So I have a 3.4 Mk2. It has new Gaz adjustable shocks all around, set to maximum The bushes front and rear are all new, but standard (not Nolothane).
But driving it, it wallows. Part of this is the driver’s seat, to be fair, but I want to give it a firmer ride.
Who sells uprated springs? Do I make the front stronger, or the rear? Do I look at a stronger anti sway bar?
Do I go crazy and spend thousands on a coil over rear conversion?
I’ve got banks to rob and I need advice!
You will not really get a firmer ride with stiffer springs.
A lot depends on the tires.
These cars have a very high tire side wall.
I tested this on my XK150 first with original 185/80 16.
Now I have wider rims with 205/70 16, and the ride is much firmer.
On my S-type I run 205/70 15, this also gave a firmer ride.
I have a ‘62 Mk2 3.8 currently in pieces being restored. My plans for handling improvements: stock springs, lowered front using spacers under spring pans, lowered rear using my custom mod (there’s a thread here somewhere on what I did), Harvey Bailey front and rear rollbars mounted with poly bushes, hard mounted front subframe, poly bushes out back, stock rubber bushes up front (with subframe hard mount I figured that was enough), Gaz adjustable shocks.
Will it be good? Who knows. I also will run wider 6” wheels and 205/70-15 tires.
Will let you know in 2023 how it handles 
My assumptions - soft-ish springs are ok so long as body roll is kept in check. Shocks will give me the ability to firm the ride some. Aftermarket spring options appear to be very limited, and ride height adjustments for a stock Mk2 rear are limited.
Hi I would try heavyweight front springs
Ken Jenkins in the UK sells an uprated spring that is slightly shorter but has heavier coils, therefore, easier to change and then less bounce.
The car will then not wallow on bends
I am sure someone in Oz has them or can get them. I used a guy in Sydney who races at Bathurst Tony?@Brookvale Classic Car Restaurations
he restores Jaguars and keeps spares for Mark 2’s
Cheers Brian
Does Ken still trade? I was looking for him on the net yesterday.
G’Day Andrew
Yes Ken still trades 0n ukjag@hotmail,com and he is up in Worksop.Nottingham UK
He is very knowledgeable about Jaguars
He has a website www.ukjag.co.uk.
I have been running my 3.8 340 for fifteen years with these springs with 6k wheels 205/15 tyres
and Gaz shocks and it handles well Five years ago we did twelve laps of Montlhery which is a banked track and there was no sign of bottoming out or wallowing
There are loads of options as you know but the price of a pair of springs is cheap compared to other mods
Cheers Brian
I have done most of what’s discussed here on my car. Stock shocks and springs, but modded everything else. SuperFlex poly bushes all around. Uprated front and HBE rear bars. Lowered front spring pan 1/2". 6" wide wheels with 205’s. Car has very little bounce even with stock springs and shocks in fact it is pretty harsh over speed bumps. And despite all this, it still leans a bit in corners but overall is VERY stable. I have taken freeway overpasses etc. at high speed here in LA and felt completely stable. The limiting factor for my handling is the rack and pinion conversion which is nice in traffic but a little sloppy in corners.
That makes no sense…?
Why is that. I would have thought that spring rate would be a major determinant of ride comfort.
Is the Harvey Bailey anti roll bar the 1" one the usuals sell?
What is the rear bar?
Harvey Bailey Engineering Rear Anti-Roll Bar, it’s really the only company that makes them for the Mk2
They are kind of expensive comparatively, there’s a thread on here a bit ago about someone who made one themselves which seems to be a good option if you have the skill / materials to do so.
It doesn’t? I mean, the handling of the car is very good except for in fast turns the rack and pinion is a little sloppy.
I believe the HBE front bar is 1”, not sure if that’s what the usuals sell. As Theo said though, I don’t believe there are too many manufacturers.
I have rear already but will also buy the front before the car goes back together.
It really isn’t terribly difficult to do: made all my own at my shop.
No: no clue why R&P would impart “sloppiness.”
Virtually ALL serious race cars are R&P: E Types aren’t sloppy.
As far as I can work out on my car there is no rear roll bar fitted. So is the HBE an extra?
Yes it’s aftermarket there was not one originally
I’m not totally sure why you’re arguing this point. It’s pretty well documented that R&P retrofits on Mk2’s are not great solutions, they aren’t the right width. They handle fine around town but reduce the overall turning radius because of the tire scrubbing and they bump steer at speed and on hard turns.
I’m not arguing: if the installation of a R&P causes handling problems, somehow it wasn’t done correctly.