Anyone here very familiar with the fitment of this brake package? I just bought a complete set and wondered if there is anything I should know about the conversion from the Teves R calipers, such as brake lines, etc or will it be entirely plug and play?

Thanks in advance.

 

The Alcon brake system is on our 2009 Portfolio Edition Jags.

In order to have a matched system using the Alcon 6 piston calipers and 4 piston calipers, you should consider securing the proper rotors to match the Alcon's.

The rotors would be 400mm front rotors and 350MM rear rotors that will make using the Alcon calipers have the proper fitment.

I would not use anything else than the factory specs for this system.

 

You should be able to find proper fitment rotors at a place like "Rock Auto". They may not be the Alcon made rotors but will be aftermarket and fit properly.

If you want to send me a PM with your private email I can send you some detailed diagrams of this system. Because the diagrams are highly confidential to Jaguar and Alcon, I won't post them here.

 

Thank you Richard. Having rotors made, they are necessary for the calipers to work.... I was thinking more along the lines of any hardware that might be required for the installation/conversion such a different brake lines, etc. The parts book has different part numbers for the brake lines. Also looks like the shield from the XKR 355mm brakes does not work with the Alcons.

Also, somewhat important perhaps, I am not going to bother with the Brembo parking brake. Any potential issues with not having a parking brake?

 

My opinion....only.

Since the Alcon braking system and the XKR is meant to have the smaller black Brembo parking brake caliber and the XKR has the electronic parking brake in the console, I don't think I would eliminate it.

Of all the components, the Brembo PB should be the lowest cost of all components to install.

I am happy to email the schematics of the Alcon system to you.

 

My concerns with the parking brake are how it mounts to the knuckle. I don't see different part numbers between the standard and R versions, so is it the same? And since the current calipers have the parking brake integrated, how do you move it to the secondary Brembo parking brake?

Also as far as front Alcon caliper clearance, the wheels are big enough, but the metal TPMS valve stems are in the middle of the wheel as opposed to the outer edge of the rim, so they stick out a bit towards the caliper. Any idea of the measurement from the middle of the hub/wheel to the outside edge of the Alcon caliper?

I'll PM you for the schematics you mentioned, but I may have them already. Thank you!

 

Being the E-brake is integrated into the SW I would think if you didn't install it you would have a fault code that you could not erase . It may be possible to fool the system but you would need to see what sensor triggers the code

 

Or here's an idea........ keep the original brake components but get the very best vented rotors and best pads possible. Unless you track it quite often, you probably wouldn't even be able to tell the difference.

 

I have Jaguar rotors and pads about 4000 miles ago. A different pad might make a difference, but when I track the car, I would like to feel confident I have the best possible stopping power.

I have modified almost every square inch of the car including a remap of the PCM for increased torque and HP. Another member here, MaximA also converted to the Alcons, but only the fronts so as to not have to hassle with the e-brake. I'd like to have the Alcons on all 4 corners.

 

jahummer,

The Alcon Performance Brake Package was introduced in the USA with the 2008 XKR Portfolio models and was standard equipment. For 2009, Alcons became a $5,000 option on the XKR Portfolio models. Alcons were not available on the 5.0L X150 models.

In addition to the obvious - calipers, pads, and discs - there are other differences between the standard brake system and the Alcon system. Among those differences are the caliper supports, flex hoses, brake booster, parking brake cable, etc. Those differences are apparent when you look at the replacement parts catalog.

You can compare the parts diagrams here: FRONT BRAKES for 2008 Jaguar XKR. There are several parts diagrams - scroll down to the diagram for Alcon brakes and with Portfolio. Make a note of the Alcon part # and compare it to same part for the 326mm brakes. If it's different, you'll need the Alcon-specific part. Note that this link is for the 2008 XKR, so it it's a Portfolio it has Alcons. That's not the case with the 2009, since not all Portfolio models had the optional Alcons.

Another thing I'm not sure about is if your Senta wheels will fit with the Alcons. My 2009 XKR Portfolio has Alcons, and the OEM Selena front 20x8.5 wheels have a +49mm offset and the rear 20x9.5 wheels have a +26mm offset. I don't know the offsets on the Sentas, but I suspect that they're different from the Selenas.

Also note the comment made by forum member u102768 in his post #5: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...iameter-85415/

"Brembo® and Alcon® calipers and discs provide higher-performance braking using the existing hydraulic braking system.

The brakes are installed to the vehicle using unique vertical links, hubs, hydraulic hoses and disc shields.

Due to the use of fixed calipers in place of the standard floating caliper, certain lateral dimensions on the vertical link and hub are critical to achieve correct clearance and operation of the brakes. Therefore special vertical links and hubs set within a certain tolerance are installed with high-performance brakes."

I hope this conversion project isn't more difficult that you thought. Good luck, and thanks in advance for keeping us updated with progress reports.

Stuart

 

Thank you for that information Stuart. I have custom wheels, so clearance is not entirely an issue although after some measurements, it does appear the currently fitted metal TPMS stems may be a few mm in the way so shorter or flush stems may be needed. I have studied the parts lists and the flex hoses are indeed different part numbers, the shields are different too, but do I even need them? I have the 355mm discs now by the way. Member MaximA did this conversion a few years ago and I do not recall him noting any changes to the stock parts other than the mounting brackets, which I have. I am certain he did not change the booster or hubs.

Edit: it appears the hub part numbers are the same for all 3 rotor sizes.

 

I didn't realize you had custom wheels - your signature says Sentas. Hopefully, you won't run into any problems with the conversion. But you'll need one more piece of equipment - goggles - so you don't lose your eyeballs when you stand on those Alcons!

 

The wheels really aren't my concern. Worst case I could get new wheels, that would be easy. My concern is what it will take, if needed, to get these fitted and operating correctly.

 

Finally got a little time this afternoon and decided to test fit one of the front calipers. I have never serviced brakes before but it ended up being super easy. It was also interesting to note the Jaguar R caliper is a little bit bigger than the Alcon and significantly heavier.

Also of note, you can really tell the standard R calipers were designed for 19" wheels, completely filling the void between the wheel's barrel and rotor/caliper. With the 20 inch wheel there is a lot of clearance and a greater void. With the Alcons and the spacer bracket, a 20" minimum wheel is indeed needed. The Alcons and 400mm rotors fill the barrel perfectly giving it the look of having been engineered that way.

I had my wheels offset to give a wide stance and track which keeps the spokes pretty far from the face of the caliper, I suspect if I went back to OE offsets, the spokes would come close to the calipers, for a nice snug factory look.

Anyhow, as I feared, while my custom wheels clear the calipers perfectly, the inset valve stem caps do not. If I could find a shorter or angled stem that would probably solve the problem. I did find flush mount stems but they would require removing the TPMS sensors I am told.

My other option is to get new wheels, again. I currently have 9f & 10.5r. Here are a couple of designs that interest me

These are not custom and would require spacers on the rear 8.5f & 10.5r:



Or these ultralight weight forged wheels custom milled offsets 9f & 10.5r:

 

I prefer the bottom pic, the first one has so much happening

 

Always been a fan of the Kahn rs-v alloys

 

jahummer,

I'm with Steve - the bottom one would be my choice of the two. But my favorite OEM XKR wheel design is the Vortex. It first appeared on the UK-only 2008 4.2L XKR-S with Alcon brakes and was forged and painted all silver. Those wheels are very rare. The Vortex design subsequent reappeared with a different offset on the US market 5.0L XKR models. It's black with a machined face and I think it's still forged but I'm not sure. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit the 4.2L.

Do you know if the new Vortex wheels will fit the 4.2L XKR with Alcons? Spacers?



Stuart

 

I would not suggest using spacers on the Jaguar XKR just to get a wide stance.

Safety can be an issue and you need to make 100% sure that the spacers are custom milled for a hub centric spacer.

It would not be wise to sacrifice safety for appearence. The XKR looks great without the wide stance.

If you are going to use the exact Alcon setup as the Portfolio Editions as Stuart S. and I have, you will need to move up to a 20" rim on the front and the rear.

Thus, using 20" rims you can go to a slightly wider tire.

I would not eliminate the TPMS as the US DOT requires the TPMS on all modern cars for a reason, that is safety.

The Jaguar XKR was built for the use of the TPMS and you would be plagued with warnings on the dash without the TPMS.

And yes, the Jaguar was engineered to match wheels with the Alcon braking system.

If you ultimately decide to install the Alcon's you may have to go thru the same process as I did to get wheels milled to have proper fitment especially when seeking aftermarket wheels.

Finding aftermarket wheels for proper fitment to the Alcon's was a nightmare, but I did succeed in my quest.

Click the image to enlarge, click again for full screen.

..

 

It caught my eye because it looks just like the Jaguar F-type wheel Storm, but I agree, it does look busy & I like a clean simple open look:

 

I have always liked teh Vortex and it would be a contender if it was easier to find in the later style. The front offests are identical to all X150s, but the newer rears would require spacers.