I bought a 2015 R by design to get the lightest model possible and just RWD. It's been a good but not great year with the car.

+'s
- I never get tired of the power and I've had a lot of high HP cars.
- Driveability and reliability. Other than interior stuff I'll mention later, I've had one mysterious broken lug. Dead solid reliable.
- Still looks great to me every time I walk up to it.
-Surprisingly good as a road GT car. Great AC, not too stiff, not too firm suspension. Great transmission.
- I like the seats and interior finish.
-Dealer service is top notch and cheap.

-'s
- Sticky parts. Really? I had 2/3rds replaced and I need to have the remainder done before I'm out of warranty.
- Even with no AWD the car still feel 400lbs too heavy. Light on it's feet it isn't.
-Visibility really is terrible but you just learn to trust the driver aids. Not a big deal.
- My biggest complaint on the car is the thing that was the most fun the first two weeks and that's the exhaust. I've had lots of modded exhaust systems but pops, crackles and backfires on this one is getting on my nerves. I had the dealer check the bypass valve and everything is working but it's annoying to have it firing off in school zones and quiet neighborhoods. if anyone has toned it down let me know how you did it.

I still don't think there's anything in this price segment that's close.

 

In regards to the sticky buttons: a thread from the XF forum (I think it was) says that hand lotion is the solution. I have not tried this yet, but as all my buttons are sticky and I'm out of warranty, I will try this. (I posted the link in the sticky button thread.)

 

Thank you so much for your review. It is very helpful to me, regarding weight and sticky buttons. I will have to drive a R for an extended period to make sure its right for me. As far as crackles and pops, I loved that about my old Porsche 944 Turbo with muffler delete. I loved it, and I love hearing F Types from the sidewalk- so your minus maybe a plus for me.

 

Check with Stuart at VAP, I think he was working on a crackle and pop delete for someone else. On my car, with the exhaust valve closed the pops and crackles are pretty subdued, but I agree an optional button to delete them altogether would be best.

As for weight, I'm impressed with how much lighter on its feet the car feels with forged wheels and the Wortec rotors - removing 100 lbs of unsprung weight helps noticeably. The lithium battery and stop start battery delete will save you 50lbs, reducing the overall heft to like 3700 lbs. If we can find a few other porker parts on the car to swap and shave another 100-200lbs, I think we'd have a pretty nimble beast...

 

Will do. Thanks for the lead.
Do you know how to check the bypass valve? I still don't believe it's ever anything but open.

 

I'm not a fan of red cars, but DAMN, that looks good.

 

Look into having a pair of Dynomax 24250 mini's (they are stainless) installed where the big resonators are on the XE - which I think is after the X-pipe on the F-type? It'll smooth the flow out just enough to minimize the pops I bet. I did this exact thing on my 5.0 Mustang and it sounded infinitely smoother than all the other guys who removed their resonators all together. The absence of resonators is one of the major differences between the F-type and XE exhaust.

 

Can't you just turn the active exhaust off? Don't put it in Dynamic or sports mode. I get no pops or crackles driving like a grandma with the active exhaust off.

 

You can see if the valves are closed by having a look right down inside the outer exaust pipes.

Use a flashlight and when engine is off you will see the valves are closed. Start the engine and let it idle. Then you should see them in closed position if they are working.

 

 

maybe just put it in D for zero pops and bangs?

 

Many thanks for that tip!

 

If I'm going 3000rpms and back of the throttle I get pops and crackles. Maybe as low as 2500RPM.

 

Bingo! They're open all the time. Engine off, at idle, after it's warmed up. Exhaust on or off. Both sides the same.
It looks like they are servo driven. Could this be a consequence of me disconnecting the start/stop battery?

 

They are driven by a vacum pump that drives a solenoid on each exaust, and several components (including the rubber hose) might be the cause. Not shure if disconnecting the start/stop battery might cause this, but if the vacum pump is powered from that battery, then it might be.

Most plausible reason is maybe that valves are stuck in open position. It is known to happen, and my mechanic makes sure the valve hinges are lubricated with some high temp resistant lubrication on every service to prevent it. I also know that many have had their rear exaust replaced (on warranty) due to this, but that should not be neccessary (as long as the valves/hinges are not corroded completely stuck. They are easilly assesible from outside, and should be able to move by hand and lubricate (if the problem is stuck valves).

Mine is also a 15 R, and I have no pops or crackles when driving in normal mode below 4000 rpm. It is actually very silent when the valves are closed.

 

I just connected the start/stop. No joy, still open.
I'll have the dealer look at it when I take it in to have sticky stuff replaced.

 

I doubt it. Check fuse F43 - pull up the passenger floor mat, and there's a panel on the floor towards the bulkhead that pulls out. (Took me forever to locate this fusebox.) F43 powers the electric active exhaust vacuum pump, and possibly the active exhaust solenoid.

You may find this interesting...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/szc3vze5ol...haust.pdf?dl=0

If F43 is pulled or open, the valves are open 100% of the time. I pulled it, because my valves squeak, and I find the sound of the vacuum pump annoying.

 

When I try to open that document it says it's encrypted and requires a password?

 

Hmm. here's what I know at this point. The flaps are actuated by a solenoid with an arm that is about 2.5" long. I see no vacuum anything connected to them. I can moved the solenoid arms freely by hand. I connected the start/stop batter with no result. In my manual, the active exhaust is listed at fuse F17 on the drivers side engine compartment. That fuse is 5A and checked good. I'll look for the fuse panel you're discussing but maybe you have a different model year? Thanks.