new xkr owner, need help/advice

[scatmanvialli]

Hi, new memeber to the club, just taken on a 1999 xkr convertible-what a car ! have a couple of questions that you people may be able to help with;
1, can anybody recommend a spray/sealer for the "mohair" roof. Its a lovely shade of BRG, but i'm worried about birds mess staining it ! The jag dealer informed me that there may be a protective spray available, making it possible to stop the bird crap from sticking !
2, LPG conversion - has anyone had it done, does it affect performance, any problems/maintenance worries, any company recommended ? Ive seen reports that the pre 2000 V8's had a nicksil? engine lining, which was prone to damage by high sulphur content petrol. This can cause problems with LPG conversions. My car is 1999, but really low mileage, so i'm certain this is not a worry. Any advice much appreciated.
Hope to meet up with some of you during a local meet-kent/sussex/surrey.
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[MarkyM]

I've used renovo products on previous mohair hooded cars I've owned to great effect, one thing you must ensure is that you don't get any hood conditioner/reproofer on the bodywork...so it must be done carefully.

Other tips are

Never take your car through a car wash
Never use a power washer on it
Never wash your roof with a shampoo containing wax
Always vacuum roof when dry (brush off dried on bits with nail brush first
by all means rinse off with cold clean water afterwards with your hose on shower setting

Reproof once a year (usually October in the UK)
Condition in the Spring read for the season of top down motoring

As to LPG i've had mine done in June this year on a 96 p plate and have already saved over £600 in fuel costs. In fact I've managed 310 miles on a £24 fill-up of autogas. that works out at 58MPG if you were to acheive the same mileage at the same cost on unleaded (at 98ppl)

The spare wheel well will take a 76l tank which you can fill to 60l

As to performance I've noticed no discernable difference, however since my primary reason for getting the conversion was economy I've been lenient with my right foot. The only way to test this would be by getting a before and after dyno which I've not had done.

Ensure that your conversion specialist is LPGA approved and do go for a sequential gas vapour injection system. I contacted i think 8 conversion specialist before I found one that offered decent customer care and had an informative website.

Please please go for a bumper mounted filler as it would be sacriligious to make a whole in your beautiful car. It also helps as you can park either side when refuelling and if you have to remove it later thre will be no discernable signs of LPG install.

You'll probably need to change to iridium plugs and I'd recommend a fully synthetic oil (I use royal purple 5w30) and thermostat and water pump change if you have a 4.0l engine.

I also have a straight through exhaust (one that doesn't wrap around the rear axles as the OEM and most aftermarket do) and an Apexi intake which is now boxed in.

I paid £2000+VAT and I believe that an R would be around £2500. If your worried about top end performance I'd recommend running with half a tank of V-power or tesco super for when you really want to boot it

Pictures of my conversion are on the gallery page and I had it done by gaspoweruk.co.uk. not only is steve Fricker knowledgeable but he's an exceedingly nice guy...tell him Mark with the XK8 recommended him

Regards

Mark

[scatmanvialli]

Hi Mark,many thanks for the useful info. i plan to run it on petrol for 3/4 months,see how it goes, then maybe convert in the new year.

[MarkyM]

No problems Chris

I was achieving in excess of 34MPG in my 8 so high 20's in your R is possible...but if you've only just got it you may be 'playing' a bit first


M

[scatmanvialli]

playing hard and loving every minute ( and gallon ) of it !!

[D_Doran]

MarkyM... 34mpg in a Jag XK8?!!!

I'd better take the lead weights off my right shoe!! 22.4mpg average since I bought her in May! (But loving it... wow!!!! What a head turner it is!)

[Bassman]

My average is around 24/25mpg, on long runs it's maybe 30/31 and around locally 18/19.... how do you drive to get 34mpg ?

[D_Doran]

Gets towed for the last 10 miles!!!

[binghama]

after my last run to L Erne and back she has avg 26.5 that's overall since I got it over 500 mls. The previous owner's last trip had avg 30.1 mpg at avg speed of 47mph !