Hello, I recently purchased a used 2019 Jaguar f type R. I love the car and have a few questions.

1. I haven’t been able to find a post about this but I have a US car so my active spoiler only goes up after 70mph. I’m curious if there is a way to remove a plug or a fuse and just have the spoiler permanently up when driving or parked. I do not care for it being down and then popping up. I think it looks best rolling around with the spoiler up. Maybe there is some connecting arm I can unbolt to prevent it from closing ? Or some software tuning that allows me to manually control it with the button ? Please let me know.

2. I seem to have some sort of leak or something dripping from the car after hard driving. It is a clear non oily liquid that is dripping down and off the transmission pan. It is not leaving a stain so it’s most definitely water based but doesn’t look like coolant or any type of trans fluid or oil. I was thinking AC condenser but it only happened after hard driving and the location did not seem right. I do not have access to a lift either. Need to buy a new jack.

3. My front tires are dry rotted from sitting in storage so I’m looking at new ps4s. I want to run 265/35/20 in the front and 305/30/20 in the rear. These will be slightly wider and slightly taller than stock for both front and rear. However I am worried about the awd system and do not want to mess up my diff or any of the systems involved because of the miss match of tires. The ratios should be close to the stock tire ratio but obviously the speedometer will be a little off (I’m not worried about that) but just wanna make sure the car will be fine with larger tires all around before committing to them. Let me know you personal experiences.

If you can help with any of these questions it would be much appreciated.

 

Most seem to want the spoiler to never go up, but to each their own. I find it looks ridiculous up, my opinion only. Kinda makes sense that it doesn’t look the best overall, as that is not the point. The point is down force when you need it at higher speed. The shape on the back of this car is such a beautiful thing that I find that going up just ruins that. Have you considered leaving it down and adding the OEM fixed wing option? That actually might look nicer depending on your thoughts about it. There is a guy with an F-type based channel on YouTube called MrGB. If memory serves he added the OEM wing to his after the fact.

Quick thread search yielded this:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...f-type-150102/

Lots of threads on here involving people upping tire size on these F-types. I would suggest a search on that, but I’m sure lots of people will have a more direct answer for ya. I doubt you wll have any issues doing that.

As for the leak, if you’re sure it’s likely water that obviously certainly makes it less concerning. Maybe your aggressive driving made the water migrate a bit or something to areas that made it more confusing or something. Hard to say. Is there black stuff in it? Have read the exhausts can drop watery stuff black deposits and make it seem like there is a problem when there is not…

Welcome to the forum

 

I suggest you cut back on the aggressive driving until you replace the rotted tires!!

 

Yes I have seen his YouTube channel and love the look of his car. Unfortunately I just bought my f type 3 days ago and don’t really have the funds to be spending 2-3k for a fixed wing setup. And there is no oil or anything black in the leak. It did have a type of coolant texture but no color. It was 100% clear and evaporated in seconds when I moved my car to check what type of liquid it was. No stain was left off the ground so I’m not too too worried about it. I have seen where the exhaust leaks are and this was more in the middle of the car dripping off the trans.

 

yes definitely 😂. I was just coming home from work and stopped by a good friends house to show him the new car so we went for a quick 2 minute spin around the block (70mph max) but I am definitely not beating on it with dry rot. Don’t want to risk it too much.

 

I feel ya...It costs that much, eh? Ouch.

Frankly, if that fluid has texture then you need to worry about it. At minimum keep a close eye on fluid levels until you have clearer info about what is happening. Sounds to me like you DO have a coolant leak likely? What else could it really be? Did you buy it from a dealer or used car place? Perhaps you could argue that it is their problem to find/fix. Not sure.

Everyone on this forum reminds over and over how important it is to watch for coolant leaks, take them very seriously, etc...

I don't yet have an F-type, but I have ordered one and will certainly be diligent. The engine is solid, but its some of the plastic bits around the engine you need to be cognizant of (like a lot of performance cars these days)...Particularly in the earlier F-types that don't have the revised coolant pipes etc...Even then people are converting those over to metal in a lot of cases from what I gather on the forum here...

Best of luck...Congrats on your car. Sure you will get it sorted eventually.

Cheers

 

yes I did lots of research on these and the Y pipe was the only thing I could think of (location wise makes sense too). This is a 2019 model so it has the remedy for that issue that the early models suffered from. And I looked in the engine bay with a flash light and did not see any sort of liquid coming from the top of the engine or around the coolant pipes. I was thinking maybe some sort of coolant overflow pipe that flows down. The amount of liquid that came out was no worrying to me, but if it continues to leak a little every day I will start to worry a lot more. It was less than 2 tablespoons of liquid. And stopped leaking after about 30 seconds of parking. Also the extrude could just be from oils and dirt that are on the trans and getting picked up while it’s dripping. I used to own a bmw 335i and had every coolant leak known to man 😂and it doesn’t have the consistency of coolant or the color but I will keep my eye on it every time I drive. Thanks for the response.

 

Water on the ground after driving could easily be condensation from the A/C evaporator, which would be normal. I can't think of anything else that would clear and evaporate immediately.

For the spoiler, I've got no help. I went with the fixed one. As mentioned, most that want to modify the operation are looking to disable it completely.

For the tires, I'm running those sizes but on rims 1/2" wider. I was going up from 19" so spec'd width and offset to work best with those sizes. I think the tire mounting is within the acceptable range, but that's easy enough to check on sites like tirerack.

 

The AC drain terminates in the transmission tunnel directly above the transmission, sounds like the likely source of the water you mention

 

thanks for confirming. I assumed it was that. There is no leak when I let the car idle on flat ground (AC off) for 15 minutes. Only happens when I drive home from work with AC full blast and then park it on my driveway at an angle it would dump a small amount out.

 

I concur with lizzardo: Your non-leak is water condensation from the A/C.
Your wheel width will remain within the tire manufacturer's specifications for your proposed tire sizes, but you cannot not go any wider than that without compromising the contact patch.

 

On jag uk they can spec the fixed wing on a new car for like 300 British pounds or so…seems insane it would be 3k after the fact…geez

 

Bulding a car exclusively from the parts department is always very expensive!

 

Doesn't the dash spoiler button keeps it up all the time? Otherwise, what is it for? As mentioned, most folks would like to never deploy, which is exactly what I'd like to do too if I end up with one. Otherwise, even with the spoiler button on the dash off, it goes up at 70 or so, whether you like it or not. But with that button depressed, it should stay up. I don't see any other function for that thing. Or maybe just for maintenance? My ex-Cayman GTS had that button too, and if pressed, it always stayed up, even after turning engine off. Give it a try, and see what happens.

 

Nup, the spoiler doesn't work that way, see your Owner Manual which says:
Automatic mode (Convertible only)
The DRS will automatically deploy when the
vehicle reaches a speed of 96 km/h (60 mph).
The DRS will automatically retract if the
vehicle's speed is below 64 km/h (40 mph).
Automatic mode (Coupe only)
The DRS will automatically deploy when the
vehicle reaches a speed of 113 km/h (70 mph).
The DRS will retract if the vehicle's speed is
below 80 km/h (50 mph).
Manual mode
Press the switch to manually deploy the DRS
at speeds below 96 km/h (60 mph) on the
Convertible, 113 km/h (70 mph) on the Coupe.
The switch will illuminate to confirm.
Note: The DRS can also be manually deployed
when the vehicle is stationary, for maintenance.
Note: The DRS will not automatically retract
when in manual mode. It is advisable to return
the DRS to automatic mode, when manual mode
is no longer required.
Press the switch again to return to automatic
mode. The switch lamp will extinguish to
confirm. The DRS will retract if the vehicle's
speed is below 64 km/h (40 mph) on the
Convertible, 80 km/h (50 mph) on the Coupe.
Note: If the vehicle is stationary, or the vehicle's
speed is below 21 km/h (13 mph), the switch
must be continually pressed until the DRS is
fully retracted. If the retraction is aborted, then
release the switch and press again to return to
the fully deployed position.

 

Seems like the Aussie mode is like the UK one - you can manually deploy the spoiler when moving by the button. AIUI, US cars have the button only work when stationary for maintenance/cleaning purposes - a few owners have expressed envy at us lucky Brits.

 

No, not in the U.S.. with the coupe. With the engine off and the ignition on, you can hold the button down and force the spoiler into cleaning mode, where it will raise up so you can wash under it. As soon as you start the car and start driving, it will lower back down.

 

If it is coolant check the expansion tank plumbing.

 

My 2014 v8 f-type gets a condensation drip off the exhaust in the center of the car after it cools down. When it evaporates there is a black smoke swirl where the water was. Same stuff that drips out of a tail pipe.

 

Only with the coupes in the US. The US convertibles can deploy or retract the spoiler at speed and it will stay deployed even if you come to a stop.