OK so we own a perfectly sensible 2002 Jeep Cherokee V8 as a TV. But I have a 2000 Jaguar XKR 390 HP twin supercharged rag top and it's silver. Anyone thing it would tow my 68 19' Airstream?
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North Vancouver, BC Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
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Glenburn
, Maine
Join Date: Jan 2007
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The trick will be finding someone willing to engineer a hitch with a capacity sufficient to handle the tongue weight and GTVW. Your vehicle was not thought of as a tow vehicle by its designers so necessary accommodations were not made. Not saying it can't be done. It'll be custom every step of the way... bet it'll look wicked cool, too. Good luck!
A few years ago there was a late model Jag sedan at the Toronto RV show. It was on display with a big Airstream connected.
If anyone could make the XKR work as a TV it would be the folks here in Ontario who specialize in such combinations. This is forum member Andrew T's Airstream dealership....
Andy Thomson
Airstreamer since 1968 Can-Am RV Centre The Towing Specialists
London, Ontario. www.canamrv.ca
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Sounds like it could be fun, hair blowing in the wind. My first car was an MGA what a blast. BUT
Some things to consider: weight of TV (Jag XKR = 4021 lbs) - it's nice to have that about the same as the trailer. You should be OK here. wheelbase (Jag XKR = 102 in) - according to this site that should be OK for a 19 foot trailer. RV Towing Tips - How long? transmission - The jag certainly has a tranny strong enough for a 390 hp V8, but how about duty-cycle. There is a difference between running hard (full throttle) up through the gears then leveling off at cursing speed, and pulling a trailer hard hour after hour. That might require a transmission cooler at a minimum. frame stiffness - The Jag being a rag top has to have all its frame stiffness in the uni-body below the doors, unlike hard tpos that gain a lot of stiffness from the roof. Don't know how to advise you on this, but you should look into it especially if you are planning on using an equalizer hitch, which is a good idea with any TV that is not clear over-kill.
Good luck,
BWH
If Santa was smart he would turn in the sleigh for an XKS. With 390 horses the reindeer could be turned out to pasture and Santa could be home by midnight with the nights work all wrapped up.
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Sounds like it could be fun, hair blowing in the wind. My first car was an MGA what a blast. BUT
Some things to consider: weight of TV (Jag XKR = 4021 lbs) - it's nice to have that about the same as the trailer. You should be OK here. wheelbase (Jag XKR = 102 in) - according to this site that should be OK for a 19 foot trailer. RV Towing Tips - How long? transmission - The jag certainly has a tranny strong enough for a 390 hp V8, but how about duty-cycle. There is a difference between running hard (full throttle) up through the gears then leveling off at cursing speed, and pulling a trailer hard hour after hour. That might require a transmission cooler at a minimum. frame stiffness - The Jag being a rag top has to have all its frame stiffness in the uni-body below the doors, unlike hard tpos that gain a lot of stiffness from the roof. Don't know how to advise you on this, but you should look into it especially if you are planning on using an equalizer hitch, which is a good idea with any TV that is not clear over-kill.
Good luck,
BWH
Good points BWH. A vehicle that sized is heavy considering it has a pile of aluminum in it. That bottom sub frame must be substantial. Some investigation needs to go into the tranny durability issue but based on other car based vehicles we know about that are towing Airstreams one might suspect (no sure though) that if would probably be fine with the cooler.
The other issue is the turbos. If only needed for short bursts no problem but I doubt if they are designed to run continuously. "hot hot hot"
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Wow lots of good (and fun) feedback. I will have to look into any Jag limitations. There are no turbo, just full time twin intercooled superchargers. They do run hot hense the intercoolers and cool hood vents.
Then my other TV is a 1945 Tugboat called Steel Drum. 439HP Catapillar. Think Airstream on a barge
I had a '59 Jag Mk IX for a while in the late '60s when I lived in LA . I had a fantasy a few months ago about how cool it would be to upgrade the drive train of one of these great cruisers and pull a small airstream. They've got the wheelbase, frame and weight. But it would be a project, for sure.
transmission - The jag certainly has a tranny strong enough for a 390 hp V8, but how about duty-cycle. There is a difference between running hard (full throttle) up through the gears then leveling off at cursing (cruising?) speed, and pulling a trailer hard hour after hour. That might require a transmission cooler at a minimum.
My guess, based on some aerodynamic assumptions and running numbers through an online aerodynamic drag calculator, is that towing an Airstream at 60 mph requires about the same horsepower as solo cruising in the 90-100 mph range. Easy running for any well-designed car.
My little Jaguar X-Type with the tiny 2.5 liter has a tow rating of 3,400 pounds. It's probably not out of the question, although I can't recommend it.
My little Jaguar X-Type with the tiny 2.5 liter has a tow rating of 3,400 pounds. It's probably not out of the question, although I can't recommend it.
Interesting Jag TinLoaf. Here are the specs on your X-Type....
ExteriorLength: 183.9 in. Width: 70.4 in. Height: 54.8 in. Wheel Base: 106.7 in. Ground Clearance: 6.1 in. Curb Weight: 3428 lbs. InteriorFront Head Room: 37.8 in. Front Shoulder Room: 54.5 in. Rear Head Room: 37.5 in. Rear Shoulder Room: 53.7 in. Front Leg Room: 42.4 in. Rear Leg Room: 34.4 in. Luggage Capacity: 16 cu. ft. Maximum Cargo Capacity: 16 cu. ft. Maximum Seating: 5 Performance DataPerformanceAcceleration (0-60 mph): 7.9 sec. Base Number of Cylinders: 6 Base Engine Size: 2.5 liters Base Engine Type: V6 Horsepower: 192 hp Max Horsepower: 6800 rpm Torque: 178 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 3000 rpm Drive Type: AWD Turning Circle: 35.7 ft.
It is Interesting that we towed our 23' Airstream with a Nissan Van that had 150HP/180Tq and it weighed 4,200lbs. Your 2.5 V6 Jag has a better power to weight number. The X is also based on the European Ford Mondeo format which in Europe has a 5,000lb tow rating. The X could possibly be quite a good TV.
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