I just bought an '03 XKR, and it's fast as hell. But I've noticed that the car doesn't really "peel out" unless when doing donuts. I watched all of the YouTube videos of people trouncing on their XKR's, doing 0-60 and 1/4-mile runs with them, and they don't peel out either. They just take-off like one of those quick remote-controlled race cars, keeping the tires grounded. Is this just the design of the vehicle? I have the DSC off and a new set of fat Pirelli's. Does anyone else get their XKR to spin the tires from a dead stop in 1st? Thanks.

 

I rarely, if ever, really kick the accelerator but I have also noticed this, probably because of the experience I have with my 95 Corvette which is also an automatic. With the Vette, a moderate or hard acceleration from dead stop frequently causes a tire chirp or more but this does not seem to be the case with my XKR. The Corvette presumably has about 300hp and 340ft-lb torque while the XKR has 390hp and 399ft-lb torque. Tire width for both cars is the same (285) but the wheels on my Vette are 17" while those on the XKR are 20". Also, the Corvette is much lighter than the Jaguar. Moreover, I have to say the the Corvette is much more responsive to even light taps on the accelerator compared with the Jaguar (at least is feels that way).

Doug

 

Try using the j-gate in 2 and does the XKR even have a sport mode button to force it to start in 1st? Not much help am I.

 

The lack of being able to choose and hold 1st gear is a major disappointment. With all of the automatics I have owned and driven, the Jaguar is one of the very few that does not let you select 1st gear.

The transmission on the Jaguar also seems much mushier than I am used to on the Corvette. When I manually downshift the automatic in the Corvette or even my wife's Acura TL, you instantly feel the effect of the engine braking. Doing the same on the Jaguar is not the same.

Doug

 

Perhaps turning off the traction control will aid in the peel out.

 

Hmm...it seems like the XKR guys and XJR guys are after the exact same opposite thing. I wish my XJR could hook up when I launch...it is almost impossible to get off the line clean if I mash gas from a dead stop. Even rolling on the throttle too aggressively will make the car break loose...

Have you guys tried powerbraking? I know when i first tried that, I laid two black strips for at least 300ft. Peeling out at the top of 3rd is quite epic in a Jaguar.

 

I have no prob spinning the tires with the DSC off and the sport mode on in my 01 XKR.