It looks great I will be doing my 2004 XJR today thanks for all the info.

 

Did you end up doing the conversion? Do you have part numbers for the S-Type parts?

 

I have a 2005 XJ8L.

Two questions:
1. I'd REALLY like to know what the 'center of wheel hub to wheel well' distance is after your conversion.
2. Did disconnecting the computer behind the back seat eliminate the errors codes?

Can you check for me, please?

Thanks
Jim

 

Hey PRESCOTAZ yes it does . i did it on mine too , the only thing is after connecting the battery youll see all kinds of lights on the dash and wont start the car , you have to clear all the codes afterwards...in order to start the car then youll fine...drive away and no codes after that/...i live here in phoenix az also and thats the best conversion i have done..

 

I LOVE your ingenuity.
I think I may go the same route God knows its a huge savings.
I have an air leak in my driver Side front shock
The 04 XJR calls for an AS 2396 shock hey lucky me its been discontinued. I called Arnott they replaced it with AS 2888 @ 540 + shipping.
Anyway when you replaced fronts with S type did u replace backs also?

 

Hey Sochi2014....

I have just came across your excellent posts on the powerflex bushings and S Type R coilover upgrade.

My XJR never really felt stable, and now that air suspension is shot..its time for better.

Just wanted to find out if everything held up and if you solved the squeaking from the Black bushing in the from control arms.

Would you do it all over again?

 

04XJR,

If you need "stable" car, i'd better say connected to road, move to spring setup. However, Jag is stable on airs, but that feeling of flying requires driving adaptation. I used to airs (comfort version on SV8) and its not a problem to hold car by one finger on any roads and speeds. Concerning bushings I would stay stock all around. I swapped that crap PF for stock bushings from ebay and forgot that experience. Really you have only one option if you want enjoy jag as it was designed from the factory - new bilsteins, just put it in budget for the car price from the very beginning when you by this affordable gentleman. All other ways is a poker game you can win some or you can loose all - you have to be experienced player/tuner. If you're not - don't sit at this table.

PS I would also look to XF's sport setup without electronic suspension control option if you don't need that magic of stock air ride. But that will be a different car in the end.. I would not say that there is no better cars on market than jag on springs

 

hanks! Youre right...it is "stable" right now, but its not confidence inspiring and body roll is unsettling. You said it best..the 400hp is not matched by the suspension on this car...I want to change that!

4 Grand for stock bags...just isnt in the cards for a vehicle i only paid 6 grand for.

I'm glad you told me about Powerflex...was about to drop some coin on that.

Ill get all stock rubber, but I will try the aftremarket XF swaybars
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ll-bar-167767/

Thanks for the info man! I was pleasantly surprised to see that these cars have an active and resourceful modification community.

but i still run into "purest trolls"

 

Can anyone explain to me why Sochi2014's ride height with S Type R springs looks somewhat level, but yet SexyBeast's swap to regular S Type springs has sagged in the rear and has camber issues? The front height should be equal in the relation to the rear's height in both conversions.

 

Thanks a lot sexy beast! The air suspension on my car was broken. First i tryd to repair the air pump. That din`t work. Found out that one of the coilovers was leak. After reading the post i wanted to try if it realy worked. Bought the 4 s types springs for 150 euro (i live in the netherlands) first had the springs of a 1999 model. They dont fit. Swapt tham for the 2005 model year springs. my macanic instald the springs. Charget me 200 euro`s. (told me he spend 8 ours) i was supriced how good the ride was. A bit stifer than the air spring. Got the air suspension and the cats sysem defect waring on my display. Ive decided to ignore them. Very happy with my x350 again!!!

 

I just had the suspension conversion on my 2005 XJ8 VP completed. I ordered the strutmaster kit:

2004-2010 Jaguar XJ8 4 Wheel Air Suspension Conversion Kit (JA14FM) - Strutmasters

Listed for $999, but I think I got a discount because my bill shipped ended up at $975
I also ordered new brake rotors and pads on ebay, and took the whole lot to my local mechanic. He had everything swapped in a day, including the rotors and pads. He charged 6 hrs. labor @ $100 per / hr. So for $600 plus parts $975 = $1,575, I will never have to deal with the air ride system again. I think the ride is just as good and no worries.

 

Hi Jim,


I know you indicated ride as good as before, does that pretty much mean the same stiffness/rebound etc? Also how much, if any, did the conversion changed your ride height from stock. Thanks much

 

That is great to hear. I’m considering this conversion soon. Which brake and rotor kit did you get?

 

Hello All,

I'm brand new to the forum. I haven't purchased an X350 yet, as I'm sweating through the research prior to pulling the trigger. Quick question: in doing the coil conversion, is there any loss in any other functions to ABS or traction control. Thank you in advance for input. I thought I read somewhere that CATS affects the traction control system,which is the impetus for my inquiry.

Have a great day!

 

As someone much wiser and more knowledgeable than me pointed out elsewhere here previously, what you will lose is the ride the car is supposed to have, you lose the essence of what the car is, that presumably drew you to it in the first place. If coilovers are just as good, why was the air fitted in the first place, and not just by Jaguar?

 

I always get a laugh when I read posts like this. The air suspension setup in the X350 was always unreliable crap from Day One. In fact, air suspensions are always unreliable crap no matter what brand of car.

People are always saying that the air suspension felt great over smooth pavement...tell me what car doesn't feel great over smooth pavement?? The stock setup was so bad that you couldn't even go over speed bumps at a normal speed without bottoming out, especially in the rear. When an old beat-up Camry gives you a smoother ride than your modern Jag, you know something's wrong. The only advantage the system gave was the auto-leveling when the rear seat or trunk was loaded, and perhaps a little less body lean on curves. But once the system starts giving you trouble, forever will it dominate your destiny...until you rip it all out and put in coilovers.

The only reason Jaguar put that crackpot system in there was in order to compete with the SClass and to have bragging rights about having an overcomplicated suspension. Why do you suppose Jaguar ditched the system with the X351? Because they knew it was crap. The suspension in my X351 feels so smooth, almost like my old Series III XJ6. In my opinion, the classic Jaguar ride quality has returned at last.

Bottom line is that the X350 Air Suspension was a huge mistake and I'm sure it's a leading reason why so many of these beautiful cars were put out to pasture before their time.

 

Hi, Jim: I'm curious. Since the swap to coils, does everything else work in the way of your ABS and traction control? I wasn't sure if there was any affect - I had read somewhere that the CATS system affects the traction control. Thanks!

 

I think the major problem is that we mostly share our bad experience than positive that's why you can decide sometimes that subject is crap. Over the years of ownership I can summarize only about used car in good overall condition, that airs on x350, better say complete air system, which provides you ride quality in the end, behaves on its own.. today the ride is smooth and shines like a true jag.. tomorrow it can feel like a car that partially parted out already. I could not get any subsequences of that very different behaviors.. as there could probably be lots of inputs. Springs won't give you better ride than airs in good mood, not speaking that magic feeling when you literally flies over the surface)) but springs will give you assurance that your car will be the same as you left on parking yesterday.. that was just my experience with, I say it again, used high mileage car. If someone having wide and long experience using x350 from the very new till 100-150K at least would share their experience would be interesting to hear.

Concerning X351 they could refuse in front because of that days technology of airs was not on a par with modern demand of car standards, more refined and German big three trends comparable. Today's air technologies with multi-chamber architecture probably could met X351 demands that days.. who knows if there is new XJ come, which suspension it will choose.

 

Changing an air suspension to spring over shock is equivalent to going from fuel injection back to carbs because your mass air sensor is giving problems Or disk brakes back to drums because you don't like the brake dust being produced. . I would never ever think of buying a car that had been mutilated in this fashion. Losing the air system loses the added stability in cornering, The nose diving on acceleration and braking, the lowering of ride height to minimize air resistance at high speed, the leveling of loaded weight and the braking stability. keep your air compressor in good condition. Watch for leaks in the air bags and you have yourself one great driving car. Change to spring over shock and you just have the same as any other piece of junk on the road.

 

This is exactly right. One day it would feel great, the next day it would be crap. Same roads, same conditions. But more times than not, it would be crap.

You could spend the next two weeks reading all the forum posts about air suspension problems. Many people, myself included, spent countless hours and hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars trying to rectify issues with the air suspension. It was a never-ending battle for a system that really wasn't worth the hassle.

The system would work perfectly all year and then without warning on the first cold morning of the year, you suddenly have a lowrider. I can't tell you how many times I saw other X350s on the road with their front ends scraping the road.

Rebuild the compressor, check the valve block and tank for leaks, replace your height sensors and finally swap in new shocks, and a few months later...BOOM. AIR SUSPENSION FAULT is back.

I'm glad you don't have any of these issues but a lot of times "keep(ing) your air compressor in good condition. Watch(ing) for leaks in the air bags and you have yourself one great driving car." just isn't enough.

I'll even go so far as to say that the car actually handled better with the coilovers, especially at highway speeds.