Hi all

I have a 2007 XKR, although I've googled/read manuals etc. I'm still not fully convinced I know exactly what the sport mode does. I thought it simply allowed more revs per gear.

What exactly happens to the car when put into the 'sport' gear selector?

Thanks

 

It holds the gear higher so it stays in the power band all the time. If in SPORT and the paddles are not used, it's in SPORT-AUTO and the car will do all the shifting. If in SPORT and a paddle is used, even once, the transmission is then in FULL MANUAL. It will NOT shift, but hold at the rev limiter. The downshifts are also held, but Nanny-ware will take it down to second if you stop and forget to shift.
To EXIT Manual Sport, shift into Drive, then back to SPORT and do not touch the paddles.
A warning though, it is a lot of fun, but uses a lot of fuel. It's like Unleashing the Beast.

 

Thanks so much - I was aware of all of it except the fact that using the paddles actually converts it to full manual. I wasn't aware of that. Very helpful.

 

The 4.2 litre cars do actually shift. That is one of the differences between the two gearboxes.

From the 2007 Owners manual:
Shift assist: The transmission will
automatically up-shift at the engine speed
redline in Jaguar Sequential Shift mode
as if commanded manually.

 

Well, that's just cheese

 

You don't have to do this, just pull and hold the right paddle for 2-3 sec and it will revert to Sport Auto.

 

I knew that, just forgot for a bit.

 

One of the other effects, beyond staying in the power band, is that you get more engine braking because the car is more 'active' in dropping the gears rather than just coasting - and it also makes more nice bangs & pops on the downshift, particularly if you have the performance exhaust.

As a side note - Sport mode is best for track driving and canyon carving. If you're doing speed/acceleration runs, it can actually hold the gear too long. I found this on the autobahn - in Sport, it will stick in 5th for ages until it hits over 6000, which actually takes more time than in Drive where it drops into 6th earlier and keeps accelerating. It took me a while to figure that out; mind you, it's not really relevant for any model that's speed-limited to 155.

 

Sorry for my dumb question... but I wonder how do you activate the Sport Mode on the 2008 XKR?
Did I miss a Button somewhere?
I thought it only exists on the 5.0L ?

 

Pull gear selector down to D, then move it to the left.
Also not mentioned, when in Sport mode (if you have active shocks) they will be put in the hard mode.
wj

 

I wasn't aware that the XKR's had a "performance" exhaust. Can anyone explain what this is and how to recognize it?

 

Four tailpipes. The inner two are connected at all times. The outer two get activated by either lack of vacuum from a pump (Remove Fuse #19!) or mechanically, depending upon what year the car. The outer two tailpipes go through less of the silencer. and roughly double the output from there.

 

Cee Jay,

I guess I should have clarified my question. Are there any differences among XKRs for their exhaust systems? I have had a 2008 XKR and a 2009 XKR. Both had what appeared to be the standard four pipe set up but the 2008 was very much more performance sounding than the 2009.......even in sport mode(which should have opened up both sides). Were there any variations installed by Jaguar amongst the XKR's for any given year?

 

Thanks, I thought there was a button to push somewhere more than the S position

 

Unfortunately in 4.2 you can't put your car in 'dynamic mode ' it's strictly computer controlled unless you pull fuse (f14) then it goes to default setting which is firm .

​​​​​​With performance exhaust xk has one resonator dual tailpipes, xkr twin resonators quad pipes and performance exhaust option no resonator however a x-pipe taking placement instead combine with a slightly large bore diameter for the quad pipes.

Performance exhaust was never a option from factory on the 4.2 however the xkr-s 4.2 did come with this exhaust (x-pipe only not rear box) developed by palmersport in their GT3 race car.

My understanding that the difference in the 4.2 & 5.0 performance exhaust is not only the accommodation for e-diff but the x-pipe was in a slightly different position.

It also appears the first performance exhaust for the 5l was trialled in the 2009 XKR Goodwood Special "tweaked the exhaust to be louder and crisper" power was up from 510ps to 530ps for this particular model .

 

In reference to 'S' mode...if I put my 2008 XK selector in 'S', the shocks immediately go to firm and the engine parameters change.
wj

 

Out of interest, have you monitored that with SDD or something similar to see the dampers switch to and stay in hard mode or is that just what you think happens? The dampers in the hard setting is quite bone jarring so I would be surprised if it stays permanently in that mode.

The technical documentation is pretty vague on it and, although it says it uses gear selection as one of the inputs, it implies that it just adjusts how quickly it switches to hard mode by changing the mapping for the longitudinal detection parameters. That implies that it isn't permanently in hard mode.

 

Based on that logic as soon as you place it in paddle mode it'd also change to firm mode which definitely isn't the case DS shouldn't affect the stocks ...however what I have been told is apparently in paddle mode the shifts do happen ever so faster then DS

 

When in drive,push the gear shifter to the left and sport mode will be activated.It's just like the 2007 model and the last year they were made that way was in 2009

 

:-), I only use S on the selector, with DSC, off. (Yes, it does shut off., without removing the fuse.)
Reason being, "Driver Type Recognition" is only activated while in S... you never know when the urge might present itself to kick it ;-)
And as @Ngarara mentions, downshifting (presented through fast-off in the manual, as is shift-adapt, road gradient adaptation and positive torque.) is activated.
Why bother use anything but S...

Cheers!