I would like to lower the rear suspension of my 2002 Jaguar XK8 OTS (convertible). I have seen lowering springs by several mfgs. with conflicting information. Some say excluding converts. some say include convert. Looking to lower it about 1.5 inches to take up the space between top of tire and wheel well. Front looks low enough. Its only for cosmetics. I also need suggestions on spring supplier and will the rear need realigning.
Don't want this to turn into a nightmare but would like to do it myself and need some advise from someone with a success story. Thanks for advise in advance.

 

Instead of lowering the rear, I raised the front to match the rear which leveled the rocker panel hieght. This had the added benefit of changing the negative 1.5 degree front camber to negative 0.25 degrees. My 2001 XKR sits level now, the front tires don't rub the inner fenders, the chassis doesn't scrape the ground pulling in and out of the driveway, and the formerly excessive negative camber doesn't chew the insides of the front tires down the the steel cords. My floor jack fits under the front of the car since I raised it slightly.

 

I decided to post this because I found it really hard to find any one place that contained all the information about installing lower (sport) suspension springs on an XK8 and then dealing with the resulting rear camber adjustment issues.

I have encountered numerous sources (including some Jaguar dealers) stating that the XK8’s rear suspension cannot be adjusted for camber or at least cannot be adjusted enough to compensate when lowered springs are installed. I am here to tell you that the required camber adjustment is possible (I am not saying that there isn’t some effort and cost involved).

I installed a set of H&R Sport Springs on my 1998 XK8 (non-CATS) purchased from Tire Rack (http://www.tirerack.com) that lowered the car approximately 1.5-inches front and rear. The H&R Sport Springs cost substantially less than any other option (Mina, Arden, etc.) I could find.

The resulting rear camber measurement was left -2.5 degrees, right -2.8 degrees (the correct setting should be -0.5 for both sides). When viewed from behind, the top of the rear wheels tilted inward noticeably looking like the car was heavily loaded. The rear camber adjustment on the XK8 is accomplished by inserting shims between the differential and the axel half-shafts to add positive camber (moving the top of the wheel outward).

According to an article I found: "0.5mm of shim per 0.2 (positive) degrees" (http://www.justanswer.com/jaguar/6yqh3-jaguar-xxk8-xk8-1997-need-wheel-alignment.html) which meant that I would need 5.0 mm of shim on the left and 5.5 mm of shim on the right.

To be on the safe side, I ordered two 3.5 mm shims and 12 0.46 mm shims (these things are only available in 7.5 mm, 3.5 mm, and 0.46 mm thicknesses). The 3.5 mm shim was $39, while the 0.46 mm shims were $1.00 each (that’s why I didn’t mind getting a few extra). Please note: I could not find anywhere that said the 0.46 mm shims would even work on an XK8. Because both the 3.5 mm and the 0.46 mm were listing as working on a late XJS, I thought I would give it a shot.

Well, after some trial and error (installing both 3.5 mm shims and adding / removing the 0.46 mm shims as needed) the rear camber measurement is -0.6 degrees left and -0.3 degrees right. When viewed from the rear, the car looks as it should with the wheels / tires filling out the wheel wells nicely.

Below are the parts numbers and vendors for the shims. Jagbits had the best pictures and descriptions, Jaguar Parts Cheap had better prices (you have to search using the part numbers).

http://jaguar-parts.jagbits.com/rear-camber-shim

http://www.jaguarpartscheap.com/

Part #: C16621 .46 MM Shim
Part #: CBC480635 3.5 MM Shim
Part #: CBC480675 7.5 MM Shim

I hope all of this is of help to anyone contemplating the installation of lower springs on their XK8. Good luck!

 

Hubbster, thanks for your post on lowering your xk8. I've got an XJ and now I'm researching (and searching for) early XK8's. Do you have pix of your car after lowering it?

Thanks,
JC in VA

 

JC, here is a picture of my car after the lowering. Good luck with your early-XK hunting.

 

It seems that aftermarket spring kits for lowering the rear suspension of an XKR is only offered with stiffer springs.
Does anyone know if there is an option to lower the rear suspension of 2001 XKR without increasing the spring rate?
Thank you,
Mike

 

. Thanks Hubbster. Your coupe looks great. Just the right stance.