OK so I've fallen in love with driving standard, ever since my friend taught me to drive standard in her brand new Soul, even though I burned the clutch, but only once. HOWEVER the J-gate is just as much fun, so once you get to the fourth gear, do you just push the gear shift into drive for 5th, or does it only go up to the 4rth gear??

I havn't tried this just pushing it in yet, im worried it might damage or ruin the transmission.

This car has way more power in the j gate, from what ive noticed.

 

Disco, shift over to D any time you want. The computer will control things from there. NO need to worry about doing something wrong. If I remember right, you can in theory shift into "2" while at highway speed. The computer will see the error of this and keep the car in and appropriate gear (the lowest gear that keeps the RPMs below the redline).

As for the car making more power when using the J-gate, that is all in your butt-dyno. Where you are feeling the difference is you are allowing the engine to rev higher than the computer does. When this happens, the engine is capable of making more power. With more power comes more acceleration. You can get the same thing from simply pressing on the gas pedal harder. It is all a matter of whether you are shifting for power or for comfort. Unfortunately, the tranny computer is set to shift for comfort.

 

I use the J gate all the time when I'm trying to drive a little more quickly.. The computer is sometimes a step behind on downshifts when you leave it in D even with Sport mode on, so I prefer to just hit them on my own.

 

Disco, just wanted to say congrats on a post that is easy to read. Your education must be coming along swell...

I use the Gate often when coming down long steep hills around here that have a low speed limit. Drop into 4th or 3rd and get some engine braking help so I don't get picked up by the local cops doing 50 in a 35. Sometimes when attacking a hill from a slow corner I'll drop down a gear to prepare and get the engine spun up on the turn. You gotta row the 2.5 a bit more....

 

hahaha your comment made me laugh literally out loud. Well you know, i thought I would start writing and typying better since I am gonna be a doctor possibly. Might as well not get the patients killed by accident.

Maybe thermo, I think thats what it is, but it feels way faster, and way more fun, I wish I had waited abd purchased a standard 3.0l now, or a s-type r, which was the same price one week later.

Thanx for the answer, this question was really bothering me.

 

does driving in the j-gate mess anything up? I have always wanted to drive with it but I never had because I thought it could mess something up. (Im pretty cautious)

 

I have a manual trans so this doesnt apply to me BUT.... When I was at my local Jaguar shop (JagPro). The owner said that shifting through the J gate is the worst things you can do to that transmission and not to do it..

 

Maybe he just didn't know how to use it properly?

Is there some kind of guide or manual that can help teach n00bs how to use the J Gate?

 

I just came from Jagpro on Friday, he did some work on my 03 X-Type and I told him I was using the J Gate to down shift and he said to me that is the best way to blow the transmission out. I believe if you check in the Forum you will find that the Transmission and the Transfer Case are major weak points of this car. If you blow the Transmission you are looking at a $4000 - $7000 repair/replacement.

 

Shifting with the J Gate I compare to how you use the gas pedal on this car. You take it easy with the gas pedal, the car will last a long time. You start using the J Gate to hold the tranny in gear until you hit the red line and then go to the next gear, of course you will have issues. The J Gate is using all the same components as the computer does except now the human is controlling when the tranny shifts. The only difference I am aware of is that when you start out in "2", the tranny is literally in 2nd gear vice when in drive, the tranny is in 1st gear. Also, in "3" the tranny is locked into 3rd gear at all times. So, when using "2" and "3", the amount of slippage that the torque converter will see will be more. The more the torque converter slips, the more heat the fluid will see, therefore leading to a shorter transmission life. A general rule of thumb is for every 10F rise in fluid temperature that is sustained, it cuts the life of the tranny in half above 200F. Keep the tranny temps down under 180F, easy to get 300K miles out of the tranny. Take the tranny temp up to 300F, even for a short period of time, you are down to around 5K miles of life.

Of note, when using the "4" spot on the J Gate, the tranny will shift through gears 1 to 4 and back as the computer deems appropriate.

If you are wanting a quote from out of JTIS, I can provide that as it gives recommendations of when to use the various gears based on situations. But, if you are just looking for a bit more sport from the car, using the J Gate is a viable option as long as you are not hammering the car hard.

 

Another thing is, is he referring to a range of specific X-Type model years or could any X-Type share the same susceptibility (i.e., a 2003 vs a 2008)?

 

All yrs have the same transmission.. And like he said the auto trans/transfer case are the weak links/expensive fixes on X-Types.

 

I....see...

 

hmm this seems sketchy...

 

jaggyX, what seems sketchy? Maybe I can help put a little bit of clarification into the situation. I admit that using the J Gate feature can lead to issues if not done correctly, but in certain situations, it can also be a life saver and get you out of a mess.

 

NO it doesnt, the tranny will shift from 2 to 3 or 4 even if you have in 2 at redline. and it wont downshift until safe. Even if you go from 4 to 2 at 50mph. Matter of fact you can shift into reverse and it wont do that either.

 

yeah right....., thats a bunch of (see icon )
starting your car is the worse thing you can do to it.. let it sit in the garage under cover. itll never break if you never start it...

 

ok thermo, thanks in advance for the clarification. So if im driving around using the j gate and I shift it every time around 3k rpms it should be fine. I mean I understand the logic, the computer is just waiting for you to tell it to shift.

Is this similar to steptronic?

 

Tiptronic like Porshe? YES, but not as precise, same with the late jags with paddle shifters too. But again a lazy version

 

ok, I'll give it a shot and see if anything funky happens.