I bought an '01 VDP S/C about a year and a half ago because it is the perfect blend of power and room for the XJ. I love the car but the handling is too soft for this much engine. I found out that the rear anti-sway bar used on the XJR is deleted on the VDP. This may improve the ride on the highway but on the backroads the car pitches and understeers horribly when pushed. The engine writes checks that the suspension can't cash!

I thought it would be easy to retrofit an anti-roll bar from an XJR and that it would be a bolt-on installation. I finally found a rear bar on Ebay for $45. I then bought new Prothane brackets and bushings and new end-links for another $60 and I thought for I was all set to bolt everything in place.

NOT!
The attachment holes for the links on the control arms are there but the Wishbone tie cross bar has no attachment plates for the anti-sway bar brackets to bolt up to. I now know Jaguar used a different brakcet on cars with the bar. Rats.

So I made a template for a bracket to bolt onto the suspension and had a good friend ( thanks Rich) fabricate a bracket plate that bolts to the backside of the wishbone tie. The bracket is 3/8" steel which provides the correct offset to allow the brackets to bolt-in right where the brackets would be on the XJR. The bracket is drilled around the control arm bolts for clearance. The place and milled down at the differential studs to allow the nuts to fully seat on the studs. The bar now fits perfectly.

The handlng improvement is very noticable and the car now feels like the rear of the car is working with the front. Huge improvment. I haven't noticed any decrease in ride quality but haven't been on the highway yet. I much prefer a buttoned down ride and I am really happy I added the bar. My next mod will be to wire a switch to hold the CATS shocks in the firm setting

 

Great Job - a long wheelbase XJR in the making....

It already has one, the S button!

 

Good work !

While we're on the subject does anyone know of a vendor selling a larger-than-OEM rear anti roll bar for our cars?

Cheers
DD

 

Looks great!

I did a similar (though Rube Goldberg in comparison) job with angle iron and an XJR sway bar and am very happy with the results. Jaguar subtle increase in handling without loss of ride smoothness.

I would be willing to pay your friend for his time and materials if he would make a bracket for me. Send me an PM if so.

Dan

 

Well, I was out in my VDP today, impressing my wife with how much flatter it corners compared to my Buick Roadmaster Wagon. "Because the VDP has a rear anti-roll bar." Oops!

 

Good job, I think they're also called sway bars .
Happy safe driving

 

I thought doing the same to my XJ8 also, some months ago, I started a thread on the British forum, some of the guys were not very happy about that ideea... Jaguar Forum.co.uk • View topic - XJ8 rear suspension upgrade

What is the part on the XJR rear that is missing on VDP? Is it possible to have a picture from someone with factory-fitted sway-bar?

 

There might even be a market for those plates since it makes the whole upgrade a bolt in.

 

Some entrepreneurial soul could probably make up and sell a dozen of them or so, if the price were reasonable. Looks like a straightforward cutting, drilling and milling job. It would be a "service to humanity" !

 

Here is a picture of the factory fitted bar ( I think this is a 308 series rear-end) for the XJR and Sport models. After looking at the work involved to weld similar brackets to my wishbone, the plate seemed much easier to make. I don't now if my friend would be able to make more of these but I can provide the measurements from mine for anyone interested in this project.

I have never seen an anti-roll bar so short and attached so far inward of the lower control arms. On other cars that I have seen that outer links are much closer to the outer hub? Does anyone know why Jag kept the mounting points so far in-board?

Ed

 

Thank you for the picture! Seems that the brackets are bolt-on not welded; need to find a car breaker to order them also with the lot of the other parts.

The arm of the sway bar could be shorter than usual because the deformation is less than on a longer arm.

 

I just bought the anti-roll bar and the other bits, but if possible I am interested in the dimensions of the plate fitted on your car; I need the distances between the holes, if you have a blueprint or something like that.

Many thanks!

 

I did it finally! A week ago I fitted the rear bar,links,bushes,all the stuff; first impression, the car is more solid on bumpy roads, and also on curves. I have to go in the mountains to check it on difficult roads.

 

What is the part number for the Prothane Parts you used? I have an 01 XJR and I want to put Prothane Bushings on the front and back. I believe the front are 33mm but I don't know what size the back are are well as end links etc.

 

Sorry to dredge up an old thread.
Does anyone have a diagram for hole centres and diameters so I can make a plate out of 3/8?

I can easily work out how the plate to diff fixing holes are located (and sizes) but I need to know where to put the holes for the roll bar mountings too. I have no reference for that, so any help is much appreciated.


Thanks

(PS I am on the UK forum under the same name)

 

I recently purchased a 01 VDP S/C 105k. I want to do the same suspension upgraded. Can you post the EXACT measurements for the Template (Type of Metal, Thickness, Bolt pattern etc.)?

 

There's a company that sells them already on eBay

 

I looked at the one from Ultra Racing and they stated that the Rear Strut/Anti Roll Bar doesn't fit the VDP SC. My thoughts are the underpinnings from the XJ8 L and the VDP SC are the same hence CATS. Am I correct?

 

I am currently having the rear anti sway bar taking from Thundercat's XJR and having a metal plate fabricated (to house the rear sway bar) for my 01 VPD SC. I'll have an update coming soon!

 

The differential carrier on the XJ-8 and the VDP (both engines) does not have the castings for the anti sway bar brackets to fit against. The CATS system is entirely separate involving the shocks only