Ever since I updated the exhaust system on my car, I am finding myself more often than not, using the J-Gate as a substitute for manual transmission. Especially if I get stuck in traffic, I leave the gear selector in it's lowest position (2) in order to get some revs and sound out of the engine. Because the SC engines produce most of its torque in the 1500 - 3000 RPM range, It is very rare that I get to hear roar of the engine. I rarely go above 3000RPM.
Does anyone else use the J-Gate to switch gears in daily driving? Am I harming the transmission by switching gears manually?

 

Personally NO !! I never use the J gate i let the Auto Box do all the work.
I also had a new SS system fitted by VORTEX and i get the burble on tick over and through the range, power wise the "sport" button keeps my hair on fire !!!!

 

I have shied away form using the j-gate because (perhaps I'm wrong about this) It seems like it is harder on the transmission. I am also curious as to whether others who use it regularly have encountered any problems doing so.

 

I don't often use the J gate, but do on occasion. It shouldn't harm the transmission, though, assuming you drive the same way. The transmission won't be doing anything that it wouldn't otherwise do in shifting up and down on its own.

There may be some additional wear on the selector and maybe some other components, because lets face it, you WON'T drive the same way when you shift manually.

 

check this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...k-miles-85621/

just more fun with the J-gate

 

Funny thing, with previous cars (especially my last one which was a Corvette) I would more frequently do "manual" shifting than I do with the Jaguar. For one thing, ALL previous cars had downshifting pattern in a straight line towards the driver and upshifting was away from the driver towards the front. With the stupid J-gate it becomes the opposite once you go around the bottom of the J. So it was awkward for me to get used to anyway so I didn't much bother. Second--this is the first auto trans car I had where you cannot engage/hold first gear. Third--for some reason the "pushback" or braking from the engine at lower gears is much wimpier (?) than in previous cars--especially the Corvette. In the Corvette if I was rolling along and wanted to brake, I would get some amazing engine braking at almost any speed--not so with the XKR. I suppose the lower compression due to the supercharger has something to do with that. So all in all there is not as much fun or reason to fool around with manually shifting the J-gate in my opinion.

Doug

 

I use the j-gate on occasion, more for downshift braking rather than upshift acceleration. As Doug said in the previous post, the braking of the trans is rather "wimpy," not doing a whole hell of a lot. But, driving through the "s" curves of Coldwater, Benedict, and Beverly Glen canyons nearly everyday, it just takes some of the time I'm riding the brake pedal away. It's not really a fun factor transmission as the F-type's appears to be.

 

Sheesh, gentlemen. These cars were NOT designed to be exclusively driven by grandfathers (even though I must confess to being a grandpa). The Randle-handle is there for a reason. When it is appropriate, push that magic button and flick the lever to the left! Even though I have just a "plain" V8 S-Type, whenever I am in the twisties in the NC "mountains", the J-gate is irresistible. Not enough engine braking? You must be in too high a gear. Flick down a couple of gears, hit that apex, and nail the throttle. The old girl will give you nothing but grins.

 

I am +1 J-Gate fan. It's as close to manual (omitting the paddle option) as it gets. My JagX has close to 130K, and I have begun to "shift at about 100k...love the control and actual rapidness of upshift once you keep it in second and let it rev up above 5k then change to 3, rev up, 4...aaaand tired D concludes the rush .
Never had problems so far...statement that usually triggers disaster I am afraid. Keep shifting, mate. It's much more Jag especially on my bare XK8 .

 

+1 Sure Jaguar wouldn't have put it there if it wasn't to USED.

 

I actively used the j-gate in all my cars... I found the added control helpful not only in playing around but especially in inclement weather or wet windy roads.

 

Use the "J" gate by all means, it is handy when touring through country roads. But don't forget as I did and leave it in 3 when doing some enthusiastic overtaking. I completely forgot and could not understand why I was about to hit an on coming truck ...where had all my acceleration gone. An emergency trouser change was implemented at the next stop.

 

From everyone who's responded (thank you all), it seems that half the people use it and half the people do not. I for one get a kick out of using it. As I said before, in traffic especially, I find it useful, because leaving the selector in 2, reduces the number of up-shifts and downshifts, therefore reducing the wear and tear (IMO) on the tranny.

 

I agree about keeping the selector in a lower gear for commuter driving around local streets where speeds typically stay 30-40 mph at most. In those cases I frequently just leave it in second or third. As I mentioned I enjoyed "manually" shifting other cars I have had with automatics (did it with the Corvette all the time) but the transmissions in our cars are so smooth, even when manually shifting, that it still does not nearly feel as fun. I guess it has to do with the fact that our transmissions were designed to mask the shifts as much as possible (whether in automatic of J-gate manual).

Doug

 

I used it on the out of town raceing because theres always someone in a bmw or a merc that think they have fast cars

 

Use it in the mountains of NC to reduce heat on the brakes. Well that's what I tell the wife!! Shift on and enjoy.