I have lack of confidence handling on my 2003 also! Judging by the uneven wear in the tires (tyres) Ill bet my alignment is in need of an adjustment at the very least (with the possibility of worn bushings/ballpoints etc)

So that said, how is your wheel alignment Fred?

I had an alignment done after new tires on my VW Jetta a few years back. Handled funny so I took it into VW dealer and they found alignment was WAY out!

Just a thought!

 

Hi I have same feeling. Coming from BMW 330iX I find the handling of my fantastic Xk8 Conv '98 excellent, but ride on imperfect roads not so nice, with kind of rattling of front shock absorbers that seem to suffer high frequencies.
Previous owner mounted 19" Antera 5 finger star wheels with different section front/rear (which I love), could this be the problem?
Any top class shock absorbers would improve situation? (I suppose shock abs are still original as the car has only 90.000km)

Thanks and regards
Luca

 

luca, if you're getting some noise from the front, if its at slow speeds, it can be either one of, or combination of lower shock bushing, sway bar bushing, or those crumbling upper shock mounts. Those are the most common.

 

Personally I'm glad to see this thread. Gives me a number of ideas to consider. The steering on my XK8 feels like it's connected to nothing (which I had attributed to the typically overboosted Jaguar p.s.) yet manages to transmit a wobbling feel of some kind, and the entire suspension transmits serious vibrations esp. on concrete pavement. I'm sure the 19" wheels aren't helping there. Anyway I'm suspecting bushings particularly having read that they are as much time-dependent wear items as mileage-dependent. Can't wait to get the car up on a lift, but it's one thing at a time here.

 

Zombie thread resurrection.

Took a trip out to The Dragon with a couple of my work colleagues this weekend. Had trouble keeping up with them and they were in a BRZ (OK) and a Veloster.

Now, they probably are better drivers than me but I was keeping the tires squealing through most of the corners and I felt like I was outdriving the car. I think it's just heavy and long vehicle and the auto-box definitely didn't help. I definitely feel more confident in my Jetta.

Still, the power is fun and it's nice with the top down. Just wish I could have made a better showing.

 

My first Jag of this series was a 1999 XK-8 and I chased two Ferraris, a Porsche Cayman, one Lamborghini and two Lotuses. Granted I kind of cooked the brakes but they never left me, well until the end, when I tried to keep up with the two Lotuses on a long series of really tight corners. Transmission coded and I limped to the bottom of the hill (too much fluid movement). Only thing I did to that car was put on bigger wheels and tires. Folks were asking me the next day if I'd modified the car, they couldn't believe it could do that well. Now it was in really good shape but no where near the work I've put into my XKR. Just a bit of practice and you'd be surprised how well they drive (if the bushings, shocks, and brakes aren't perished). Now I realize part of this is the other folks (those not driving the Lotuses) were really sweating breaking their cars, I didn't really care as I'd bought it to toss around. Big difference in something you paid $12k for as opposed to $120K to $300K for. Anyway just my 6 cents on this.