Hello,

Please excuse the inner hooligan in me .

I have had my XJR6 for a couple of months now and as you will see from my signature I have had other Jags before and do not remember their brakes being rubbish.

I also have driven a WRX Impreza for ten years (yes I know), in that car if you hit the brakes you could get unbelted passengers through the windscreen, so I might be making very, very unfair comparisons.

I don't recall my previous Jags having poor brakes, but in my XJR6 I find the pedal very spongy and there being an unnerving delay before things start happenind. I have had an independent garage look at the brakes and replace the brake fluid, with only a very slight improvement. The garage tells me the performance I am getting is normal and part of having a luxury car. Being blunt that does not wash with me; I am not confident in being able to stop if someone pulled out or stepped out in front of me.

Am I being too picky? This is one big lump of metal with a super charged engine! I want it to stop quickly if need be and not be worried about going on long journeys with my children onboard.

Is there anything you recommend I could do, such as fit braided brake hoses? I am assured my discs and pad are all relatively new.

Any pointers whould be much appreciated.

Nick

 

This has come up before regarding X300 brakes...but it isn't a universal complaint. Over the years I've concluded it's just the nature of the beast, personally. I think some are more sensitive to pedal feel; others may have become accustomed to it. And, speaking in broad terms, it's fairly typical for any ABS car to not have the 'hard pedal' that some of us grew up with before ABS was commonplace.

My 1995 XJR had a soft-ish pedal feel. I went thru the bleeding and flushing hoops several times...including pressure bleeding. No appreciable change. I found that the car stopped quite well, though....once I stopped focusing on pedal feel.

Pad composition can account for a difference in pedal feel as well....and of course can account for differences in 'bite' as well. I used Akebono pads...which actually amplified the soft feel but, by god, they'd stop on a dime and give two cents change when you really needed 'em to. Glazed discs/pads can also account for lack of brake grip.

A couple months ago an X300 owner posed the same question. He has done quite a bit of work to the brake system and, as far as I recall, never got the harder pedal he was looking for.

My gut feeling is that you're safe....but you might try difference pads and/or resurfacing/replacing the rotors if they're glazed in an effort to get some bite in the brakes, even if the soft-ish pedal remains.

Others will chime in.

Cheers
DD

 

For the peace of mind, I would replace the brake master cylinder if this has not been done before.

 

I had a similar problem with my brakes. Local garages failed to fix it! Eventually bled them the old fashioned way with a small but decisive modification. The tube on the bleed nipple MUST be vertical for a few inches! Simple but very necessary. My original post is somewhere - could be two years ago, maybe one.

 

Found your post; here it is:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...brakes-120817/

 

I hope you get a similar result!

 

Hi All,

I am still having problems with my brakes. My friend also has a XJR6 and he test drove my car and agreed there is a problem, he also demonstrated that his car stops much better than mine, especially in an emergency stop scenario.

I have had my calipers reconditioned, new pads, new discs and braided brake hoses fitted, none of which has made a significant difference. The garage I use reassures me they use a professional brake bleeder so should not be a trapped air issue.

Does anyone have any pointers for me?
Could it be something like an issue with the brake booster?

Thanks,
Nick

 

The master brake booster vacuum line as it goes into the intake manifold is suspect with mine , loose to the wiggle . Normal ? Looks like this although part number is for 2002 X- Type , Jaguar # C2S15816

See last reply to below post :

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...s15816-172307/

 

Hi Lady Penelope,

I will check that out.

Thanks,
Nick

 

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