I've been doing online research concerning suspension and brake changes on the S-types. Perhaps someone can fill in the gaps and add more detail.

1999 to 2002 - Front suspension with one-piece lower A-arms, lighter duty knuckles with the ball joint facing down. (same basic suspension as the Lincoln LS) uses a floating 2 piston caliper.

2002 to 2008 - Updated front suspension that uses an integrated sub-frame, beefier knuckle with the ball joint pointing upwards. Uses a 2-piece lower a-arm. The brake mounting bosses are located in a different knuckle position than on the older suspension. I believe that this version of the knuckle directly fits the S-type R Brembo calipers. (What caliper does the regular car use?)

I have confirmed that the mounting distances between the 1999-2002 caliper mounting point are different than the 2002 and newer cars. [1999-2002: 6-1/4" (158mm)] versus 150mm [2002 onwards.]

Questions:

Were there S-types built after 2002 with the earlier suspension for a period of time and only the S-type R's had the new suspension, or were all the versions of the S-type built with the newer suspension? (I often find brake and suspension parts for sale looking like the 1999 to 2002 parts, but listed as fitting S-types from 1999 to 2006.)

What does the floating caliper look like for 2002 and newer S-types? Same as 1999 to 2002 version but with a different mounting bracket and fits a smaller rotor than the Type R?

Article with some details and a couple images showing the 2 suspensions:

S Type Parts Front Suspension Issues |


Thanks.

Joe

 

The STR has some strengthened parts not found on any other S-Type.

Also, you can get hints about changes from the parts catalog.

As I hope you know (I've posted the link more than once), various bushes ARE available for the 2003+ cars - the article is just plain wrong about that.

 

Be careful with your dates. In the US the 2nd generation S Type is known as 2003-2008. But Jaguar introduced it a bit earlier in the rest of the world (ROW). It was 2002.5-2008 everywhere else. Jaguar uses the last 6 digits of the VIN as the basis for identifying the car.

After the upgrade for 2003 (2002.5) Jaguar did not use the older suspension for any newer S Type's. But as you noted some suspension pieces are the same for the entire S Type production run.

JagV8 is correct about the STR. We are not completely sure yet but there are many differences between the STR and the regular S Type. As he pointed out only recently did it come to light the STR used reinforced suspension members that are marked as "supercharged". They appear to be the same geometrically but are more heavy duty.
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Great information. Keep it coming.

One thing that I have noticed is that there are a lot of 1999 to 2002.5 S-type suspension parts listed on E-bay and other online shops. It is a lot harder to find information on 2002.5 and newer suspension parts, (other than the common parts across all years.

Why aren't the 2002.5 and newer part more readily available?

I seldom if ever see any 2003 to 2008 STR suspension parts listed in catalogs or online. (Not enough cars built?)

What is the best way to get/find a list of the heavy duty "Supercharged" parts?

 

Well I can only guess but since I have an LS and an S Type I think the early suspension was put into a bunch more cars and has a higher demand for parts. You can see this in aftermarket companies making parts.

The S Type was on a downward decline as Ford was in a major meltdown and of course they ended up selling Jaguar to the Indian's (Tata).

Pretty much every year after 2002 sales declined for the S Type. I think this is what makes it a great used car value.
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For those interested in S-type Calipers, I am attaching an image that shows a standard 2000 front Caliper next to a 2003 S-type R Brembo Caliper, and then the Brembo 8 Piston Grand touring Caliper that is going on my 2000 S-type along with 380mm X 34mm 2-piece rotors.

 

I bet that upgrade will cost a pretty penny!!!

Is it a direct bolt on?
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It wont cost me as much as purchasing a "Kit" but the cost is gradually adding up. I haven't added up how much I've spent on the front suspension so far.
The big Brembos are just part of the suspension changes I am making.
Eventually I'll post a new thread when everything starts to come together.

 

Looks good TiJoe!

I's still way behind on converting my fronts to Brembos. I have the calipers and wheels so far.

 

This may help a bit:

JAGUAR LATE MODELS PART CATALOGUE

The S/C parts are listed on this catalog.

 

Also Brembos were only on the 03-05 STR's so the rear knuckles will be different for those rears since they had a second mounting point for the E-brake caliper. Not sure how different everything else was. Not sure if you are even messing with rears or only fronts.

 

Eventually I'll get around to upgrading the rear suspension. I am keeping my eyes open for the STR hub carriers. The one set I've seen for sale was way to expensive for my tastes. I did pick up a set of STR brembo parking brake calipers, to use with the Brembo's I plan on putting on the back.

 

Where did you get the parking brake calipers?

 

E-Bay

They show up there now and again. I watched for over 3 months before finding my set. The same e-brake calipers are used on Other cars as well. Such as Audi R8, A couple of VWs, a few Mercedes.

The S-type R e-brake system uses an electric actuator for applying the E-brake calipers. I am not sure if you are just looking for the Calipers or the complete system.

You can also purchase the caliper from Brembo.

 

Update on S-type Brakes;

I recently purchased a complete set of 2004 S-type Brembo calipers, e-brake calipers, rotors, front knuckles and rear hub carriers. Way cool. As I clean them up I'll post some images of the differences I find between standard S-type and STR components.

- I didn't realize that the rear rotors on the S-type R's are solid without any venting. All the rotors weigh so much!!!

 

Since this is a brake thread, I figured it was worth mentioning. One of the running changes occurred in 2006 for the US. For the R they dropped the Brembo brakes, for the non supercharged cars they went to single piston calipers. Also, in 2005 there were bushing (tuning) changes made to the S Type suspension.

 

Comparision of 2000 S-Type rear hub carrier to 2004 S-Type R rear hub carrier:

S-type Manufacturer: Ford
S-Type R Manufacturer: Jaguar

Bearing: Same both
Hub: Same both
Upper A-arm/wishbone dimensions - Same both
Lower A-arm/wishbone dimensions - Same both
Stabilizing bar link mount: Protrudes farther out on S-Type R
ABS reluctor sensor: Different mounting types.
2nd E-brake mount - S-Type R only.
Holes not drilled for dust shield on S-Type R.

 

Just a quick rear suspension update. I've been gradually creating a model of the STR rear hub carrier and rotor set-up and am modifying things so I can run a 19x12 or 20x12 rear wheels with 335 wide tires. (Fender flares will be needed.) I will be using 365 x 28 rear rotors with 2011 Camaro rear Brembos. I don't like the 330 X 15mm solid rear rotor that the STR's use. Fronts will still be 380 x 35 rotors with my AMG Brembo 8-pot calipers and 19 x 10 rims with 285 x 35 x 19 tires. I've already stripped out the original Jaguar/ford master cylinder and ABS module and have changed these for Bosch Based Pontiac G8 master cylinder and ABS module. (Matches the GM ECM and BCM modules I am using with the LS3 engine in the car.)

 

Thanks for the update. This is beyond cool.

 

Forgive me for poaching on this thread, hopefully someone's still reading it...

I'm in the process of adapting the Jag STR parking brake caliper to fit over a 330x28mm rotor.

I've laid out and milled some 1/2in spacers to fit between the caliper halves, can provide a DXF if anyone wants it.

The problem is that the pad-retention pins and the anti-rattle spring will now be too narrow.

As noted earlier, the Audi R8 uses the same basic caliper design ($$$$$) but with a wider outer half, I'm trying to find out how thick the R8 rotor is.

I'm not aware of any other vehicle that uses this exact caliper design, and the ebrake pads don't seem to cross-reference to any other vehicle.