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I am considering stuffing a tow bat on my XJ if the capacity is right. To be precise, I need to be able to tow an XJ-S on a trailer.
What is the legal towing capacity for an XJ8? I have heard something like 2.5t but am not totally sure... The chassis is supposed to be able to take that.
Would be a better style pulling up to a car show with the XJ8 pulling an XJ-S V12 on a trailer
I've used the Jaguar Original Equipment Detachable towbar on my previous XJ's and they can pull a fair old chunk. I'd be unsure about pulling an XJS with one though unless you can get hold of a lightweight aluminium trailer. The trailer I used was a big heavy steel thing, but I pulled Triumph Herald on it and a MK2 Ford Capri for my friend. I've still got the tow bar and the electrics module all wrapped up and stored, but I'm not fitting it to my current XJ. There was a lot of torque available for making towing easy, but both previous XJ's were 4.0 and I don't know how the 3.2 would compare.
Well, technically not towing a fully equipped XJ-S but one without the engine, so instead of 1700 kg it would be about 1200 kg... Still a lot though.
Cheers for the page Stu!
Do you remember how the wiring was? Was it a plug and play job? Especially with the bulb failure settings. In my old Volvos with a tow bar, you needed a different bulb check relay...
You could get away with using a simple 5 towing relay as I used on my first XJ or I could provide you with photographs of the comprehensive Jaguar unit which is made up of many relays and wires. I'd be inclined to go for the simple relay in your case. You will have to drill a hole for the towing wiring to go through the boot floor and I've only got wiring info for a UK 7 pin plug, not the EU 13 pin plug. Information on the X308 towing packages is scarce, it's very difficult to find useful info. Even the factory wiring diagram doesn't cover the module. I've got quite a lot of info stored if you need it, photos, installation instructions etc.
Be aware though your chassis needs to be in tip top condition to tow big weights, so check carefully. Braked maximum weight is 1900kg so it'd pull 1200kg no issues.
Pins don't really matter, as there are adapters from 7 to 13 and 13 to 7... I've got both here. I'd like to go as original as possible.
Chassiswise mine is a tad rusty around the front (where it kinks downwards from the front) but nothing to worry about... After looking online, it seems as if I can actually uprate from 1.9t to 3t - the X308, X300 and XJ40 are supposed to be happy with that, no matter what engine (over 3.0l). I'd be happy with 2.5t...
From what I did with mine, I used the Curt wiring adapter. I mistakenly hooked it all up to the bulb wiring which I believe led to the current demise of my SLCM's brake light chip. Running off the trailer connector in the trunk instead should be better to do that, but I guess it depends on how long term you want to keep it there. I just ran the wiring plug out the trunk for when I hooked up the trailer - the seal gave it a cushion so that nothing got pinched. When not towing, I just dropped it under into the spare tire well out of the way. Saved me having to drill holes for wiring, only the tow-bar. Granted, I haven't towed more than about 600 lbs with it (pretty small boat) but it pulled just fine.
Maximum towing capacity with original tow bar?
