Well, my car is now suffering from something along the lines of what IronMike described. I won't speculate what causes it, but as of a couple of days ago, the steering feels about the same whether dynamic mode is on or off, and it sure feels like the power is down too.


Happily, I already have a service appointment scheduled for next week for an oil change. I'll let you know what they say.

 

Resetting the ECU adaptations on the older cars was as simple as disconnecting the battery and touching the two cables together to drain the capacitors in the modules, which in effect wiped the leant adaptations. Not sure if it's the same with the F-Type, but it can't hurt to try...

I can't find the thread now, but one of the techs here on the site, Brutal his name is, mentioned once that he could always tell the "hard driven" cars that came into his workshop, because they were much more responsive and lively, the ones that an old geezer drove to the club & back at the speed limit were sluggish and soft. Because of the adaptations. From memory he was talking about the X150 XKR. No surpise that it's the same with the F-Type.

I've made a point of not using sport mode in the XJR unless i'm giving it a flogging. If you drive around sedately in sport mode after a while sport mode goes soft, because it gets used to your style. Drive soft with sport mode off, drive like a nut with sport mode on, and you can really tell the difference between the two.

 

Cambo,

If so, doesn't it follow then, that if you start only using dynamic mode, when you're driving like a nut," then the car will re-learn that pattern and go back to it's original lively ways?

In other words, why would it need to be reflashed? If it's adaptive, it should fix itself.

 

Well, I'm sure I speak for many here in saying this is all very fascinating. Very interesting and curious discussion.

DJS, unrelated to your recent "issue", how many miles since your last oil change (and I'm assuming you've already had one).

Good luck,
Jay

 

Yeah but how long does it take to re-learn your driving style? Quite a while in my experience, 100+ miles with the older ZF cars. Maybe it's different with the newer ones, I don't know, this is not something that's spelled out in the owners manual...

With mine it's got a sort of Jekyl & Hyde persona. With sport mode off, it's lazy & relaxed, with sport mode on it's aggro. But that's because i've trained it to be that way.

My advice would be use the dynamic mode when you are driving dynamically, and keep it off when you are stuck in traffic or just cruising to the shops. Don't teach the car bad habits...

 

Very interesting input Cambo. Honestly I thought Jags wouldn't be that electronically sophisticated, but good to know. I'm guessing the time it takes to "reset" would be dependent on how aggressive you start driving.

 

We talking a dog or a car? Cambo: is it even remotely spelled out in the owner's manual? If not, where does all this information come from?

Thanks,
Jay

 

Jay, I'm getting in the habit of changing the oil when the car comes out of winter hibernation. (Lots of debate whether it should be before or after. Whatever...) I'm guessing it's around 8,000 miles. Last year, the free service had to be 1 year +/- 1 month, so it was May or June (I'd have to check.)


May consider disconnecting the battery, though on previous cars, that would lose radio presets, etc. etc. If I have to set up all preferences (Bluetooth, etc.), then it's a minor hassle.


I almost always drive in Dynamic, because the car simply isn't enjoyable to drive without it (steering is too soft and throttle response doesn't exist.) Sometime, I through it into Sport too for manual shifting, since I have the paddles disabled when not in Sport.


Hasn't been an issue in 2 years/15.5K miles. If this is a learning thing, then it's clearly a bug. No reason the steering should revert to max assist.

 

It's not in any Jaguar literature that I saw, but the whole learning/adaptations process was described in a ZF technical guide, can't seem to find it right now.

The bit about not driving softly in sport/dynamic is from experience, my car got very lazy for a while, but since i've made a rule of not using sport mode unless i'm being sporty, it's got those two personalities again.

 

I have had two other cars that adapted to the driving style - an Audi TTS and a VW Touareg (the VW had also a 8-speed ZF gearbox).

However both of them could easilly be reset in the same way:

Turn ingition on but do not start the engine. Press the accelerator full way inn and keep it there for at least 5 sec. Release the accelerator and turn off ignition - all done.

This is nothing that can be found in any manuals, but well known by owners/forums and Audi/VW workshops.

I did it many times and there is no doubt that it works.

I have no idea if a similar function exist for the F-type, and I won't pick up my car untill beginning of June, so I have no way of testing it.

 

Cambo,

You probably know this, and I'm completely unfamiliar with other Jags, but for the F-Type "sport" and "dynamic" are two separate things. Sport refers to pulling the shifter to the left (at least for LHD models) for manual shifting. Dynamic is what changes the throttle mapping, and various other parameters.

 

Sounds interesting. I will try this and let you know, as I am sure others will. Thanks for the hint.

 

Yep I know, we only got "sport" in the old cars.

But the basic concept is the same, if you drive slow/sedate/lazy when the car is expecting to get a workout (because of the selected mode) it will eventually become slow/sedate/lazy because that's how you've been driving it, it's reacting and adapting to the driving style.

 

Thanks, was just checking for the sake of calibrating terminology in this thread, since the F-Type has uses both sport and dynamic terminology. Sport mode just keeps the car from reverting back to auto when preferring to manual shift.

 

Correct, but mine also raises the RPM for automatic up shifts, shifts down more readily and holds gears longer in Sport than Normal, even when Dynamic is not selected.

 

Based on what I'm reading (all very fascinating and while it all makes sense...not sure what to make of it) I kept my F-Type in "D" until I got on the highway when I could really get into it; then shifted into "S". As there was quite a bit of traffic, I also decided - for the first time in quite some time - to even keep it out of Dynamic (first time I've seen the ECO light on in a long time). Not sure Scarlett (see below) was pleased with my decision. (And if you think it's easy driving 90 mph taking a picture, with the left hand, on my Blackberry - go ahead and laugh if you want - I can assure you it's not).

 

Thanks, I never drive in auto mode, so I hadn't noticed that.

 

Mine does too. It's definitely got a variety of modes.

D, Sport, Dynamic, Snow, they are all very different, and I tend to drive them the way I perceive the mode to have been designed. If my car "learns" my style, it better work as per the mode I have selected.

 

Gotcha. I am usually in sport, auto and dynamic in ordinary driving. I manually shift to keep it in 3rd or 4th on favorite back roads, which I take as much as possible. I use 4th, 5th and 6th on freeways if I shift it myself. Mileage drops from 22 to 13-15 when I do the shifting. Still, the Jag at 13 mpg is cheaper than taking vacations with much more immediate effects. I would feel more comfortable revving it all the time if I had an oil temp gauge.

Sport+auto+dynamic will almost do what I would do, except if I am not hard in the gas it does seek 5th or 6th a bit too readily, although not on corners. It will drop back a gear or three easily and hold those gearss for quite awhile, certainly through all corners.

The main problem with auto mode is that If I am into the throttle enough to keep the trans out of 5th and higher gears, I end up driving so fast it is ridiculous. Using the manual option is smarter than chancing a ticket for 100+ MPH.

 

Precisely.

Manual mode allows me to continually enjoy the engine audio feedback (which is my favorite part of the car) by keeping the engine in the sweet spot of the rev range at speeds below license suspension levels.