Let's Talk Wheel Gap
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Let's Talk Wheel Gap
Lots of threads on lowering, wheel spacers, springs, etc. I would like to hear the consensus of XK owners that are happy with the "LOOK" of the standard ride height...Ride, camber, rubbing, scraping facia, etc to be excluded in topic. Base your thoughts on looks only! My thoughts are the stock height is to high and degrade the look of the sleek elegant body style...Your thoughts please.
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OEM ride height on my 09 XKR Portfolio is just right in my eyes and I usually lower my cars with Eiback Pro-Kit springs as I consider their Sport Lines too low. I like about 2 finger with clearance between fender lip to tire.
Stock springs
Stock springs
Last edited by 09XFSuper; 02-10-2019 at 07:44 AM.
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Queen and Country (02-10-2019)
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Queen and Country (02-10-2019)
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XKR-S springs in mine which are supposedly 10mm lower at the front and 15mm lower at the rear. Looks just about right to me.
Attachment 217628
Attachment 217628
Last edited by Stuart S; 02-09-2019 at 09:18 PM.
#13
This car is not designed like a BMW M3.
Its a throwback to the etype, and they have mimicked the massive 'in-set' the front wheels had on the Etype.
No way will you ever fix that and keep the steering geometry.
BTW the Etype had no gap.
Slammed but front fender is a mile away
Its a throwback to the etype, and they have mimicked the massive 'in-set' the front wheels had on the Etype.
No way will you ever fix that and keep the steering geometry.
BTW the Etype had no gap.
Slammed but front fender is a mile away
Last edited by Queen and Country; 02-10-2019 at 12:23 AM.
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guy (02-10-2019)
#15
Thanks to the bodykit on mine it already sits lower, in the case of my 2014 a garage that services a friends 2010 XKR can't get mine up on their lifts because it is too low, approx 20mm lower
Will try to take a better picture, imo it's too low as keep catching the lip spoiler on curbs etc
Will try to take a better picture, imo it's too low as keep catching the lip spoiler on curbs etc
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guy (02-10-2019)
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Thanks to the bodykit on mine it already sits lower, in the case of my 2014 a garage that services a friends 2010 XKR can't get mine up on their lifts because it is too low, approx 20mm lower
Will try to take a better picture, imo it's too low as keep catching the lip spoiler on curbs et
Will try to take a better picture, imo it's too low as keep catching the lip spoiler on curbs et
#20
I really appreciate the aesthetics of the nearly perfect concentric circles formed by the rim, tire, tire gap and wheel well rim. Lowering skews the gap and cancels the entire aesthetic effect. Besides, if I lowered it, I would risk a daily threat from the ridge in my driveway!
Of course, many will have different opinions of the aesthetics of the XK--especially the XKR-S owners--but then, their preferences lean more to the aggressive sport look than simple classic lines--otherwise they would have bought an XK (and if I leaned that way, I would own an XKR-S). In fact, I normally have difficulty picking out the lines of the XK when looking at an XKR-S.
Beyond the need to tinker, the more I read these type of threads, (lowering, larger rims, HP increases, body mods, etc.) the more I sense a certain desire to have the car seem more aggressive--to move it across the scale from XK to XKR or from XKR to XKR-S. You'll notice I said "across the scale" versus "up the scale" because, to me, the latter would imply a sense of increasing desirability that I, personally, do not feel. There is certainly nothing wrong with striving for something more/different/better/shinier than what you currently have, but at least for me and cars, I've always taken the route of finding something I truly enjoy looking at and driving the way it was designed versus trying to change it into something it wasn't.
I've owned my Toyota Supra Turbo for 30 years because it was exactly the car I wanted back in 1989. Up until a couple of years ago it was completely stock. Only when parts became virtually impossible to obtain did I do a few mods. For example, no one, and I mean no one, makes electronically adjustable shocks that work with the Toyota Electronic Modulated Suspension (TEMS), so I was forced to find an alternate solution--which turned out to be manually adjustable coil-overs. Did they lower the car? Yes. Did lowering look better? Maybe. Would I have considered lowering if I could have found TEMS-compatible shocks? Not for a second.
So, to bring this back to XKs,
If you love to tinker, then tinker.
If you would love for your XK to be/look/perform like something else, change it.
If you love your XK the way it was designed, relax and enjoy it.
Of course, many will have different opinions of the aesthetics of the XK--especially the XKR-S owners--but then, their preferences lean more to the aggressive sport look than simple classic lines--otherwise they would have bought an XK (and if I leaned that way, I would own an XKR-S). In fact, I normally have difficulty picking out the lines of the XK when looking at an XKR-S.
Beyond the need to tinker, the more I read these type of threads, (lowering, larger rims, HP increases, body mods, etc.) the more I sense a certain desire to have the car seem more aggressive--to move it across the scale from XK to XKR or from XKR to XKR-S. You'll notice I said "across the scale" versus "up the scale" because, to me, the latter would imply a sense of increasing desirability that I, personally, do not feel. There is certainly nothing wrong with striving for something more/different/better/shinier than what you currently have, but at least for me and cars, I've always taken the route of finding something I truly enjoy looking at and driving the way it was designed versus trying to change it into something it wasn't.
I've owned my Toyota Supra Turbo for 30 years because it was exactly the car I wanted back in 1989. Up until a couple of years ago it was completely stock. Only when parts became virtually impossible to obtain did I do a few mods. For example, no one, and I mean no one, makes electronically adjustable shocks that work with the Toyota Electronic Modulated Suspension (TEMS), so I was forced to find an alternate solution--which turned out to be manually adjustable coil-overs. Did they lower the car? Yes. Did lowering look better? Maybe. Would I have considered lowering if I could have found TEMS-compatible shocks? Not for a second.
So, to bring this back to XKs,
If you love to tinker, then tinker.
If you would love for your XK to be/look/perform like something else, change it.
If you love your XK the way it was designed, relax and enjoy it.
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pwpacp (02-10-2019)