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Suspension

18K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  Will_127 
#1 ·
I have a 2016 F Pace AWD 2 litre diesel with Pirelli P Zero tyres . After 5 years owning an XF, I find the ride too hard and sometime uncomfortable.
Is there any way of softening the ride?
ChrisL
 
#2 ·
I have same age car with adaptive dynamics and the ride is bouncy. I too had an XF previously and the answer is probably partly a change from a saloon to a suv and partly the 19in wheels. The high tyre wall has too much give, essentially exaggerating the road bumps into the car making it bounce and feel too hard. In reality the handling is good but around town it churns your stomach a bit. It is a tad better if you drop pressures by a few psi but beware of uneven tyre wear.
 
#3 ·
Bigger wheels and less sidewall height will reduce the SUV bounce a lot but have the effect of making the ride firmer and less forgiving over a rough surface.
 
#5 ·
I have the 19" the Pirelli p zero are a hard tyre, you can get others with softer sidewalks but they tend to wear quicker too , the Pirelli's are good for wear.

I tried both with adaptive and without and found with adaptive was a bit to bouncy a drive for me so stuck with the non ADS.

The 19s are a firmish drive but I have gotten used to them pretty quickly tbh, the 20 was even harsher . Bigger the wheels, the less the sidewall, the firmer the drive.
 
#6 ·
Have you tried Winter tyres? They are made from a softer compound than "Summer" tyres. The following are all approved for the F-Pace, according to the latest Handbook:-

255/55 R19 111V Continental. Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV. Alpine.
255/55 R19 111V Pirelli. Scorpion Winter. Alpine.
255/55 R19 111V Michelin. Latitude Alpin 2. Alpine.

Jock
 
#7 ·
Just a thought, but before you switch tyres, you can always adjust the ride a little with a play of the tyre pressures it might just be that theyve inflated beyond standard
 
#8 ·
Interesting timing. My passengers have been complaining about the ride quality of my FPace and say that they feel they are being thrown all over the place. I had two XF's previously and the ride I thought was great. I did expect a difference being SUV style and I have 20" Continentals currently with Adapative Dynamics. To be honest my local roads are bad and no car will deliver the perfect ride in my area however it came to a point that I felt it that poor in the F- Pace, that selling it was going to be the only solution. A loan XJ recently showed me how smooth a car can be but that's a different machine.

Anyway the suggested tyre pressure for my car is 2.3bar, I noticed in the heat it go as high as 2.6 or 7 bar at times, so I reduced this pressure down and have been surprised on how much better quality the drive is now, so I definitely suggest playing around with this and see if it makes a positive difference. It has for me and my passengers and there are no thoughts on selling now.
 
#10 ·
Funny how different people's views are. Who knows if it's a difference in the car, or just perceptions, but every time I drive my car, I marvel at how well Jag have found the balance between a good handling suspension and a comfy ride. I have always preferred a suspension on the firm side, but I have never found it harsh or 'crashy' , and I have the 22" wheels in summer. I have 20" winter wheels and that does soften the ride a touch, but not hugely. I would go as far as to say that the suspension is one of my favourite parts of my F-Pace. My brother has an SQ5, and he marvels at how much better the F-Pace is for ride and handling. Ah well, funny old world.
 
#11 ·
RaVolVoR said:
Just watch the tyre wear... Too low and you can start wearing both edges faster than the middle.
Thanks - I am aware that wear can be an issue but its only a marginal decrease however does seem to make a difference. At mid morning the pressures creep up in the heat to above recommended still so not too concerned.
 
#12 ·
Agree with the above but in my car one junction in particular turning left, the passengers are thrown violently left thdn right in the seats due to slight uneven tarmac. In my wife's EOS sport with hard lowered suspension you don't even notice this uneven surface! If you said a magic carpet ride would allow a full glass of water to stay full over all surfaces, I'd expect that glass in my car to be completely tipped over and empty at this junction.

I get that an SUV is never likely to be like an XF saloon but I also don't see why a £50k car is so terrible on tarmac.

I also agree that on motorways and fast country roads the car is a different animal. The adaptive dynamics though are valueless, in my car they do nothing useful for the ride. Neither improving handling or making ride stiffer. Steering feels tightened throttle seems more responsive but that's it.

It's the one item I wouldn't bother ordering again.
 
#13 ·
Re suspension, interesting to note that KW have confirmed compatibility of their spring lowering kit for all fpace variants - not just the adaptive damper type.
These progressive type springs could help with noise and ride as theyre not normally set up to be firm for the initial load, but become firmer is travel increases.
Would be definitely interesting to try out.
 
#14 ·
Just so you know I was probably the first in the UK (or close to first) to install the KW springs, literally a few weeks after they were announced.
The springs lower the car (and you can specify - I went with 20mm from memory) . Immediate impressions were and are a softer feel and more complaint spring and perhaps a touch more understeer. It also stopped the crabbing noise you get as it drops things a little.

Going over uneven surfaces you will still get the lurch left and right but I've found I now put into dynamic mode to tighten things up.

I never found the ride firm or crashy but did have big issues with the way it violently wobbled left and right. I came from an XF as well.
I've partly got used to it and partly mitigated it with the new springs.
I run 22 inch rims with adaptive.
 
#15 ·
I've now done about 800 miles in mine now. Initially I was slightly dubious about the adaptive dynamics and the impact (or otherwise) on the ride quality. But once I got the hang of where to use the various settings I now find it hugely useful. Especially when driving in and out of Edinburgh. I find the ride supple enough when it needs to be. When in dynamic mode it is a little stiffer but the body roles significantly less, I don't however find it uncomfortable. It is definitely something I have had to learn to how to use though. So overall I'm happy with the ride quality, happy with AD and think it significantly adds to drive-ability of the car. I haven't encountered the 'bounce' others have reported. My only bone of contention to note is the road noise from the tyres.
 
#16 ·
Thats interesting MB, I subsequently found your post from April 2017, so youve experienced the springs on for a good length of time.
A quick couple of questions if you dont mind commenting.
Have the springs settled beyond the 20mm? And have the spring characterics changed from initial fitment? And lastly, how have you found tyre wear? Is it even wear across the tyre Or had there been marked wear on the inside or outside for that matter?
I have Eibach progressive springs on another car, so I can guess the effect these would have, but worried that Fpace doesnt have camber adjustment and would lead to increased inner tyre tread wear.
Im possibly looking for a solution to aid entry to the fpace and dont want a running board or steps, but also think that progressive springs would help with lower CG and also soften the initial spring rate, as the non adaptive setup does seem to ride like its on tip toes... not a bad thing, but I think a little more progressive body roll would improve handling - maybe
 
#17 ·
Hi Blu,

Well they said it may settle initially but the settings are 15-30mm from memory so it was set at that and looks the same now.
After initial period I wouldn't say I've noticed any changes. It has reduced the Ackerman effect (crabbing noise in cold on lock) but not 100% and tyre wear looks even. I've got maybe 10K on my Pirelli's so can photo and check. (I've got some intermediate Pirelli's also I'm storage awaiting winter).

CG is lower so I think marginally helps the ride feel but I do feel there is a touch more understeer. Geometry etc is all unchanged and it sits on Adaptive Dynamics. If your near SW London be happy to show quickly so could compare. Would be interesting as I've almost forgotten what it was like and how much difference there is. From recollections I do remember a significant change.

I've also got a remap box .
 
#18 ·
Unfortunately Im north of the border and mine is non adaptive plain damper 25t spec, but I would be interested to see if your tyre wear is even accross the tread - I guess 20mm is a modest drop so shouldnt really be any ill effects from minimal camber angle change.

Btw. Did you get a wheel alignment done post changes (for camber/toe settings), do you have the spec sheet printout you could share/post?
 
#19 ·
Yes didn't do anything. Tyres look even. Right front outside is maybe marginally lower but not overly obvious, front left looks perfectly even

Wonder if anyone else was brave enough to change and has any comments ?
 
#20 ·
I have a BRG 2017 F pace with 19inch wheels. Been no problem. The ride was always bouncy over bad roads but was no big thing.. After around 18 months I felt the ride was getting even harder and bouncier but I couldn't exactly pin down what had changed - if anything. Going over bad potholes really clonked the vehicle. I thought the 'shocks' must have been shot to hell. Anyway I got its first service completed (£439). A lot of this goes on the cost of oil and filters. But I digress - and there was no mention of suspension faults. I mentioned this to the mechanic/technician at Barretts Jaguar Canterbury and he said no fault was found. And anyway even if one had been found it would have been covered by the 3 year warranty. So I'm sort of a happy bunny. Sort of! By the by, the servicing cost does cover for two years - so aint no bad thing brother!! Be interested in any comments with similar experiences though.
 
#21 ·
Hi RDB1,
We have almost identical models, except I have 20" wheels and Sport tyres. The ride is good with or without passengers. Cannot fault it. I did have a bit of a small body bounce/roll when I bought it that was not comfortable. There was an upgrade adjustment that happened and this stopped it from happening. Maybe you never had this work carried out ?
 
#22 ·
Hi DPE

I actually do have the standard 20" wheels on my S running Continental tyres, I am not aware of any upgrades so I would be interested to here of what you have done or if there is any advice bulletins. There is nothing on Topix for my car currently.

Intrigued and thanks for posting.
 
#23 ·
I took delivery in May 2017, so 2 years old in May 2019. The upgrade or adjustment happened about a year ago. I will see if it was on the service paperwork,
 
#24 ·
Hi guys,
Was wondering if anyone has had any success fixing the low speed uneven surface throwing passengers around problem? Any documentation on the fault that was fixed? There are some off-straight speed bumps around where I live in SW London that result in comical backwards and forwards roll. I tried a friend's Macan - no problems whatsoever. Seriously considering selling the car as newborn baby is getting thrown all over the place!
Thanks
 
#25 ·
Hi Will,
We have many serious speed bumps all around us and have never experienced the Suspension problems you mention in 30K miles of motoring. We also regularly transport my grand children in their child seats without any issues. Suggest you have an issue with your suspension?
 
#26 ·
We have exactly the same problem as Will_127. Speed bumps are a complete nightmare. I assumed it was just the way the F-Pace was but I think I will raise it when next I am at the dealer.
 
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