you’re right, senior moment. FWIW, with stock coils, Gaz shocks and 60 series tires, the current distance between subframe and ground is: 6". Distance between front air dam and ground is 7-1/2".
A 5" ground clearance is manageable. No off-roading for me.
And there will still be a 1-1/2" gap between tire and fender, plenty of room.
Just saw, the new XJ-L has a ground clearance of 4"! So I’ll have 1" more than that.
My XJS already has the “raked” look. I’ll take a pic soon. The gap between the top of your tire and the bottom edge of the wheel well is way higher than mine.
Your rear looks lower than your front.
What are you running on your suspension? And do you still have 70 series tires?
I found in the archives someone who verified his rear suspension went DOWN when installing Bilsteins…something about mounting point.
And I’m sure the Bilsteins put my front UP 1/2". So if you want a reverse rake (why?), do what I did! 
I run 60 series. Used to do the 55, but I like the 60s more.
I have Boge in the front, Bilsteins in the back. All new from about 6 months ago. I just ordered new springs for the rear. I suspect I’ll be swapping out the front eventually, but I have a sag on one side of the car, in the rear, so that has to get addressed. It’s a solid 1", maybe 1-1/2" low!
Bilsteins are oil damped just the same as all dampers. (other than the very ancient friction variety) There are a number of different methods of gas pressurization used which might account for the ride height difference.
That sounds like a broken spring, not shocks.
I have Gaz adjustable’s on my XJ, I had an issue with ride height differences but bought some matched springs (front and rear), apparently the front springs that I bought originally were for a 3.4 without air con so you can imagine how low the front was on the XJ12… have to say though that (and my car is fitted with 235’s 16") I have never managed to match the ride quality of the car when she was fully OEM.
No visible break. No creaks or sounds coming from the wheel. I’ll let you know next week, when I replace them, if I see anything unusual.
I really like the Gaz for handling, but it will never be like OEM. Always a trade-off…you either get comfortable floating across rough roads but corners like a boat, or corners like a champ but you feel the bumps in the road. Maybe when I’m much older, I’ll switch back to the OEM Boge 
The fronts are so easy to change that I was willing to save the money and stick with Boge/Sachs.
I wanted to be more conservative at the rear. I didn’t want to do it again, even though it looks like I am, with new springs going in. I’m such an idiot for not pulling the trigger on new springs, but I had a hard time finding springs that didn’t lead me to believe I might be hoisting the car up by an inch.
With my current predicament, where the drivers rear tire is sagging by more than an inch, could it be a bad shock? I guess I’m gonna find out. A cheap scale should enable me to compare one against the other. (They’re Bilsteins in the back)
I very much doubt the Bilsteins are bad that soon, and dont think they’d affect height in back if they were bad. Did it sag as soon as you installed, or suddenly later? Could it be a mistake on installation? Any other parts to check, like rear mounts?
Rears are easy to remove/replace, except the part of removing springs. My spring compressor barely fits, as there’s not much clearance between shock and coil. And doing four, my arms get tired. Next time, i think ill bring them to a friend who has an impact wrench.
Once you remove springs, you can properly inspect. Could be a hairline crack.
It’s a good topic and likely my next project. I have my new springs for the rear. As I think I said earlier I’m just going with the KYB’s.
I’m not sure if I want to do this job in my driveway being the inboard setup and all. I would probably prefer to get the car up on the hoist. I am a little nervous about screwing up the rear ride height though.
Nothing wrong with the current springs just an age thing I guess and don’t plan on doing it again.
I was able to remove the springs/shocks from the rear no issue on jackstands. Only thing I would do is take a photo or draw something beforehand, because the order of washers/bolts/etc. is not obvious. And having inboard brakes probably made it easier! Less to get in my way.
Also, those springs are so much smaller, not too crazy using a spring compressor. I just got my front Eibach springs in the post. OMG, they are HUGE! I had no idea the XJS used such massive springs, they look like they’re for a truck.
And I’ve heard KYB’s are a decent substitute for the OEM Boge, much cheaper too, so if they work out, great.
I’m lucky that my spring compressor is a good fit, but you’re right that 4 in a row without a power tool is a bit of a work out. @Jagrr881 search back through the forum and there is a method to take the springs off using a pair of brake discs.
That’s what I use…a pair of brake rotors…works well, but does take some time to compress, and then decompress the springs…
Bilsteins all around and ride height looks good and she handles a lot less like a boat, now. Significantly less body roll. Had Boge in the back and kybs front, but they’d been on there for many years.
Greg,
Did you manage to get a measurement of the new rear springs? I just received my replacements from Welsh, which are not the same as yours, but they measure 10-3/4" high. When I replaced my rear shocks, I measured the rear springs at 11-5/8". I didn’t measure all four of them…I can’t remember which one I measured, but I assumed they were all the same.
Now I have one side of the car that is about 1-1/2" lower than the other, and maybe theyre different springs?
I purchased new front springs. Still have original springs in rear.
To my eye, the rear looks about right, the front looks a little high.
@Kirbert, you are probably right. I’m only going on a finger measurement and this picture of the car pre suspension work…
