I preffer power on the street, and more handling in the track. besides, i preffer a manual transmission for both.

 

Hi Avos, happy to hear of you again! i'm sorry if i seem to be partisan, but you should try the car first, with stock dampers, and after with Ohlins to appreciate the difference. I developed the kit and personally tested it on the car in many different conditions, from urban to mountain and highway and the car has not only improved the confort but above all the speed cornering, accelleration and braking significantly improved. Now the car is well balanced, but i understand your point of view......without testing the car you can't appreciate what i'm trying to explain you!!! Talk to Deuce2000 he will confirm you my report..

 

Hi Maso64,

I just gave my preference when it comes to street driving and more power, by no means do I think the difference with the ohlins for handling is marginal… I have no doubt that the handling will be improved with the Ohlins you’ve made, and I would love to test it once. But with the suspension I have now, am not reaching limits with street driving, and more power would come 1st for me.

When I changed my tired suspension at about 130Kmiles and got stiffer cats shocks it was already a very a good improvement, so anyone now with an aging setup I can certainly recommend to work on it, and if I would have the funds, I would also think about the Ohlins.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you after visiting Vairano in modified XKR. Seems we plan modifying XK's in similar way.

Do you know Vairano lap times of a stock XKR?

 

How are the shocks working out, I've decided I'd like to put them on my car. (Sent email but haven't heard back).

 

if no one answers you can contact the headquarters in Sweden.
the managing director of the auto industry is BENGT OHLSSON
bengt.ohlsson@ohlins.se

or : info@ohlins.se

 

Bengt wrote me but sent me to a local distributor who estimated a price far higher. This is making less and less sense now.

 

after my bad experience with this expensive kit, I returned all parts to company Andreani and were returned the money only the shock absorbers. But all the money I've spent in workshops to try to run this kit and the lower arms of the rear suspension that they had cut them I had to buy new at my expense!
moreover, after informing the Ohlins in Sweden, not even deign to answer them! they are the ones who put me in touch with Andreani!
I TELL YOU SO DO NOT BUY THIS CRAP OF KIT

this is the letter with answer of the Ohlins: you do your evaluations:

__________________________________________________ _______________

Da: Bengt Ohlsson [mailto:bengt.ohlsson@ohlins.se]
Inviato: giovedì 12 dicembre 2013 13:21
A: Xxxx Luca (IR DTR TOU)
Oggetto: SV: Kit Ohlins for Jaguar
Riservatezza: Personale

Hey Luca,

I’m sorry if I made you disappointed to not answer. I didn’t really see any questions to answer. I just took it as an information and I think everything that could be said, has been said. I’m sorry if I led you in to a deal with Andreani that ended in tears and it was definitely not my intention. In this case I don’t know what really went wrong as the Andreani Group is a well-respected company, who has supplied suspension to several thousand customers who has been more than satisfied. However, there are always situations where thongs goes wrong and somebody get disappointed. I’m sorry that in this case it happen to be you.

Anyway, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.

Bengt

Med vänliga hälsningar/ Best regards,
Bengt Ohlsson

Area Sales Manager
Phone: +46 (0)54 21 10 13
Mobile: +46 (0)70 537 42 13
Mail: bengt.ohlsson@ohlins.se







Från: Luca.Xxxx@enel.com
Skickat: den 12 december 2013 11:49
Till: Bengt Ohlsson
Ämne: I: Kit Ohlins for Jaguar
Prioritet: Hög
Känslighet: Personligt

Benght,

I was expecting at least a response from you on the email below, but probably expecting too much!
I believe that fairness and courtesy should always be there, no matter what happened.
Many still around the world ask me what happened to this kit since writing to ANDREANI no longer responding.

I think it was your duty to at least answer me and tell me excuse because you've put me in touch with Andreani! but then again, maybe I'm asking too much.

I do not I will contact you again and do not answer because i will not read your next email.

Will forward this email to all Jaguar Club in the world as I had done to advertise the kit.

Regards

 

this is my first email that I sent to the Ohlins where I listed all the problems and that they have never found it necessary to respond:

__________________________________________________ ____________

_____________________________________________
Da: Xxx Luca (IR DTR TOU)
Inviato: mercoledì xxx
A: 'info@ohlins.se'; 'ces@ohlins.se'; 'info@ohlinsauto.se'; 'info.odtc@ohlins.se'; 'info.odtc@ohlins.se'; 'info@motospeed.se'
Cc: 'bengt.ohlsson@ohlins.se'; 'jeff.baucom@ohlinsusa.com'
Oggetto: Kit OHLINS for Jaguar XKR/XK8
Priorità: Alta


Hi OHLINS,

at 13/14 February 2013 I installed a kit OHLINS on my Jaguar XKR coupe at Andreani Group of Pesaro.

From there began my ordeal.

The car has never gone well. The lower bolts ( see photos attached )of the rear suspension, with the attacks developed by Andreani have folded after only 100 km. it was necessary to modify the lower connections (at my expense) to not truncate the bolts!
The rear suspension then were very noisy. This is because the whole group (spring-damper) is operated on standard rubber designed to withstand the load of the shock absorber ONLY, and not more of the shock-absorber + the spring!

The same thing happens in the Front Top Mount.

the rubber in the car that only support the original load of the shock absorber ONLY, now find themselves support the load of the SPRING + the shock absorbers!

All of these rubbers are destroyed after a few kilometers from stressed beyond their design loads.

Besides,ALL the Jaguar XKR has with the electronic suspension system called CATS. To mount the kit OHLINS, not having the electronic shock absorber, you need to disable the control unit CATS car.

But this controller works in conjunction with ABS therefore, when braking in curves, the car breaks down and it could be dangerous!

Finally, to assemble the Ohlins kit should be cut the lower arms of the rear suspension. In order to put the car affixed to them, I had to buy back new at my expense.

I therefore ask you, since it is sold by Andreani a kit with your brand OHLINS please buy this kit from Andreani Group and install it on any Jaguar XKR to check all the problems that I have come across and to see if the kit works well or poorly!!!!!!

this kit cost me € xxxx (including xxxx euro already given, and the rest still to be paid) and has 1 year warranty.

I ask:
1 - Andreani Group give me back my xxxx euro in advance that I have already given
2 - I want to return the kit (used) to the Andreani Group without that I have to pay
3 - the cancellation of the sale of this kit

I beg you to intervene to help me to solve this bad situation and stop the distribution of this kit OHLINS that can be dangerous!

Best regards

 

Man, I hope you get your monies refunded and sorry to hear about your ordeal.

 

This was unexpected. I read the entire thread thinking it would end with a nice review of the springs. Instead it ends with a bang!

I am so sorry to hear about this deuce. I hope it all works out for you.

What are the available upgrade shocks for these cars? Bilsteins, and Sprice? My suspension is tired and this is something I want to work on sometime this upcoming year.

 

The standard non-adaptive bilstein shocks are reasonably priced but the adaptive ones cost a fortune.

Spires has a good coil over kit, with not quite as much adjustment as this ohlins could have offered but it is also pricey, though comparable to replacing 4 adaptive shocks and a set of springs.

 

Ouch!
I was holding such high hope for this upgrade.
We certainly need more options for our cars.

Ohlins should learn a lesson from this misshap and if they are the serious company we all think it is, it should make finding a design solution a matter of Corporate pride.

How about it OHLINS.

 

So, which of the available upgrades is the best bang for the buck? Which one is the best "money-no-object" solution?

 

Eibach lowering springs and 15% stiffer stock shocks imho, possibly on both counts ;-)

 

I truly thank all of you for your support here and in PM. I work hard at trying to get close to the excellence of our beloved cars, but around there is little professionalism and kindness.
I have refrained from commenting on the mail because each of you will make its evaluations.
Thank you all!

 

And here I was, wondering if that kit would be an improvement over the handling package that came with my XKR. I don't know if this is the same thing as the CATS suspension everyone is talking about but it was a $7000 option when new.

I still can't find a lot of information about the 2003 handling package (available only on coupes) but I'm hoping parts are easy enough to find versus experimenting the way the OP did with the Ohlin kit.

Good luck!

 

i wonder if that handling package can be fitted to a 2002 xkr coupe...

 

Really sorry to hear about your issues Luca......... If you are really keen to get this done, you need to dumb it down a bit and do away with CATs, it will make your life simpler. Besides CATs is rubbish anyway the amount of difference it makes is negligible versus the cost, I drive enough XKs with both options to say I barely notice it whilst driving.

I have my own ideas on how I am going to do my own fully adjustable suspension....... But as with all things I am a very busy man and to develop something like this takes a lot of time and money

 

I should qualify that - I know the handling package was an option in 2003 but not sure of other years - I think it went from 2003 through 2006.

I'm not sure of the exact parts, but it involved 20"wheels (either Paris or Detroit; mine has the Paris wheels - the rears are very wide), lower ride height by a few centimeters, stiffer springs and shocks, thicker sway bars and probably firmer bushings. I don't know if the "CATS" suspension similar but the handling package was something only available on XKR coupes. The dealer may be able to find a complete parts list.