Wheels and Tires

Stock on the sport model are 17" wheels. They look straight off a Hot Wheels car with their chunky 5 arm silver spokes.
Stock tires are 235-50 17.

Let's try 19" wheels, and maybe something in a black. Although a quick search for S-Type wheel images finds few in black.  And they do not really do the car justice. I will have a think, but aluminum or polished may be the better way to go.

I've never shopped at Discount Tire, but I trust they can help me put together a package times four corners for under $2000.  Well, that's my benchmark anyway.

Tools

Part of the reason for this flurry of activity as well as the blog, is my natural resistance to +$100/hr labor charges and the flat book hours allocated to each job.  I inquired at a local shop whether the hours allocated to two jobs on the same area or component would be merged given the duplication of parts of the job (lifting, wheel removal, etc).  Nope, I'm charged the book hours for each job regardless of how long it actually takes or which jobs are done at the same time.  Half of what I required done this time around would be spent on labor, and that's going to add up quickly.
Also, based on early quotes the cost of shop-ordered parts could easily surpass twice the average aftermarket source(s). Hey, I get that they need to make a living too, but having recently been relived of my tenuous existence at a local sweat shop, I actually had the time on my hands and no current source of income.  With skills derived from decades wrenching in the motorcycle world, I felt that it might also be time to earn some auto trade secrets in repair and maintenance the hard way....

And I would get to buy new TOOLS!

Floor jack, Jack stands and Wheel chocks:

Spring compressor:

And a few additional fluids and gaskets and plugs for some engine work:

Time to check them out, bleed the floor jack, and get some practice in.

After 13 Years

So, 13 years and 56K miles have been pretty good to this Jag. But time and miles eventually do their thing and the suspension was due for rehab.

Tie rods
Control bars
Shocks
Brake flush
Power steering flush
Tires


Hey, my birthday is coming up.  What about new wheels too???  Let's look into some 19 inchers!