I've had a generous offer of lowering springs (30mm) for my XK8 and was wondering if this in the realm of DIY. I'm not so much worried about being able to do the job as I am about all the other issues I could run into or create. Is this one of those jobs where one thing leads to another(like every bushing in the suspension)? Any thoughts or opinions will be appreciated.

 

The only thing I'd say is that my XK's low at the front - about 25 mm (I don't know if special or just tired springs) and it's a bloody nuisance on speed bumps, getting on and off low kerbs etc. etc. to the extent I'm considering putting in raising springs!

 

DaveC; Opening the question of your thoughts and opinions will surely invite a number of different responses, so here are my two cents: Lowering 30mm is approx. 1 1/4 inches which doesn't seem like a lot; however, as steveinfrance states, these vehicles are rather low already and to go lower one must be prepared to be more defensive with speed bumps & curbs. Additionally, lowering springs will also change the geometry of the suspension (slightly), which can have an effect on alignment to the point that you may find a need for shim changes in the rear. Also, be sure tire clearance is not an issue (right/left, up/down).
There have been some posts of owners lowering their vehicles and associated comments.

 

My car is lowered using similar springs. The end result is that it is as low as my Audi S5 is stock. No issues with speed bumps yet but I do have to watch steep entry driveways and the nose will hit a curb (I've moved the oil cooler up to keep it from hitting). Camber adjustments require the adjustment screw and slotting for the front and shims in the back (used Paragon in Europe for them, just send him the camber numbers and the shims dial the car back in nicely). The adjustments took an hour at the shop and you do have to have an initial alignment to find out how much off the rears are to order the right shims. Be aware the car is a lot stiffer at the end but also feels much tighter on corners. It looks much lower.

Below are before and after pictures.

 

Realized the second shot is a bit dark under the car. Let's try the other side.

 

I lowered mine only in the back just to get the car to sit level. I'm very happy with the look and have a set of front lowering springs if any one needs them.

 

Dave:

I installed a full set of Mina springs in 2007 or 80,000 miles ago. (You can take a look at my car this Saturday in Napa). Eventually I changed out a few bushings - not spring related. I would say in general if you need to refresh the bushings you will need to do it regardless of the springs.

 

Marc,
You and Rob are running pretty much my dream setups. Look forward to talking to you on Saturday.

 

Hey, do you have any pictures of the rear seat delete? I'd like to see what you've done as I wouldn't mind getting rid of the rear seat myself...

 

I actually have a couple shots of the back seat delete (I'm thinking of doing this as well).

 

Any chance you could post one or two with a little more of the car in the picture? That looks interesting, but a bit too close up... I wanted to see how it changes the overall esthetic...

 

Those are all the pictures I took, any others will need to come from Dave. By the way, if it wasn't clear, the car was ordered without the rear seat.

 

Took some more pictures today of Marc's car (we were on a drive).

 

Nice!

 

Thanks for the photos!

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do... I think I want some secure storage for camera gear/equipment and some open storage for just throwing stuff there. Possibly a relocation of the CD player so I can change magazines easier, not sure... I don't think I'll be adding a huge stereo though, and I want it to look sorta OEM and very understated / utilitarianistic...

Thanks for sharing though!

 

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!