X300 XJR front upper suspension arms/bushes

[ChrisDixon]

Advisory on last MoT (although when new they can be made to move a fair bit). What are folks fitting these days, the standard Jag bushes? I remember a few years back someone came up with a poly alterntive to the bushes which I tried but there was too much give in them, more than the standard ones.

[J44EAG]

Chris,

I only use Powerflex when I do bush bashing. Slight 15% uprate are the Purple Series. Good for road use. Black Series are 25% in places where you really want to stiffen things. Fully warranty for as long as you own the car. Technical advice freely given by Powerflex. See my suspension posts on S-type and X350 Suspension Sections on this site and several of my mag articles. Highly recommended. Install and forget. Done loads of suspensions with these parts. Never any issues.

Mike K

[ChrisDixon]

Hi Mike having done this job a couple of times I reckon the poly has to be pretty hard to move less than the OE bush which has outer and inner metal. Be good to hear from any XJR6 owners who have tried Powerflex.

[J44EAG]

Bush compress-ability is measured in units of Shore.

By and large, a standard Jaguar bush is 75 Shore.

Powerflex slightly uprated Purple Series are 85 Shore. That is a good compromise if you are considering a slight uprate.

Powerflex Black Series are 95 Shore and designed for full on hard competition use. They are not far off almost going to solid Rose joints. Andy Stodart has those fitted to his 300R. Must be quite a tough ride!

Its horses for courses. As an experiment, I completely bushed my old 4 litre V8 S-type with Powerflex Black. That was a real no nonsense suspension. Hard as nails but very, very solid and pointy directionaly. Great on the motorway but around town you felt every bump! The compromise was to Black the lower wishbones but Purple the top wishbones. That was very pleasant indeed. I use a similar set up now on my X350R. Just right now. Its all about experimentation until you get the feel of the car as you want it. Some like it soft whilst those tending towards a faster drive, would tend to forgo a bit of comfort in the quest for tighter handling. At the end of the day, its all down to personal preference.

Mike K

[ChrisDixon]

Cheers Mike a useful explanation. It seems from their website that Powerflex only do a black upper bush but I'll ask them to confirm.

[J44EAG]

Powerflex are good approachable guys, Chris.

Paul in Sales and James in the Workshop....or perhaps it was the other way around!

The best prices only from their agents who are Uprated bush shop on the net. Ade is the fellow to order from. Otherwise known as PSI Tuning in Sheffield. Allow about five days for delivery as each bush is specially made to order once payment has been received. Remember the bushes are warranted for as long as you own the car. Try getting that deal from an OE parts supplier. A year if you are lucky!

Mike

Mike