Are these Really XR Springs?

[Abacus]

I'm getting rid of the superlows on the Ghia and raising it to a more sensible height. I really don't want it to be any lower than XR height.

I bought what are supposed to be XR springs on eBay. Trouble is, they still look very short compared to the standard springs:

From left to right, XR Front, Standard Front, XR Rear, Standard Rear.



The heights of the springs, measured from the top edge of the top coil to the bottom edge of the bottom coil, are as follows:

XR Front: 380mm

Standard Front: 495mm.

XR Rear: 325mm

Standard Rear: 380mm

I wasn't expecting there to be such a big difference between the heights of the XR springs and the standard springs.

Do these so-called XR springs really look like XR springs, or have I now got myself a second set of superlows?

[AUIII XR8 MAN]

Look about right to me. Don't forget that the XR spring won't compress up as much as your old Ghia ones as they are "heavier" spring.

[GK]

Originally Posted by AUIII XR8 MAN

Look about right to me. Don't forget that the XR spring won't compress up as much as your old Ghia ones as they are "heavier" spring.

Look like the real thing to me. Here are pics from when I did mine earlier in the year.

These are fronts.


These are rears.


From your pics the fronts are right, the back probaby also. My rears were the same, so perhaps the guy had XR spec rear springs becuase of the towbar. That might explain why I've got auto, diff and tailshaft issues. Mongrel!

Also, are you sure they are real Ford springs or Kings? I don't see any paint dobs on either of the new springs and the rear spring has a coil thats tapered as opposed to the flat look of my rear item.

JC will be able to shed more light on this I reckon.

GK

[Abacus]

Originally Posted by GK

Also, are you sure they are real Ford springs or Kings? I don't see any paint dobs on either of the new springs and the rear spring has a coil thats tapered as opposed to the flat look of my rear item.

JC will be able to shed more light on this I reckon.

GK

Thanks GK. The "new" springs have grey paint dobs on them that haven't come out in the photo. They must have been on the other side of the springs. Seeing the paint dobs on yours, they seem to be the same colour as mine, so I'm feeling a bit more relaxed and comfortable about them.

What is really interesting though is the springs currently on my car. I also bought those off eBay, and they were supposed to be XR8 springs. With these springs on the car it sits about 640mm from the floor to the tops of the wheel arches, so they obviously aren't XR springs, they are superlows of some sort.

Anyway, to make sure I wasn't getting trapped into putting superlows on again, I pulled the wheels off to compare the "new" springs with the ones on the car. The ones on the car don't have paint dobs of any kind. But what I did find attached to one of the front springs was this:



Now, the FFL-57SL seems to be a variation of a Kings Springs code for lowered XR8 springs, or superlows. I'm guessing Kings provided springs to Herrods for their suspension packages.

So it's no wonder the car is riding a bit lower and harder than an old fart like me would truly like. I'm expecting the genuine XR springs to be a bit higher and a bit more compliant.....(If anybody thinks this won't be the case, please let me know...).

The superlows also came with shocks, and the part number ends with 18010-EA which seems to be a T-series number. The shocks are blue in colour and have a Ford stamp.

I'll have the suspension change done in the next two weeks, and then I'll be selling the stuff currently on the car. That stuff seems to be a set of Herrod-spec King superlows with what might be T-series shocks, travelled only 5,000km. If anybody wants them, PM me, else you can find them on eBay on early December.