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Which Air Spring Damper Units for Greatest Comfort?
I got a question ... is there an assignment of the two categories sport vs comfort air suspensions?
Letīs say, Standard, Souvereign, Sport (XJR) and SuperV( (Ex-Daimler-Version)
Searching in Bilsteins Onlinecatalogue you will only find one kind of air suspensions front (partnumber 44-069483) and rear (partnumber 44-069506) for ALL X350 versions. Bilstein does NOT make any distinction whether Sport or Standard or even SuperV8.
Does that mean ... the air suspension sport or comfort are controlled by air suspension ecu / controlmodul? Because the hardware is the same.
A little confusion i think ...
The reason, why i am asking is ... the SuperV8 must be built as the most comfort ride of all X350 versions, so iīd like to change my air suspensions to the SuperV8 spec.
Searching in Bilsteins Onlinecatalogue you will only find one kind of air suspensions front (partnumber 44-069483) and rear (partnumber 44-069506) for ALL X350 versions. Bilstein does NOT make any distinction whether Sport or Standard or even SuperV8.
Does that mean ... the air suspension sport or comfort are controlled by air suspension ecu / controlmodul? Because the hardware is the same.
A little confusion i think ...
Bilstein's "standard offerings" of the present day, sold one at a time, not on bulk unit-volume bidding...
..., would not necessarily include customer-specific options they delivered ONLY to an OEM manufacturer in years past, in the tens of thousands.
Contract for any mass-produced product in large enough volume, with solid bank credentials (so the maker is comfortable they will be paid)? One can have any possible alteration made to suit a need - even if never done before. Or after.
There were, in fact, historical internal differences in the "hardware", not just in the "Software".
Bilstein would have low/no incentive to sustain stock of all variations once sales unit volume for a(ny) specific item had declined below the level of sales needed to recover their marginal costs.
If the motorcar maker saw fit, they could order those no-longer stocked items in "small" quantity for batch production, and Bllstein would pull-up their files, order material from THEIR suppliers, schedule and build a few hundred at a time for that automaker's dealer support network inventory.
"Joe Average" order for two front and two rear for one motorcar alone might not be turned away, either, but ...the fixed-fee for set-up at the factory - and/or the very long-lead time, to make that few, ONLY?
Might make buying the current equivalent as part of a whole new motorcar the more attractive option!
As is the reality. most any obsolescent part that WAS a high-unit volume item, but is no longer.
Bilstein would have low/no incentive to sustain stock of all variations once sales unit volume for a(ny) specific item had declined below the level of sales needed to recover their marginal costs.
Do i understand it correct ... a SuperV8 driver has no change to get his Super V8 air suspension spec from Bilstein?
I got a question ... is there an assignment of the two categories sport vs comfort air suspensions?
Letīs say, Standard, Souvereign, Sport (XJR) and SuperV( (Ex-Daimler-Version) [snip]
The reason, why i am asking is ... the SuperV8 must be built as the most comfort ride of all X350 versions, so iīd like to change my air suspensions to the SuperV8 spec.
Hi XJ8Germany,
The only difference between the Sport and Comfort suspensions was the air spring/damper unit. The Comfort (more softly damped) units are designated with a Green "dot," or circular adhesive label. The Sport (more firmly damped) units are designated with a Red "dot." Here's a photo showing the dots. The "G" letters are my own marks to indicate that I have tested the unit and it held steady pressure for 48 hours.
You can look up the current Jaguar part numbers at parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com. Some of the part numbers changed over time, so the current part number will depend on your VIN, but my understanding is that Jaguar can currently supply only one part, the Comfort unit.
The Bilsten designation for the Comfort unit is B4, and for the Sport unit, B6. I have not seen B6s available in a few years, and B4 availability comes and goes. Rock Auto usually has the best price when they are available. In the past, I have had success by putting in a request to Rock Auto's "Notify Me When Available" feature, but this feature can only be activated when they have the B4s listed, but shown as "Out of Stock." PartsGeek also sometimes have the B4s.
It can't hurt to contact Bilstein to let them know that you are looking for B4s for your car (I note that the model year is missing from your signature - be sure to tell Bilstein). If they hear from enough owners, they may be willing to do another production run.
The Air Suspension Control Modules (ASMs) and all the other suspension components are identical regardless of Sport or Comfort. You can confirm this by studying the part numbers.
In general, XJRs came equipped with the Sport dampers; XJ8s and XJ8Ls came with Comfort dampers. Off the top of my head, I don't know if the Super V8s and Portfolios came with Comfort or Sport dampers, but if you want the most comfortable ride, the Bilstein B4 Comfort units will be the way to go.
A comfortable ride also is dependent on all of the other suspension components being in good condition, including the air compressor and its piston ring/seal, non-return valves and exhaust valve; the valve block; all suspension bushings; etc.. Also, your tires should be of the correct type and inflated properly. And if you have 20 inch wheels, consider replacing them with 19- or 18-inch versions, or even the 17-inch "Elegant" winter wheels, if you can find them.
P.S. I am moving your posts to start your own thread since your questions are unrelated to the topic of the thread in which you posted them.
The Sport struts are also shorter than comfort struts. The SV8 used a comfort struts. In Jaguars, only the XJR came with Sport struts.
The XJR ride lower than a XJ. When calibrating a new strut the target height from axle center to fender is less. The SnapOn scanners can perform these cals.
Most serious garages have one. Or two.
It can't hurt to contact Bilstein to let them know that you are looking for B4s for your car (I note that the model year is missing from your signature - be sure to tell Bilstein). If they hear from enough owners, they may be willing to do another production run.
Don
I found some seller on amazon, perhaps some new parts are still available
They do turn up from time to time. The photo looks good. The write-up looks good. But an advert is not installable on the motorcar.
Dig deeper before you choose a vendor the English language version of that advert didn't even identify.
And why not ship to the USA when it was the second largest JLR market (after China) in years it was not the FIRST in unit-volume?
If you chase an unknown vendor, another "caveat": Might they be 'stale' stock'??
In prior threads - here on forum - one tidbit mentioned Bilstein spec for a rather short "shelf life" - wherein units in storage, bladder & shock NOT on a vehicle and being "exercised" - could deteriorate whilst lying idle.
That should not be a HUGE concern, Bilstein are uber-conservative about such things - annnnd they like to sell NEW product, ever and always.
Given how long most originals lasted when in service from new, and in far the worse extremes of weather and "insult" by the elements? It might mean shorter life - if not leakage 'on arrival'. Or they could go ten trouble-free years.
Can't see chasing anything "softer" than "comfort" meself.
Nor even softer "balloon" tires.
The overall vehicle as engineering and TESTING selected earned its kudo's as a seriously well balanced and integrated system, as delivered right out of the factory door.
"Comfort" is secondary to the secure grasp of grotty roads it needs to go where it is pointed, braked, or accelerated without harm more serious to the occupants than minor discomfort.
If I had wanted to replicate a 1950 Buick's marshmellow ride? (Perish the very seasick MEMORY of it!)
I wudd'na bought an XJ8-L in the first place.
Fix it when it breaks. Better yet, BEFORE.
But CHANGE it at your own risk, lest an overly "soft" ride ends in embarassment.. or worse.
Letīs be fair, there is a huge gap between marshmellow ride or call it US-Style and a rough-harsh ride. When Jag is offering a comfort ride, why not choosing it. I can tell from many personal experiences, harsh-suspensions are not necessary, except someone wants to drive at the limit, which is better done on race tracks. I never bought an AMG cause AMG is till today incapable of programming a comfort line, which works from 0 to 80km/h, although itīs no rocket-science and easy doable. Porsche shows whatīs possible.
I will have a talk to my jag dealer, getting the comfort-air suspensions and at the same time start a conversation with Bilstein. Perhaps they will accept a collectiv order. Meyle for example does that sometimes.
..except someone wants to drive at the limit, which is better done on race tracks.
Ermmm..
Race tracks? Not for me. Too much repetition vs a run fron Nizza to Zandvoort, Gijon to Frankfurt, Warsaw to Lake Balaton..on the secondary routes, not majors.
My many visits to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Pyrenees were in search of secondary roads of challenge, and in spring, fall or winter, not summertimes, so rains if not also snow and ice as well.
"Therapy" for an Appalachian native to recharge the batteries off the back of you wealthier - or at least less corrupt - lot actually PAVING your roads ... even in the former East bloc - when most of Appalachia only applied enough bitumin to colour the dirt and gravels, spent the rest of the budget on whatever it is that politicians spend it on.
When the XJ8-L is too fussy for bad roads?
The Range Rover Sport has the spirit of Elliot Roosevelt.
Well? "Generalizing" about entire, populous, nations is fraught with error, but still.. your quality of DRIVERS and the intensity of their training is a comfort as well as making the enjoyment safer. At least until Wartburgs and Trabants carrying six (formerly) "East" Germans headed for the med on family hols diced for the road with Citroen's clever little allegedly-powered canvas roofed wheelbarrows!
Even driving in Rome, where the whole lot of competitive anarchists are at least highly skilled at avoiding contact .. if even by but a fraction of a millimeter! Northern Spain, by unexpected contrast, is far more rules-observing and "mannerly" as with German-speaking Europe.
My "surrogate son" in Thalwil described the longish legs required of Swiss driving students, and I had to laugh.
Most US licensing jurisdictions (State level) have long been too careless about that by half... too much piddling about in carparks and suburbs, not enough "real world" style longer trips has given us a high percentage of unpredictable fools at the wheel. And then they get worse with the wrong sort of experience.. and cell phones?
But my DAD did that to me, back at the dawn of the 1960's. He set up out and back trips across a whole US State, nastiest roads he could find, too. Not that Pennsylvania had any OTHER kind in that era. What with one Governor after another up on felony charges for crooked road contract awards? Cross the PA state line into ANY of the bordering States, including impoverished West Virginia - get better roads, state line onward.
Those trips were intended to be long enough to stress physical endurance and drive home the need of breaks, and what "too tired" or "get home-itis" can do to get your time, distance, and decision judgement borked - and young **** killed - if you are lax about the need.
Understanding of stressful State Government was for extra credit, but I left home without it.
Gets worse yet, solo in an aircraft. Not as easy to pull over to the side of the road for a nap, and the steady-state drone of a Lycoming is trying its best to hum you to sleep the whole while!
If my Jaguar was any MORE comfortable? I might mistake it for the recliner in the setting room and wake up dead.
Oddly, given it resembles "elevator music", the David Lean soundtrack from "Dr. Zhivago" is one bit of music that reliably keeps me awake and "road focused", regardless.
Extra mass as it is, happy I don't have the expense of keeping tires and struts under one of THOSE in good nic!
Just for a lark.. the 5 Ton Long-Wheelbase M39A1 'ww's" were on my 1967-68 Property Book at an acquisition cost of only $8800 each, and ISTR $800 of that was for the rugged Garwood winch @ roughly one US dollar a pound?
Nine ton load of Oxygen or Acetylene bottles and they even had a fairly smooth ride.. on pavement.
The Sport struts are also shorter than comfort struts. The SV8 used a comfort struts. In Jaguars, only the XJR came with Sport struts.
The XJR ride lower than a XJ. When calibrating a new strut the target height from axle center to fender is less. The SnapOn scanners can perform these cals.
Most serious garages have one. Or two.
That the sport struts are shorter than the comfort ones is new to me. According to Jaguar, the only difference between them is the size (or volume) of the air bladder:
Best regards,
Letīs be fair, there is a huge gap between marshmellow ride or call it US-Style and a rough-harsh ride. When Jag is offering a comfort ride, why not choosing it. I can tell from many personal experiences, harsh-suspensions are not necessary, except someone wants to drive at the limit, which is better done on race tracks. I never bought an AMG cause AMG is till today incapable of programming a comfort line, which works from 0 to 80km/h, although itīs no rocket-science and easy doable. Porsche shows whatīs possible.
I will have a talk to my jag dealer, getting the comfort-air suspensions and at the same time start a conversation with Bilstein. Perhaps they will accept a collective order. Meyle for example does that sometimes.
A collective order with Bilstein is too late for me, unfortunately, as I already have replaced all four struts on my Super V8 in the last few years. I also saw in the Bilstein catalogue that there are no more different struts for comfort and sport versions.
I believe that the "unified" version Bilstein now offers is the comfort version, which would make sense as (at least here in continental Europe) only XJRs had the sport struts, meaning that the majority had the comfort version. There was a "XJ sports" with the 3 litre V6 in UK, but I don't know with what struts it came.
On the face of it, it is Amazon, UK - or a "partner" - who have "consolidated" a 'batch' order with Bilstein. Note the "3 to 7 month" typical lead-time cited. Amazon has economic clout enough the "partner" could be JLR / TATA, God, the Devil, or all of the above, in competition.
That's also in line with less rapacious merchants @ ~ $1,200 each, given Amazon "convenience" is never 'free'.
Pragmatism sez I'm ahead to go for coilovers, forgo even load-leveling, then rent a brand-new .. Escalade.. Lincoln town car.. minivan.. pickup trick.. 26-foot Cornbinder box truck.. the few times in several years .. when I've needed to carry more folk & luggage or goods than the XJ8-L .. or the L320.. could do, even when brand-new.
Pragmatism is a boring old nag, but there you have it.
At the end ... when suspension needed and no way possible to purchase new ones from Bilstein, i will buy all 4 from Jaguar. I donīt have cars like Jags for economical-reasons.
I am based at the Bavaria/Thuringia border ... former prohibited area of the DDR.
True that you do not drive these cars for economical reasons, but I also do not see reasons to spend car manufacturers price adders when it is not necessary and I can get OEM parts for my cars for less without compromises on the quality.
The best example my SV8 is brake rotors and pads, you can get OEM quality for about 1/3 of the price charged by Jaguar!
You are not so far away from Nuremberg, then. Do you have a Jaguar dealer nearby that knows the X350 well? Over here, basically there is no one anymore and I would have problems if I was not be able to do repairs/maintenance myself.
04-19-2024, 07:02 PM
Which Air Spring Damper Units for Greatest Comfort?
