Does anyone know the curb weight of the coupe and convert XK8?

I know these babies are more GT tourers and not race cars, but I was wondering which one has the weight penalty...

Typically converts are heavier so does this apply to XK8's as well?

Has anyone put their car on a diet by removing non-essential items or replacing heavy parts with lighter components?

I've done this to previous cars I've owned with beneficial results in braking, handling, and acceleration as well as fuel economy and if I were to buy a Jag I'd want to do the same weight shaving a la Colin Chapman to the Jag.

So... if you know of a few good tricks to lighten the beast I'm all eyes.

 

Well the XKR was doing pretty well in its class in one of the TransAm divisions a few years back.

I have not thought of lightening it at all. But you could certainly save a hundred pounds by replacing the front seats with racing seats, those things are heavy. You could leave the spare tire at home and the toolbox.

The newer models are aluminum. But you still have a honking great big engine in the front.

 

Hi again zonker, I looked at my convertible, and here is what the GVWR says on my door -

gross vehicle weight rating - 4795 (i assume lbs)

all you need is a coupe owner to chime in

 

cheeses.
4800 pounds?

My MK2 is 3100.

And that's with no weight-saving aluminium panelling, nor alloy raod wheels.
Crimeny!

 

It's all the safety gear that makes then heavy , side impact bars, crumple zones, airbags, strengthened roof for rollover protection, I can't see changing the seats and leaving the spare tyre at home making much difference to anything especially with that massive V8 and auto box in the front.

Just chill and enjoy the luxury, if you want fast and light buy a Caterham

 

"GVWR" This means the weight the vehicle is rated to hold (car and load), not the weight of the vehicle.

According to the brochure for MY 2001(my car)
XK8 Coupe = 3726 lbs
XK8 Conv't = 3962 lbs
XKR Coupe = 3785 lbs
XKR Conv't = 4021 lbs

 

i've thought about this as well, im 20 years old and plan on owning the car for the rest of my life due to its timeless look. i have thought about autocrossing it but i haven't heard of much people doing it. but i considered replacing the seats and also taking out the rear seat. i dont want to destroy the car because i plan on having it for awhile so if in case i do any modifications i want to be able to one day put it back to stock. but if i was you i would consider buying a different car if you want to modified it. a subaru or a gt mustang a miata or maybe a honda S200, these are all cars in the same price range of a xk8 but you can go crazy with the modifications and i probably wouldn't feel guilty for gutting one.

 

Thanks for the weight info higeorge, its good to know its within a couple hundred lbs of a Mustang

As for being guilty for modifying a XK8, I wouldn't be. I enjoy improving on a vehicle to tailor it to my own tastes, and although there may be plenty of other choices out there that could be the easier (or even better) path to take, I'd still prefer taking the path less travelled. It seems to suit me better and the results are more gratifying.

As for weight removal, the spare and jack are always a good starting point (a AAA card and can of tire sealant are much lighter) I know that will shave a good 50lbs from the rear. Lighter weight wheels/tires will also help the cause probably to the tune of another 50lbs (and since its unsprung rotating weight the performance impact is 5x that of the sprung weight).

I'll have to see what can be done about the seats, since it wont bother me losing the power function, but it will bother me losing the comfort so theres a good chance I'll not want to make any inroads there.

Under the hood (the batteries are under the hood on XK's, aren't they?) a smaller lighter battery can yield another 10 lbs, as could removal of inconsequential engine covers, bracketry, dampers, etc.

Since I live in rust free California, replacing the heavy gauged stainless steel cats and exhaust system with smaller cats and a lighter gauge galvanized steel system will probably yield another 30lbs or so (and make it sound meaner too).

And if I'm really commited, I could have a Carbon Fiber hood made thru one of my vendors (I sell performance stuff now for small Fords).

Interior wise, I'm sure I could find another 20lbs or so of airbags and non structural reinforcements that could be removed unspottable to the naked eye (Please no lectures about the safety merits of having airbags, I know... but millions of older cars have proven that you can still survive without them).

RJ

 

Battery is in the trunk in an XK. Exhaust is good, not only lighter, but better sounding and freeing up some HP/torque. I suppose you could remove the audio system for some weight, if that doesn't bother you. I would guess you could remove the rear seat and install something nice to cover where it was. It is not as if you would want to shove anyone with legs back there anyway.

 

compromising safety to save 20lbs is just plain , what's all this weight saving going achieve, 0.1s off the 0-60 time 20.2mpg instead of 20mpg , it all sounds a bit pointless to me.

Yes people have lived in crashes without side impact bars and airbags but when someone jumps a red light and hits you side on you may regret removing that bar and airbag.

 

take the doors off and put on cargo net type of things to keep you in the car. He he he

 

another thing to keep in mind if you are going to start this project. if i was you i would go with the 4.2 model. its a bigger better motor. or if you really dont mind destroying the car just buy a cheap xk8 and swap the motor there isn't to many highly modified aftermarket performance dealers out there for these cars. if i was you i would start with horse power then start taking things off. take this into consideration, there isnt to much room in between the strut towers and the hood so you'll have to modify the x brace under the motor for handling. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=12827 and i have found some where on the web were a guy buys another rear strut brace and adds it to his existing one to make it even stiffer. if this is the route you are going for.

 

thanks for the additional feedback - typically i like to keep the cars looking as stock as possible to prevent it looking like some wannabe race car although a quality carpet and panel job over the rear seat area might not be a bad idea, since I can remove the rear seatbelts and all their heavy hardware as well.

trunk mount battery... hmmm then going smaller on the battery might create issues (it's a long way from a trunk to a starter, resistance wise).

as for the airbags, i drive mostly older cars and trucks anyways so making the "retro"fit of no airbags does not scare my safety sensibilities. A good set of seatbelts and I'll be golden. And if that doesn't do it, well then I guess its just my time.

 

thanks lew, that did seem like a pretty heavy number

 

oh, theres always one in the group... lol. that reminds me of an article written in one of the car mags many moons ago, where they took a old cadillac sedan de ville and started removing weight until the damn thing was a frame, seat and steering wheel. the stock v8 motored caddy frame ran 11's in the 1/4 mile! haha.