As other have stated the 20" wheels are very unforgiving. I have a 06 Victory with 20" Perseus (RSII) wheels, poly lower control arm bushings and Mina springs. The handling is just where I like it. It still has some body roll but it feels much more “connected” to the road than stock but without hampering the ride quality too much. That said the California roads are terrible and that makes being "connected" to the road a bad thing at times too. My 1999 XK8 was a completely different car, no CATS and much softer on 18” wheels

I live nearby in Gilroy so maybe we can compare notes. I have almost 110K miles on the car and only take the car out on rare Fridays and select weekends but maybe we can organize a Bay Area meet. Who is game?

FYI I have run the car in a JCNA sanctioned slalom event and felt it did fairly being such a heaving touring car.

 

The OP is quoting a 2006 model. The front suspension and steering system should be much improved over the early cars.

I know there is a world of difference between the handling of my 4.2 and other 4.0 cars I have tried.

 

It is the rear end which is the problem, not the front end.
You have to buy this model for its elegance, not the road handling.
If you want better roadhandling, you have to switch to the +2006 model.

The rear end has been inhereted from the old XJ so the twisty rear end is normal.

 

Sorry to disagree, but I have no problem with mine.

I also have and old XJ worlds apart.

Rear shocks do not last long, are yours OK?
Maybe you just need to try different tyres!? NOT Pirelli!

 

MarcB ...
I like your idea of a S.F. Bay area meet... I'm in, schedule permitting. Could be really fun to see all the XKR cars and people. And great to exchange thoughts/info without typing.

 

The XKR came with an option for a sporty handling package. If you have this, the shock rates will be revised and the ride will be much harder and unforgiving. I do not know how to tell which suspension you have, but maybe someone could. My car does have this package and it is a hard riding car. The way I know is that I have the original window sticker. If you have the package, you could find out what was in it and change back to stock stuff.

 

1morecarplease, MarcB,
I'm game for a meet in the Bay Area. How about next Sunday, 5/20. There are a couple rides really worth it around here: Mount Hamilton (alumn Rock to Livermore or from Alumn Rock to Hwy5); Skyline (breakfast or lunch at Alice's and loop on Hwy1 if weather is nice).
Anyone else in the Bay Area?

 

The dealer has access to the original "build sheet". Any service advisor can look it up.

 

The XKR I have feels very different than the XK8 both are running 20" wheels. XKR is much more firm and feels heavier. Both cars corner well though I haven't taken the XKR on a hard drive yet. Took the XK8 on a hill chase with a Noble, Ferrari, couple of Lotus's, a Caymen and a GT-R. Actually did pretty well until I tried to keep up with the Lotus's in tight corners and both the tranny and engine had fluid issues, so many red lights thought it was christmas. Reset the car and it was fine but it sure doesn't like tight corners at speed.

I have an S5 and it has a vastly different feel. You do feel the rain grooves in both cars. Anyway if you want to try one of my cars you are welcome. Had a filed injector rail in the XKR but should have it back shortly.

 

Rob
Would be great to get together since we're both in San Jose. Will you have your XKR back by next Sunday (5/20)?
I'm in Almaden.

 

The XKR is supposed to be done today, but I just visited it and I have my doubts (part should be arriving as I write this). So, unless they find another problem, I'll likely have it to drive this weekend.

 

fred, have you found anything yet? My guess is that you probably have a combination of things to do.

If posters say what tires they are running and what pressures front and rear that would help wouldn't it? There is more to it than just rim diameter. :-) If I put smiley's in I hope that will stop people taking offense, because none intended.

Stumpy is on the mark I think, especially if your treads are getting down. If they have good tread they'd be readily sale-able.

This link shows Tire Rack survey results that you may find helpful. The P Zero is showing its age! Possibly your car really doesn't like them.

It's worth a serious thought if you're not enjoying your drive.

Consumer Survey Results By Category

Can you arrange a wheel swap for ones known to behave on a similar model? Would be a good starting point if nothing obvious in bushes or shocks.

I've recently fitted the ContiExtreme DW to my 89 Acura Legend Coupe, and I'm very pleased. They stick like s**t to a blanket, quiet, nice ride, great price, need a little bit to get them turning into a bend, but once on the way they're great. Fantastic braking and wet/dry handling, but not right to compare really with the Jag, different cars, Acura FWD and a lot lighter, less power (much)......getting off thread here.

Hey my first post here! I've started looking for my Jag!

Can't believe my luck finding this Forum. Thanks guys, this is so helpful and all relaxed and civilized. Jeff

 

We are civilized, none of this you see in so many other forums. Be patient looking for your new jag (xk8 I presume since you posted over here?), there's many out there that have been neglected, so inspect carefully. You'll be able to negotiate a better deal knowing which repairs/maintenance you can do yourself versus outsourcing.

 

Good to hear H2Oboy. I'm lucky that a spanner fits my hand fairly well, so really looking forward to a car that deserves a bit of special attention. I like a car that handles, which is what drew me to this thread. You will have seen it all before, but I have to go through the writhing to decide what would suit. Only 20 odd million people here so choice is a problem. (Some would say 20 million odd people lol)

Any findings fred, re rodeo ride Jag?

 

Doing some research to help me understand what I'm in for regarding wheels tyres etc. Quality tyres are incredibly expensive here in Australia and it can be worth importing from your place. Did so with my Conti DW's.

So been looking at tire rack again and some of you may have comments about what is available in the 20"? These are the matched sets 255/35-20 and 285/30-20.
Tire Search Results

Anyone use any of these? I know there will be lots of P Zero's out there. Happy or not with what you have tried? Pressures and variations in size could help too.

Pretty sure this is still on thread for fredXKR2006 original post.

 

I have Nexen's on my XKR, I don't think Tire Rack carries them. They seem to be working fine.

 

I have tried a few different tires through the car's life. I currently have a set of Yokohama S-Drives which I am fairly pleased with. For reference:
I previously had:

OEM P-Zeros (too soft, quick wearing)
Falken 452s (less grip, noisy)
Yokohama S Drives (long wearing, okay grip)

Now that my car is no longer a daily driver I am planning on switching over to the highest rated, Michelin Pilot Sports but the S Drives have a lot of life left (at least on the front )

 

I drove my Porsche Boxster as a daily driver for five years and then bought this my XKR 2002 with very little prior XKR experience. I suspect what you are sensing in your XKR 2006 has to do with underlying design intent. I am only two weeks into the XKR and while it demolishes highways in ways Boxsters and 911s don't, it doesn't convey road conditions as well either.

If it is any consolation, I have spent more time reading this forum on XKRs than I did on everything Porsche over five years. The elegance and beauty of the cars reels you in.

I will have to replace the tires on mine (18) by summer's end but I will get track time to throw the car around in a safe environment to see what the limits are like. I strongly suspect tires make a big difference. Check out the Top Gear episode where they had a factory one-off XKR-100 series with a manual tranny and a limited slip differential.

 

That's true. Some dude in one of those classy new boxsters with the gold logo decided to come up behind me and ride my tail. I was about to pass the person in front of me when I see him moving to pass, so I cut him off and off we go.

I smoked that boxster from 60 to 120 or so where he gave up because he was eating taillight the whole way.

 

I can readily envision that happening had I been the one in the Boxster getting smoked by an XKR.
The XKR thrust off the line is beginning to sink in as one of two automotive items I wanted but had not had yet. The other was engine growl at start-up. XKR has delivered both.