johnt

Both the manual & automatic version have it. Manual: first gear, clutch in & full throttle - engine will spin up to 3,000 RPM. Release clutch & enjoy the ride. Automatic: Trans in neutral & full throttle - engine will spin up to 3,000 RPM. Pull trans into D & enjoy the ride. Both versions: traction control intervenes & prevents massive tyre smoking & hopefully, no drivetrain damage. I wouldn't do it too often, as the diff mounting bushes will eventually fail.

It isn't launch control, it is launch assist & is intended to get the turbo spooled up by allowing you to have the accelerator pedal flat & not over-rev the engine (& not bog down either). What you do with the clutch is up to you - feather it, dump it or something in between. The auto transmission version is similar - trans in neutral, accelerator flat, pull trans into drive & off you go. In the auto, it limits the revs to 3000. If the auto is in park, the engine revs to the redline. In any case, the traction control will intervene or the wheels will spin, depending on the state of the DSC/traction control button.

52. FG F6 #0320. Previous BA Mk2 XR Turbo. Both new. Both Leather. Both premium sound. Both Auto - IMHO Auto works better with Turbo engines for general use. Different colours!

2011 built - 0320 Lightning Strike Auto

I have had this problem & found the solution - it is caused by incorectly set toe in - some tyre fitters are using plain falcon settings on XRs - the less toe in (or worse, some toe out), the more the inner edge of the tread & shoulder will wear. I had a set of front tyres that only lasted 16,000km - I expect 40,000km - when the replacements were fitted, I asked them to measure the wheel alignment before they started & they found the toe in/out was 0.03 degrees toe out. Less toe in makes the steering more sensitive or twitchy on freeways & increases the dry weather front end grip / oversteer = you can hit lower speed bends like you are on rails - the rear lets go first. It also increases the rearward load on lower front suspension bushes. More toe in provides the opposite. In wet weatther, all bets are off - you may oversteer or understeer, depending on road surface, tyre pressures & wear, driver's right foot. As per the manua,l for the BA series sedans: A plain falcon has between 0.02 degrees toe out & 0.18 degrees toe in, with 0.08 degrees toe in optimum. An XR Falcon has between 0.06 degrees toe in & 0.26 degrees toe in, with 0.16 degrees toe in optimum. Toe out is fun, although expensive - I have never gone through Galston Gorge (northern Sydney) as fast or as easily as with the toe out setting. JohnT.

My steering used to shudder at parking speeds, especially on smooth concrete carparks. Also, the power steering assistance would drop off after about 10 to 15 minutes of driving. The solution was to add a few drops of Nulon E10 from the dregs of the bottle after adding it to the engine oil (E10 is a Teflon based engine oil additive) & after a few days, the shudder went away & the power assistance remained constant - even after an hour in heavy traffic. I suspect that the vanes in the power steering pump stick, instead of moving freely - the Teflon film that builds up helps make them move easily. Incidentally, I have found Nulon products work extremely well. I first used their products in industrial applications in the late 1970s ( I used to design & build custom metalworking machinery) & have used them in every car I have ever owned - you get longer engine life & about 10% better fuel economy. I use my BAII T (auto) as my daily commute & routinely get over 500km per tankfull of fuel (unless the aircon is on a lot & it drops to about 430km) & over 600km on longer interstate trips. One thing when using Nulon - do not use it until your engine has done at least 40,00 km or it will never fully run in - I found this out the hard way on an exchange long motor on my mini (my first car). The little bugger was slower than the old tired engine & remained tight as until I wrote it off... John.