I got a 2003 S type with the 4.2 NA and not a Sport model this summer. It only has 58,000 miles and is in good shape. I was thinking of taking it to a local autocross meet once in awhile. Before I got this car I had a little 2600lb 240SX and autocrossing it didn't hurt anything but the tires. I was wondering if autocrossing the S Type would do a lot of damage to the suspension etc. or if the car can take the abuse. The steering and suspension are great now. If anyone does autocross theirs, any tips on making the car work better would be appreciated too, such as putting the trans in the "manual" position #2 or just leave it in D with sport mode, etc. They usually set up a tight twisty track. Thanks

 

I think you'll be quite disappointed. These cars are highway cruisers. They're too heavy and not nimble enough for autocrossing. Good luck with it if you decide to try it, though....

 

>I think you'll be quite disappointed. These cars are highway cruisers.

Au contraire, I regularly "slalom" my '08 4.2 with my local Jaguar club (I'm the Slalom Event Co-Chair) and I regularly spank XJSs, X-Types, XKs, MGs, Triumphs...

But it is all relative. Since you are out there alone you are only competing against yourself. The whole point is to try to get quicker each time you run. It is a matter of practice and skill nothing more.

No you're not going to be fastest-of-the-day but you will have great satisfaction in beating your own time when you run.

I encourage everyone to seek out your local Jaguar club and run their event. It is a standardized layout that is used by all Jaguar clubs. That means that your times are comparable between dates. You can see how your skills develop over the years since you will always be running the same course, every where. That also means that you can compare your times in your particular car against other driving the same car at other events through out the US and Canada, at least.

And no, you really won't damage your car. The runs are short (about a minute +/-) and there is plenty of cool-down time between runs. Maximum speeds will also probably be short of 60mph and that would be on a long and open track. On the relatively short Jaguar course (its why everyone runs the same layout it can "fit" pretty well everywhere) I never get out of second.

Track sessions, on the other hand, at a real race course, are a completely different animal entirely... =:-0
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Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car
Oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car
Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, and
Torque is how far you take the wall with you

 

I do not do Autocross, but I am a certified precision driver, and I can tell you that - on a course where there are lots of tight turns (i.e. slowdowns) and where I seldom reach highway speeds - I always start in 2nd gear and keep it there. 2nd gear gives me exceptional speed control in the twisty turns (where most drivers struggle), yet allows me to power through short straightaways simply by stomping the pedal to the floor.

If I hit a stretch of open road where 2nd isn't appropriate, I might shift to 3rd, or (rarely) even 4th. Then, when the road gets dicey again and I need maximum control of my car at highest speed I downshift to 2nd as soon as possible.

WARNING: When driving fast in 2nd gear and you back off the accelerator the car decelerates VERY quickly. It feels like you're pumping the brakes hard without using the brake pedal. This is what I mean by "speed control". It takes a little getting used to, so may I suggest that you familiarize yourself with this technique before hitting the track. It will be your best friend once you master it.

Only you can make the call as to which gear is the best choice for your situation, but you'd be surprised how fast the car will go in 2nd gear and how much control you will have over it.

Also, have you considered upgrading your shocks to Heavy Duty or the Sports Suspension shocks (if available for your car), and ensuring all other suspension components are as tight as possible? This will minimize bounce and roll and ensure your Autocross times are optimal.


On another note: Your car is now 12 years old. Parts availability for the S-Type is starting to becoming limited, and these cars can be quite expensive to repair if you break something, especially if it's a repair you cannot perform yourself. Are you really sure you want to risk damaging your Jag?

In any event, let us know how you do with the Autocross events and do post video if you can. Good luck!
Steve

 

If you decide to go through with this type of event, please post a link to a video.

 

Thanks a lot for all the replies and advice. I guess I'll try it out this month and see how the Catmobile does, if it's not raining. Hopefully it won't hurt anything. You gotta let the kitty roar once in a while, right? I wish there was a local Jaguar club, but there is a sports car club, so close enough, I guess. Oh a couple of more things, is it best to leave the traction control on and what air pressure is good on stock tires, I was thinking of raising the pressure to about 38lbs? Does anyone know what the speed ranges are on the "manual" side of the J? The owner's manual doesn't say. That question might deserve its own thread, but I thought that I'd add it here.

 

Jag traction control is a mystery to me, so I don't mess with it. I just let it do what it does.

PAB might have a suggestion here based on his experience.

re: Tire Pressure - If it were me, I would LOWER the tire pressure to the lowest pressure recommended for my tires. Lower pressure will put more rubber on the ground. It will also give the tires more room to expand as they heat up from the stress of the course.

I have no idea, but as I've said above, you can go quite fast in those low gears. Just don't try driving the Interstate in 2nd or 3rd gear!

If no one on the Jag Forum has an answer, you might try posing this question on a BMW or Maserati Forum, or directly to ZF.

See this link too -
Wikipedia - ZF 6HP26 transmission

Which leads me to one other suggestion...if you have not serviced your ZF trans, may I suggest you do that before you start your Autocross career? Then, service it much more frequently thereafter. You don't want the ZF to crap out on you prematurely.

 

I don't know how serious you want to go but when I race I start out with at least 40 psi in the tires. It's a good idea (maybe even mandatory) to bring a compressed air tank to the race. You might be able to get air from another guy too. Tires are the number one thing limiting your times. Besides your driving skills of course!!

Do you know how to chalk a tire? This is the poor boy way of checking if you are rolling the corners over on your tires. The pro's/experienced guys will use an infrared temp gun and check for even temperatures across the tire tread.

If using chalk it's real simple. Put a line across the tread all the way. Now continue the chalk line around the edge of the tread and up onto the outside sidewall. Now make a run. Inspect the chalk and see how far up the sidewall the chalk is rubbed off. If the chalk is still visible at the edge where the tread meets the sidewall you are pretty close to correct. If the chalk mark is gone up on the sidewall you are rolling the edges and the tire needs more air.

Most people think they need to reduce tire pressure when Auto crossing but I have always found the opposite.

These guys are experts.
Autocross Fundamentals
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Yes, raise the tire pressure. No don't turn traction control off you'll just generate wheel spin accelerating from a corner. Try leaving it in 2nd and see if you are hitting the red line.

You don't want to waste time/energy with the auto trans shifting. In fact I really wish that putting it in 2nd forced it to stay in second since it will shift to first when you slow for tight corners and then the car will pause noticeably when you exit the corner and the tranny upshifts to 2nd.
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My karma just ran over your dogma
'08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2

 

Yes, my first instinct was to lower pressure. But after thinking about your comments and the extreme flex to which your tires would be subjected on an Autocross course, increasing pressure and using your chalk technique to determine optimum pressure makes perfect sense.

 

Thanks for all the input. Maybe I will start out with 40lbs, when I autocrossed my old 240SX I used 37-38lbs and the S Type is a lot bigger. Using less air pressure than normal is good for drag racing though. I was afraid everyone would tell me that autocrossing would wear out the suspension quick, but no one has, so I guess they built the cars tough enough to take a little abuse. I thought it would be better with the traction control on, thanks for the conformation. I've changed all the fluids except for the power steering and brake fluid which is next on the list, I'm OK on the maintenance.

 

The suspension is likely quite worn already so expect some parts to quit on you - but then they were near due anyway.

 

+1
My '03 (same MY as OP's) is telling me it's time for some suspension work. Squeaking rear suspension, rattling front sway bar, soft bouncy shocks, all are begging for renewal.

I wouldn't dream of Autocrossing my 12 year old car without addressing / upgrading all those components first, and I'd probably opt for Heavy Duty or Sport grade components where possible.

 

Traction control will kill your exit speeds out of corners, turn it off. I did a couple track days in my STR and only left traction control on for the first session as I was learning the track and the car. After turning it off, the exit speeds increased dramatically and lap times decreased. I used the J-gate as well; the transmission is adaptive, but not nearly fast enough to respond and downshift when I wanted it to.

 

I haven't seen many S-types around the SF Bay fixed up for auto cross either. I just R&R'd most of my suspension and thinking about changing my springs and if my shocks need to be R&R'd, those too. I was looking into wheels as well, I like my Heraldes for now. Good luck with the autocrossing!

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2000 S-Type 4.0L Sport

 

Definitely do it you will have a blast, and whoever tells you these cars can't handle has never driven one to it's limits. People like to call the S-type a highway crusier but it has a very sophisticated suspension that is more than capable at tackling the twisties. My 04str has done many runs through twisty and technical roads and some closed track use. All I have equiped are H/R sport springs paired with Bilstein dampers using the more aggressive sport valving option. This paired with Bridgestone Potenza S04 tires has been excellent at everthing I've thrown at it.

 

When I was RnRing my suspension it kinda reminded me of how an F1 racecar is set up with support everywhere. The car handles like it's on rails after I had my local shop align her with the updated toe specs someone posted on JF. I will be needing tires in the near future and was looking at 255/50/17 yokohamas for the rears and stock fitment for the front. I'll have to check out the Potenzas, it's been awhile since Ive had them and I don't remember any issues on the mountain twistys out here w my Beam E36.

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2000 S-Type 4.0L Sport

 

The S04 is an excellent super sticky tire, just bear in mind it's a 10-15,000 mile tread life. Everything is a trade off of course.

 

Thanks for the heads up, sounds like a good tire for my future forged type wheels.


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2000 S-Type 4.0L Sport

 

Well, the STR is about 3800 lbs. 3500-3800 is about average for modern "sports" cars soooo no, it's actually not that heavy... you are aware of what the new F-typeR coupe weighs right? plus the suspension setup is a top notch aluminum multi-link sla design, the kind of caliber you see on competition cars. The S-type has no problem with technical stretches of pavement with the right tires and alignment.