The XK8/R hasn't been homologated for towing, so there are no specs, that alone makes it already illegal here in the EU. Am not religious in any way on what one should or not, as I could have used a (removable) towing bar myself for carrying my bikes, now I use this:

 

I've seen that that the new XFs won some kind of recognition as a tow vehicle in England, (I subscribe to Jaguar World and Octane). It seems that many drivers there use a surprising number of different cars to tow, compared to in the USA. Sometimes towing info is not disseminated by the American Importers. Besides the tongue weight, I think that the biggest problem would be the short wheelbase of the XKR. I think pulling a small trailer with a motorcycle or small teardrop camper might work out. Trying to back down a boat ramp seems like a recipe for disaster. Good luck and post some pictures.

 

Thank you all for the advice! I think the nays have it, though I still think it MIGHT be ok. I learned a long time ago not to bet on the mights.
Thanks again!

 

I am sure it will tow it but I can't think of why you want to. The transmission should be fine. They are used in Dodge and Benz vehicles including cars with 700+ lbft torque and SUVs. I would be worried about 2 things though - first stress on the unibody and rear suspension. Unibody cars just are not ideal for towing. That is why trucks with a full frame are tops in that field and this is doubly so for a car not built for towing to start with.

Second would be overheating. XKRs run hot without towing anything (at least here in Alabama they do) and the added stress from towing will make it run even hotter.

 

OP -
If you change your mind about towing, let me know - I still have that hitch.

 

Good to hear others are using these vehicles as, well, vehicles. A year or two ago I tried to source a tow hitch for our x350. You cannot buy them here in the states, and sourcing and shipping the hitch and wiring kit (that has to be spliced in, not a plug and play) was going to cost over $1000. I even tried to get a couple of local shops to do some custom work, but once they heard the car was an aluminum unibody, they more or less nixed it. I finally bought roof cross bars and a cargo basket for about half the price of a hitch and have used it ever since.

It is interesting that towing with an aluminum bodied x350 is legal in Europe, but not here in the states (the x350 is not rated to tow here, which is why you can't buy the hitch here). But yet the steel bodied x100 is legal to tow here in the states (and as such you can source a hitch very easily), but not in Europe.

A couple of days ago I ordered a tow hitch (Curt 11750) for my XK from Home Depot for $157+ tax, shipped. I plan on installing a cargo carrier on the back and use it regularly. I wouldn't be opposed to pulling a trailer with it, but don't have plans in the near future for it.

 

My understanding was that the XK100 was not rated for towing, or it certainly isn't in the UK.

Having seen the quite serious piece of metal frame that they bolted to the rear frame of my Audi to fit a towbar, I sincerely doubt that the XK has the ability to do this safely.

Additionally over here they recommend that any car used for towing for more than 20% of its life has the tranny fluid/filter changed in half the time that it would normally require.

 

Be interesting to see the design and fitting instructions of the US tow hitch for the XK8.

One reason for towing being homologated in the US but not in Europe could be the difference in rear bumper assemblies. US specification models have a metal bumper beam and metal brackets but European spec models have plastic beam and plastic brackets.

Graham

 

Geez, plastic bumper beams?? I didn't know any vehicles were made that way. I'm guessing they absorb some of the impact? I wonder how crash tests compare between the two.

I also wonder why the x350 is okayed to tow over in Europe but not in the US? I'm guessing aluminum + unibody = not suitable here in the US. I just wonder how they get away with it in Europe.

Perhaps it is just simply case law in history and they have just blocked it due to liabilities.

 

That's the difference between US specification energy absorbing rear bumper and European specification 'collapse on impact' fixed rear bumper on the XK8/XKR.

Checking JEPC, this doesn't apply to X350. The same bumper assembly is fitted for all markets.

Graham

 

Bumpers aren't really safety devices anyway - nobody's life was ever saved by a 2.5MPH crash bumper, or even a 5MPH bumper. They're really designed to prevent body damage at low speeds.

 

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Could I tow the smallest of U-Haul Trailers think it’s a 4 by 8 , also will the back end take a hitch?

 

in the UK the early years of the xk8 were offered with a manufacturer equipment tow hitch option. i believe that it was dealer installed. these cars can legally tow there since they are grandfathered in. there is a newer standard that Jaguar did not certify for the later years xk8's. these cars cannot legally tow in the UK. these fact do tell us that the basic design can handle some tow situations, perhaps the newer cars more so with their improvements, however we might have to rely upon earlier documentation to get an idea of the limits.

 

The law changed in Europe in 1998, so early XK8s were exempt.

The problem is the car isn't rated to tow anything, so in Europe its not legal unless you have one of the early cars.

The VIN plate shows the towing capacity. On the X100 its show as "- KG" which means it hasn't been rated (for whatever reason). I've no idea if the VIN plate on earlier cars has a value for towing?

 

 

there is nothing wrong with your idea per se, just be aware of a few things. there is some info that the '97 transmission is unique so if you blow it, expect a large repair bill. you must replace the A-drum with the re-engineered version as the valve body pressure kit is not sufficient to prevent the loading that might occur. this might mitigate the the issue of having a unique transmission. the fluid in the transmission will be changed almost completely during the drum service which is a good thing. change the fluid in the rear differential and check the condition of all wheel bearings. after these items, maintenance is age and mileage dependent as written in these pages.

good idea and good luck, wishing you many happy motoring miles.

 

'On the X100 its show as "- KG" which means it hasn't been rated (for whatever reason). I've no idea if the VIN plate on earlier cars has a value for towing?'

Hi - I have an early car with VIN 006168 (1996). My plate is the same as yours with no rating.

cheers

 

 

According to the government website:-

If your VIN plate doesn’t list a train weight, you should not use your vehicle for towing.

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/w...d-width-limits

The only exemption for pre-1998 cars is they don't need a CE approved tow bar, but it doesn't say anything about being exempt from the weight limit.

If your car was first used before 1 August 1998, your tow bar doesn’t need to be type-approved.