Hi, is there a way to make my 2004 XJ8 start in second gear? It's so jumpy at takeoff from stop signs, nothing wrong with it, there is just way too much power for first gear. I don't race at lights but drive this car gentle.

My XFR for example can be started in second gear by selecting 2 with paddle shifters but XJ8 doesn't have them. Starting in second would also help
me drive in winter.

Thanks

 

Would it work by putting it in 2nd gear on the left side of the j gate shifter?

 

I believe that in the non sport or regular mode the transmission does start out in second gear. First gear is only used in the sport mode.
RyeJag

 

I have a 2004 XJ8 and I have the same problem. I must be very careful when starting from a standstill to avoid chirping the right rear tire. I believe that this is caused by a combination of: 1. no limited slip differential. 2. 17" wheels. 3. starting up in 1st gear. 4. Good low speed torque.

I really think the car always starts in 1st, no matter where the shift lever is. If you put it in "2" watch the tachometer. It shows a shift point at about 15-20 mph. You should be able to hear the shift as well. So you start out in 1st and shift to 2nd automatically.

When I took my xj8 to the drag strip, I ran it in Drive, Sport mode, but left the traction control on. I had read to do this on this forum. The car did not burn rubber even though I floored the accelerator off the line.

I don't know how this works. I just keep a light foot when I start moving.

Tom

 

I know your X350's have a different tranny, but my 308 gear starts in 2nd gear unless sport mode is selected, then it starts in 1st.
Vector

 

These cars start out in 1st gear regardless of Sport mode. Not sure that manual 2nd will start out in 2nd gear either... I think it just limits to 2nd as the max upshift. Similar to putting it in 4 around town, it will shift 1-2-3-4 and stop, doesn't start out in 4th gear.

 

Hmm, my understanding is the cars start off in 2nd and only go down to 1st if the owner wellies it. This can then give a very hard change that snaps one's neck off so-to-speak. I have to say, I also don't like the tak-off from rest, but have now got used to it, (mostly anyway!!)

 

Thanks everyone, i'm getting used to it but it's a bit anoying, it has plenty of torque so second gear start should be standard. I remember my old W140 S500 Merc had a sdcond gear start and i loved it. I drove wifey's R350 today with the 7spd auto and it starts in first as well.

 

Perhaps there's a difference between model years or engine combinations. I put my stick in 4th this morning, accelerate normally, I go through 4 gears. Also not using Sport mode. As far as I can tell, my '06 always starts in 1st gear.

I agree that the car has a poor throttle tip-in. Took a few weeks of driving before I got used to the touchy throttle from dead stops.

 

I know what you mean, once you get used to the pedal you can control it better. I have tried the J-shifter in 2nd, but it still starts in 1st. I havent tried/noticed non-sport mode. And it's even worse with the XJR, I have to warn people (the very few that get this privilege) who drive it, and they never can take off with anything but a chirp.

 

Hmmm. "Wellies it".

I assume that that is a term used in the UK equivalent to "floors it" or "puts the hammer down"

Am I correct?

Tom

 

Correct. 'Wellies' ... Wellington Boots

But 'Give/Giving it some Wellie' (Put your foot down on the accelerator) is NOT the same as 'Give/Giving it/him/her the Boot' which means 'to throw it/him/her out' of a place or organisation.

On the other hand 'Give it some boot' would mean 'Put your foot down'.

'Boot it' could mean 'Put your foot down', or it could simply mean kick it (depends on the context).

And we haven't even mentioned computers ...

 

As to the original question I'm pretty sure my 2.7 Tdvi starts in 1st. I took some friends on a bell ringing trip around Leicestershire yesterday and several times found myself apologising to them for taking off rather rapidly at road junctions; the accelerator certainly seems very sensitive to small initial increments when starting from rest (in non-sport mode).

My old Mercedes 190E (2.6) had a four-speed auto box (P,N,D,3,2) and that had an S/E switch. That stood for Standard/Economy. It would normally start in 2nd but if you put your foot down a bit (but not as far as the kick-down switch) it would drop down to 1st IF you were in Standard mode. In Economy mode it would stay in 2nd all the way down to the k/d switch and only drop into 1st if you actually clicked the switch.

 

Thanks Patrick the Cat,

We use "give it/him the boot" to mean the same thing, (throw out). We also use "dig your/his heels in". This comes from cowboy lore. If a person is on one end of the rope and a cow on the other, digging in your heels prevents the cow, (hopefully), from pulling you along. So it means "resist stubbornly".

Tom

 

I get a much smoother launch since I cleaned the throttle body. Since the throttle "cable" is electronic you can't feel the butterfly valve stick the first few degrees on opening. I could feel it stick slightly as I cleaned it and opened & closed it. Also, my idle throttle position was at 3-4 degrees before cleaning and 0-1 degrees after. Make sure to clean the area where the butterfly meets the opening. Also, only use throttle body cleaner, not anything else.

 

I'd agree, mine always starts in 1st, did the same as above, I haven't ried counting the gears up to top yet to see if you can feel the converter lock up, which would give the impression of a 7 speed. (this was very evdient in the old X300, at 53 mph gently accelerating), I have noticed when in sport that the gearing at say 70 is the same but at 90 it appears to stay in a lower gear even when steady with the throttle, appearing not to use 6th, not sure if the converter locks up or not.

I have noticed the gear change quality in normal mode from 1st - 2nd when pulling away steady is a bit poor, in sport it allows a few more revs and changes quicker, all in all I prefer sport, but fuel consumption would suffer if cruising above 75-80 (hard not to).

 

This is true--in sport mode the trans will not go into 6th gear. I believe the owner's manual say this. But it should still be able to lock up the TCC in lower gears. I can't remember if it was this trans or another, but I recall reading that it can engage TCC in any gear.

Shouldn't really feel the TCC on these cars. Back in the early days of lockup torque converters they were on/off with very simple controls. Since the '90s most have gone to a PWM type control which allows for a seamless lockup. And if Jag uses a viscous type converter clutch, should really never feel anything.

 

I recently bought my first XJ8 and also noticed a harsh gear change from 1st to 2nd when pulling away reasonably briskly, like I had been in other cars.

I'm not sure whether I'm just getting used to anticipating the change up and controlling the throttle to make for a smoother change, or whether this gear box is capable of 'learning' and adapting to a new driver's style?

Is there a way to reset the gearbox controller, so that it can learn from scratch how I drive, rather than having to adapt from the previous owner's first 100K miles?

 

Very interesting thread specially for new owner of 2004 XJ8. Driving always like to know which gear is currently engaged. This is very hard to determine in xj8 because of very silk like shifting. Had similar problem in my Moto Guzzi motorcycle and installed single digit indicator. Very helpful specially in have traffic. At that point would like to ask if anyone has chart with relations among RPM, vehicle speed and gear number for XJ8, like for instance speed on each gear at 2000 RPM?

 

Assuming that the final drive ratio is 3.07:1 (I would check that) then for the ZF 6-speed gearbox I calculated the following (only holds when the torque converter is locked of course):

-1st -- 2nd -- 3rd -- 4th -- 5th -- 6th
4.17 / 2.34 / 1.52 / 1.14 / 0.87 / 0.69 Box ratio
12.80 / 7.18 / 4.67 / 3.50 / 2.67 / 2.12 O/all ratio
6.3 / 11.2 / 17.2 / 23.0 / 30.1 / 38.0 mph/1000rpm

Sorry the column spacing is a bit awry, but you get the idea.