Making an X Type more fun to drive....

[callahan]

I have had my X Type estate (3.0 manual sport) for over a year now, so it's time to look at spending a bit of money on it and see if I can make it a bit more engaging to drive, without ruining it.

It is a lovely car, but the new car itch is always there and since I had to get rid of my MX5 the X is my only outlet for a bit of hooning, sadly.

I was thinking about doing something with the suspension ( http://www.adamesh.co.uk/uprated--lowered-spring-k... ) but don't want to firm up the ride too much and lose the comfort side of things.

Other thing to do is release a bit more of the V6 with something like this: http://www.adamesh.co.uk/jaguar-x-type-performance... or possibly this one: http://www.eapj.com/indexservice_upgrade_x-type.ht... (top one). One of these might go hand in hand too: http://www.adamesh.co.uk/green-cotton-performance-...

And here's a link to someone else who has fitted the exhaust, just to get a feel for it: http://www.jaguarforum.co.uk/f26/adamesh-x-type-ex...

It is all just idle conjecture at the moment, but I'm trying to put off the inevitable 'car change / weeks of moaning about the cost' from the other half.....

Thanks for any thoughts.

[NormanD]

EAPJ did do a turbo up grade on the 3Lt


We had a 3Lt manual estate up to a year ago, pleased with it
Yours isn't Winter Gold is it

[Six Fiend]

A mild suspension upgrade would be to match the sport set up and wheel size. I find the se a bit wallowy but hey I have shagged bones so I need comfort A little more planting would be nice sometimes though as it can tie itself in knots on very twisty undulating stuff.

For the exhaust I have custom made back boxes, which were hilariously yet sadly intrusively loud. Then I had a resonator box added and now have a car I can play tunes on yet is still perfectly refined for cruising.

For more go...I've decided not to bother. It seems an awful lot of money for not a lot of gain. Having shelled out for transfer box and prop I'm playing it safe

[callahan]

Mine's a black one, turbo sounds fun, but I'm looking at upping the involvement, rather than the speed, which is decent enough as standard. For now at least.

What's the resonator box change?

Is it possible to just change the springs and not the shocks, or does it need to be the whole hog? A full set up would be great, but prohibitively expensive....

[Six Fiend]

The X-type doesn't have a resonator (middle) box, just two chuffing great big back boxes. So with my nice'n'loud back boxes I had massive cabin boom / drone.

I'm not up to speed on the suspension mods, was just a thought from my fragile little mind

[callahan]

Six Fiend said:

The X-type doesn't have a resonator (middle) box, just two chuffing great big back boxes. So with my nice'n'loud back boxes I had massive cabin boom / drone.

I'm not up to speed on the suspension mods, was just a thought from my fragile little mind

I think I understand - you had custom backboxes fitted but they were too loud, so you had a resonator box added to calm it down? What do you think of the volume of the Adamesh one (on the link)?

Think I'll talk to Jagutek in the morning to ask their advice, as it will be them that will be doing the fitting.

Any other ideas or suggestions are welcomed....

[Six Fiend]

callahan said:

Six Fiend said:

The X-type doesn't have a resonator (middle) box, just two chuffing great big back boxes. So with my nice'n'loud back boxes I had massive cabin boom / drone.

I'm not up to speed on the suspension mods, was just a thought from my fragile little mind

I think I understand - you had custom backboxes fitted but they were too loud, so you had a resonator box added to calm it down? What do you think of the volume of the Adamesh one (on the link)?

Think I'll talk to Jagutek in the morning to ask their advice, as it will be them that will be doing the fitting.

Any other ideas or suggestions are welcomed....

Yep you've got it

It's very difficult to tell from a sound link. Similar to mine before being calmed. If you find them too much at least you know there's a solution

Here's my thread on here, showing what was done,which links to a couple of poor but maybe useful videos: Linky

[Domf]

When I bought my first X type, I test drove my local Jag dealers Arden 3.0 which had the back box treatment, It was great for 5 minutes after that your head felt it was inside a cement mixer! The sound was tremendous but not livable on a daily basis. As mentioned before AWD X types have one major limiting factor in performance increase, that weak spot transfer box! The duratech engines will take more power, Noble was putting twin turbo's on the 3.0 and pushing out over 350bhp, but since the transfer box can destroy itself with only 193bhp on the 2.5, life expectancy distributing 300+bhp to all four wheels might be measured in minutes?

[callahan]

Thanks for the link Six Fiend, it makes me want a huge exhaust and lots of trips through tunnels, preferably in northern Italy.....on days like this.....

I'd forgotten that the Jag engine is similar to the one Noble used (although the Jag one is supposedly quite different to the Ford it was based on) but I'm happy with the speed of it for now, I just want it to handle better - I'm pining for my MX5! Or possibly my old Alfa 156 V6 - now that was a good sounding car, unfortunately the handling wasn't.

[callahan]

Along the same lines of my posts above, one major change that would improve the interactive nature of the car would be more direct steering. I know Jags are renowned for light steering, but it would be nice to have a slightly meatier feel - any ideas?

Thanks