I bought an '03 XKR convertible recently, and while it's the nicest car I've ever seen, it seems slightly underpowered. I'm not able to peel-out from a dead stop, which seems odd for a 400-hp car. Is this normal? Could it be because I'm in regular automatic "Drive" rather than the left side gear-shift manual selection? Could it be the traction control on the fritz? Even my old Porsche 924 with 135-hp would break the tires in 1st and 2nd gears. Thanks for the help.

 

I went on YouTube and looked at other people doing 0-60 runs, and they don't peel out either. I guess it's just the design of the car. It'd be nice to break the tires, though. I had the most fun with my 2nd Porsche; it would break the tires ALL the way through 1st and 2nd gears, and partially through third. It was slower than the XKR, but it felt faster just from the sheer noise and violence.

 

Well do you have DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) on or off? With it on, you will never spin the tires. As soon as one tire starts to spin DSC will brake that wheel and cut power, then when it stops you can accelerate again.. I hate DSC, I turn it off every time I start the car. My S-Type will get sideways in 1st and 2nd so I don't think your XK should have any trouble. The people running from 0-60 on youtube are purposely not spinning their tires as that will hurt your time.. same with 1/4 miles. Also if you just bought the car it probably needs a tune up (air filter, fuel filter, s/c belt, plugs, and some injector cleaner).. On an 03' you will probably pick up close to 30hp by just changing the belt.. Once they get older they start to stretch out and start slipping on the pulley rather than spinning the s/c.. Good luck and check on the DSC.

Eric

 

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I make sure the DSC light is off, but I wonder if it's actually turning off or not. I'm not used to driving an automatic, this is the first one I've owned. I'm used to bringing the engine to redline and ripping the clutch. Common sense is telling me that reving it in neutral and then clicking it down to "drive" is probably bad for the transmission...is that correct? From a dead stop I just floor the gas pedal like there's no tomorrow, and the pickup is brutally awesome, but the tires stay grounded. Interestingly, the only YouTube video out there of an XKR breaking the tires is doing donuts. I wish they would've offered this car in a manual trans for more sporty driving. The "manual gear selector" J-gate is rather pointless without a clutch. Thanks again for the info!

 

Well you actually want the DSC light (the orange light with the car laying down a burnouts) to be on.. that is how it warns you that it is turned off. I know that sounds backasswards but I guess the majority of the owners that have no need to turn it off would rather not see it. Definitely stay away from the neutral drops.. That is very bad for the tranny. I too wish we had a manual option, but I guess you have to buy a Chevy, Dodge, or Audi to get a V8 with a 6 speed. British cars are more refined and luxurious, and I guess shifting a manual is just not considered classy.

 

Oh. My. God. Thank you so much for the DSC info! I would have never thought that the light being ON meant that it was OFF...that is really backwards, haha. Well now I get to try something new on the way home from work! This should be awesome.

Also, you said that the YouTube people doing the 0-60 runs purposefully wanted to keep their wheels from losing traction, so does that mean they leave the DSC turned-on and floor the hell out of it to get the best acceleration? Thanks again.