I am done breaking in my new F-Type S8. I floored it for the first time. I had to hold tight, really tight; as C Net review said "I had to hold to keep it from leaving earth's orbit". I thought the reviwer was being funny, he was not.

Now the question: I timed 4,3 sec 0-100 km, same as stated by Jag. HOWEVER, I got 4.3 in all normal mode, i left the car to it own means (no sport or dynamic modes) and I did not slam floor it. I kind of pressed on the pedal graduall , but aggressive nonetheless. I had week spin for some time too.

Repeating the run in dynamic mode, the gear box in sports position and more aggressive pedal application resulted in more wheel spin and a 4.46 run.

Temperature was 27 C.

I have no doubt the car can do faster than the Jag claimed 4.3 sec if I had no spin and was able to apply the pedal more rapidly, even flooring it (which is impossible in stock configuration).

Motor trend reported 3.4 0-60 , and reported 460 hp at the return wheels on the dyno, suggesting much more HP than the claimed 495 HP. Car and Driver too reported 3.6 0-60. Both reports are much less than the claimed 4.2 sec 0-60 mi claimed by Jag.

Jag reports the R to be only 0.1 sec faster. Hard to believe that 50 more hp yield only 0.1 sec improvement, but may be because of the wheel spin.

Is jaguar under rating the F Type V8s ?

 

Quite the thrill, isn't it? Digging out in your F-Type from a standing-start.

Not sure whether Jag underrates its HP figures as some other manufacturers typically do (BMW comes to mind). I suspect the engine ratings are reasonably accurate--others may feel differently.

But, trying to figure out actual HP ratings by doing accel runs is rather tricky. You lost .16 secs just by being a little more aggressive. As you suggest, wheel spin really kills an acceleration run, with precious tenths lost up in smoke. 0-60 times shown in mags and online forums are optimum times put down by experienced drivers with as "perfect" a launch as possible given the conditions at the time. I've found it rather difficult to replicate a published 0-60 or quarter-mile time unless I made many runs on multiple occasions.

Given the traction challenges of the F-Type R, the .1 difference you mention is likely more related to having 50 extra ft-lbs of torque under foot than having an extra 50+ HP (though the HP/weight ratio has improved considerably). That 50 ft-lbs makes it that much easier to go up in smoke.

 

You mention something around 460 for rear wheel h.p... on the S.. Did you happen to see the rear wheel for the R. ?
Lawrence.

 

Magazine 0-60 times are not all the same. I forgot the exact terminology but some magazines don't want to deal with traction issues/etc. so the time doesn't start until the wheels cross the timing line. This saves a non insignificant time (.1+). For power look at the trap speed in 1/4 mile.

 

Magazine test times are sometimes "corrected" to supposedly eliminate the impact of certain environmental conditions so generally need to be taken with at least some degree of skepticism. With that said, there's no doubt that these cars are faster than the factory times. Its also worth remembering that the mag testers do these runs all the time and have a better sense than most of us around how to improve the results. As for the S/R engines, I'd have to suspect that they are close to their rated outputs but some have said the S is underrated. The only difference between the S and R engine is software, though, so anything is possible.

 

Absolutely. They make the best of it, whether their track is good, poor or in some cases, just a strip of pavement. Good point.

 

As others have said most magazine tests are done with a rolling start to reduce chance of wheel spin which lowers the 0-60 times quite a bit. Where I find the most thrilling acceleration is the 30-120 speed.

 

Have learned some very intriguing technical data about the F-Type in the last week...

I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I've had the opportunity to put some extended time behind the wheel of two separate 2015 "R" Coupes over the last 5 months. I also commented that the two vehicles performed very differently: with Coupe R1 delivering instantaneous throttle response that consistently created whiplash-type head snaps, regardless of the speed you were traveling when you punched the accelerator. The other, Coupe R2 displayed a thoroughly less impressive character, having a pronounced lag in throttle response that lacked both that head-snapping reply to the throttle, as well as that runaway-freight-train-like "pull" experienced during extended acceleration in the first coupe.

Hard to put my finger on the cause behind the drop in performance, but it felt like Coupe 2 was missing 100 horses or experiencing a wicked boost lag. Took this 2nd vehicle to the dealer for a post break-in voluntary oil change last Monday, and asked the Service Advisor to have the tech run a diagnostic on the performance. Their diagnostic evaluation showed the car had NO error codes, and everything they tested checked out OK.

After conferring with some performance experts at the corporate level, the tech RESET both the ECM (Engine Control Module) Adaptation and the Transmission PCM (Powertrain Control Module) Adaption. These are two of a collection of different Memory Modules within the car that learn from and adapt to your driving style and history. Clearing the Adaptation memory removes all learned behavior.

The result: SIMPLY ASTOUNDING!!! Coupe 2 now performs even stronger than Coupe 1. The throttle response is sharp and the pull leaves your intestines in the boot. Amazing that such a change in performance could be achieved just by resetting the memory.

Furthering my education, on Friday I attended a locally sponsored Jaguar Track-Day event, and had the opportunity to spend some time with two Jaguar technical experts also in attendance: Newport Beach Jaguars' Chief Mechanical Tech; and a technical officer/trainer from JLR's new Technical Training Facility in Irvine. What I learned was fascinating...

The F-Type's computer is continuously evaluating your driving style, and constantly writing layers of code to numerous memory modules located in the car. Each driver setting results in a different layer of operational code. For instance, there is one layer of code for normal drive mode, a separate layer when you switch on Dynamic Mode, yet another when you shift to Sport Gear, another for Dynamic and Sport together, plus additional permutations to every level when paddles are engaged or not engaged, and so forth and so on. Every layer is learning your driving behavior, and in turn sending operational code to the engine, supercharger, transmission, suspension, steering, exhaust systems, and more... Something I suspect most of us knew was probably occurring behind the scenes, but taking for granted at the same time. I have now had the pleasure of experiencing the difference this memory can make to the daily performance of our cars.

IMPORTANT ADVISORY: Those of you that immediately switch your car to Dynamic Mode at start-up for daily driving, or worse yet leave your car in Dynamic + Sport Mode while sitting in stop and go traffic, could very well be inadvertently diluting the top performance levels of your vehicle for when you might really need or want it...

Something else I learned is there is an updated "performance tune" being refined for the 2014-15 F-Type that should be pushed to dealers in the next month or two.

 

Mike, Thanks for the info. Very informative. As for the power of the V8S versus the R (and versus the Project 7)...

Are there any hardware differences between all 3, or is it just a different state of tune?

Also, Can the ECM and PCM be reset by a consumer through some sequence of top secret button presses, or it is something that needs a dealer to reset directly interfacing with the components?

 

That makes perfect sense as I did notice my 2015 which I picked up few weeks back car was a rocketship for 1st few days relative to my 2014 V8S. Is there any way to reset or disable this stupid learning process.

 

This is very very interesting and disturbing. I am sure other Jags do the same. We need to be able to reset these Jags if we notice it learned something bad. I for one do not want to put my car in S and dynamic mode any further unless im driving very aggressively!

 

Kind of makes me not want to touch Dynamic + Sport until after break in...

Maybe Jaguar should start this "learning process" after break in so we can drive them like we stole them!

 

Thanks for the vital information. I was recently wondering why my 2015 R feels slower and with more lag. Now I know. I have a good relationship with my service crew. I'll see if there is a DIY way to reset it and I'll report back.

 

While I rarely sit in traffic - in Maine we rarely have traffic - after I warm the car up I automatically put it into Dynamic Mode 99.9% of the time and off I go. While I will continue to do so, it will be interesting to learn what others discover now that we're armed with this [new] information.

 

Some great info here, IronMike.

What surprised me reading your post is not that our vehicles adapt to our driving habits--many vehicles do the same; but, that there was such a large drop-off in performance between the two Jags before and after the ECM reset. Wow. When I went to the track in other rides, more times than not, my car's performance sharpened after a run or two, not only on the track but for some time afterwards. I was able to validate the adaptive changes not only by my "butt dyno," but by actual track times. But, those adaptive changes I experienced were nowhere near the magnitude of what you experienced.

With my R, I do leave the car in dynamic mode all the time, but I would notice a 20% loss in power or aggravated boost lag. Driving a 500HP car is not like driving a 400HP car. Not saying your findings are suspect. Don't mean that at all. (Those corporate experts know better than I and you drove both Jags.) But, I wonder if the difference you felt, while noticeable, could have been something less than a loss of 100 ponies (which is huge and very bothersome to boot).

In any event, I'm most interested to learn, if you know or can find out, how quickly our ECM can adapt to an aggressive driving style. (And, keep us posted on that "performance tune.") Thanks.

 

I'm sorry, this is not how the system works. Driving in stop and go traffic in sport/dynamic mode is not going to neuter the car... There is a adaptation learn for the PCM and TCM that monitors the way you drive and adjusts shifting and engine parameters to best fit your driving style, but this isn't going to take away power when you floor it. You'll have the same amount of power you've always had. This adaptation changes when the vehicle downshifts/upshifts bases on throttle position and requested load values to optimize efficiency and smooth out shifts. The car doesn't cut power because you drive in stop and go traffic a lot. That's just dumb. I believe this is more a placebo than anything else.

You don't need to reset these values as they are constantly changing, but again it's just to match your driving style and smooth out the operation of the vehicle, not add or subtract performance because you do certain things. This isn't how the system works.

 

I'm most intrigued by what IronMike said he heard regarding JLR releasing a new performance tune for 14-15 models. Has anyone else gotten an inkling of this?

It would certainly be very unusual for a manufacturer to do something like that, but certainly welcomed.

 

Unusual yes, but was done my McLaren on the MP4-12C

 

I would expect it to me more likely on a low-production, niche market exotic.

 

Has anyone else experience with drag racing the F-Type? What are recommended settings. I'm going to have a go up at Sonoma raceway in a few weeks. My car is lowered 1.5" and on fairly new Michelin Pilot SS.