The brakes on my 03 XK8 don't feel "mushy", they're simply much different than any other car I've ever driven. It's most noticable when I'm in stop and go traffic; it's as though I consistently underestimate the amount of travel required to apply the brakes, so I find myself creeping up on the car in front of me just a bit more than intended before applying the brakes harder to compensate.

It should be mentioned that the car does stop quickly, and the brakes seem to work very well, when I press the brake pedal more firmly.

I've driven other cars with bad brakes, where some amount of pedal travel was required before the brakes would apply at all, and then they'd nearly lock up. That is not the case here, instead the brakes seem to apply very gently and then rather than increase pressure in an expected linear manner, they almost seem to increase exponentially, yet very smoothly. When braking from higher speeds, say above 20mph, it is either barely noticable or not noticable at all, as I expect to press more firmly upon the brakes anyway at a higher speed.

The car had the brakes serviced very recently by a Jag dealer, so I'm inclined to believe that perhaps this is simply due to me not being used to driving such a heavy car which develops such great inertia. My daily driver has very good 4 wheel discs similar to the Jag, but weighs 1000lbs less.

I realize that brake feel is somewhat subjective, but does this sound normal for the XK8?

 

My brakes feel completely normal to me. I normally drive either the XK8, a Ford Expedition, or a Toyota Prius. The Prius brakes are really weird, but that's another story.

I've been test driving other cars lately, and while each car's brakes have a slightly different feel, my XK8's brakes feel similar to those of most other cars.

 

thanks Sam. maybe there's an air bubble trapped in the line somewhere, it just doesn't feel like that to me, which is usually characterized by the brakes doing absolutely nothing at all before grabbing normally. this is more like it gradually eases into it.

the previous owner had a brake fluid flush performed recently, perhaps it needs more bleeding.

 

Air bubbles would cause the brakes to feel mushy. Since yours feel firm and responsive maybe they're just acting normally.

My KX8 feels like normal brakes... no mush, no overtravel, very predictable and they work. My XKR is much more positive feeling. I can feel the difference between the stock brakes and the Brembos. They feel a bit more authoritative... if that makes any sense.

 

Both this xk8 and my previous xkr have very responsive brakes, they operate with toe pressure for most stops. They are both stock discs and pads.

 

As quoted by XENOPHOBE
It makes perfect sense to me, the Brembos seem much more aggressive, actually making you feel safer. They seem to make the car feel lighter than what it is.

 

Swing by and drive mine, if you are close, or ever passing Columbus.

 

hey, thanks Mish_Mish