it. If the trans or motor takes a crap, It will get another sort of modification.

Wooford XJR

 

I think the '06 will give you a permanent CATS error on the dash if you don't use a coilover kit with the electronic module. In other words, transferring a set of S-type struts...

As an Arnott conversion owner, I can tell you that it is a well-done kit, takes car of the CATS error, rides wonderfully, and while it sat a little bit high when first installed, it settled down pretty quickly. I have no idea how it compares to the proper air ride height, because my air never worked when I bought the car; it was a matter of weeks before I tossed it, and I've never looked back.

The S-type struts may be Jaguar "OE," but they are not made to fit the XJ8, and they're not something Iwould ever consider.

 

Thank you both for the replies. I'd much rather us an OE strut/shock than Arnott, but not going to cut the towers on my low mile car (well not yet anyway). My issue with Arnott is the car looks like crap afterwards. With stock air the car sits just perfectly rather than the 4x4 look you get with Arnotts. Every time I see an x350 for sale I can tell immediately from the first picture that it has been converted, there's a big difference in ride height. Coilovers would be ideal, but apparently getting a module without buying the Arnotts is just about impossible. Might even consider buying a set to keep the module and then selling the brand new conversion kit to someone that doesnt care about the module.

 

I have one of each in the garage, coil over by Motorcars LTD and standard air suspension. I just stepped into the garage to confirm. They both sit with fenders about 2 fingers above the tires all round. No visible difference at all.
Strutmasters makes a kit with the module sold separately that defeats the lights and codes. So does the Motorcars kit. https://www.strutmasters.com/collect...aguar-XJR-2005 I would guess you can buy their module separately if that's your concern.
There is another company now in NC and this is who I'd choose if I decided to go with coil overs again. https://www.americanairsuspension.co...conversion-kit
I've been on coil overs on the 04 XJR now for about 66k miles and no issues. Would do it all over again.

 

Thank you, very helpful. The Arnott kits definitely sit high so nice to see other options. I asked about the AmericanAirSuspension kit a few months back on here and was told it was the same as Strutmasters. Maybe its worth giving that one a try over Arnott due to the height issue alone.

Big question is - Which rides better?

 

Regarding height, here is my '07 on Arnotts, immediately after installation:


Just 2.5 miles and ten minutes later:


I have no idea how the height compares to the air suspension, because mine never worked correctly while it was on air. It would either be too low, like a stanced low-rider, or with at least one strut sitting at max height, and in either case, it rode like a farm tractor crossing a rutted field.




Visually, I don't see any difference at the rear wheel here between the obvious high-flying front, and the coilover stance, but both ends of the car are way too low, especially the front, in the low-rider picture.

As for ride quality, I have two speed bumps on the street into my neighborhood. I do not have to slow down for them.

 

Thank you for posting @wfooshee The car definitely sits high compared to air in the second pitcure, that's for sure. Obviously a lot better than slammed on the ground or with the front wheels all the way in the air though, I can agree with that

I love those wheels in chrome, was that a factory option? I have those on my 2006 but they're just silver. Would love to find a set of those in chrome, I really like the wheel but the silver is a bit bland on my silver car.

 

x150 top mounts

congratulations you’ve discovered what jaguar did to make the x351

 

I don't know if they were factory chrome, but I would think so. I'm at least the third owner of this car.

 

Hard to say. I doubt that anyone could tell which is which if I took them for a ride in both cars. I suppose in some cases the air suspension is better as it can level out some of the large "whoop de doos". Instead of totally following the road surface like the coil springs do, the air suspension will extend the shocks to fill in the large drops. I enjoy that feeling, but most people would never notice. For the busted concrete around town, they're pretty much the same.

I'd have to think hard about repairing the air suspension on my SV8 if it started failing. It's so much easier to "one and done" it with the coil overs and I don't like continually addressing an issue If I can fix it one time, so I lean toward coilovers. I would not go to the trouble and expense of putting my XJR back on air springs. Also, I take long travel vacations, SC to OK and sometimes to Cali and back. I don't want an air shock disabling the car in the middle of nowhere. Coil overs won't do that. I tend to prefer reliability over that tiny extra bit of comfort.

I was noticing that the American Air struts looked like Strutmasters. That's disappointing if true. I thought it was an independent enthusiast brand. When I bought my Black Dog kit, it was only $1600, so $2600 today gives pause. I'm not convinced about Strutmasters, but like you I am no fan of Arnott based on what research I've done into them. I won't say any more than that.

So, in a nutshell, I wouldn't take a coil over car back to air suspension - too much money and work and less reliability for just a minor improvement in ride quality. And as I mentioned, the ride heights of my cars are the same, and the Arnott's may settle as some have said. I wouldn't let the coil overs put you off the car if it's what you want and is a car you'd otherwise buy.
Hope this helps.

 

@luv2fly - One of the things I love about the air suspension is the high speed highway ride it provides. I'm sure you lose a bit of that on coils, but as you said its much easier to be one and done when the original air begins to fail piece by piece. I use my car a lot and take it on long trips, would be a real bummer to be stuck hours away from home with a blown air bag, its something that's always on my mind.

Where did you buy your BlackDog kit? Googled and nothing really came up other than a few threads on this site.