I drove the cars back to back and we had one in the family -- I just did not see much difference. I am talking new cars -- I still have my XJR the other with the R1's is gone.

Also, the wheels on the R1 are a lot more money and I drive in and out of the city with bad roads --- the standard R's are soft enough and expensive enough to replace.

Whenever you have a special component made in limited quantities it is gong to be much more expensive. Jaguars have the problem of being lower production cars to start out with - then add the cost of an even smaller production run. The extra costs has all to do with small production numbers over what would normally be expected.


You purchase a premium product with the associated engendering that goes with it -- designed and fitted for a specific product for a particular use ....... sounds like a good formula to me. I'm not a brake expert -- and I don't want to play around with trying to achieve something that I already like for a few hundred less. Do a search on aftermarket brakes - centric included ... If you are happy with them great -- not worth the potential trouble for me.

 

On my car it was day and night difference, and I can remember driving another XKR with stock brakes and again the difference was noticeable (although it was only a short test drive, much more force was needed on the brakes).

I do understand engineering work and low volumes will have an adverse effect on pricing, but the range rover isn't that much of a difference in production numbers, yet they are almost 4 times lower in price that just doesn’t make any sense imho. Now if there is extra work/treatments other material etc used on the Jaguar version, that could make it more understandable, but that isn't what I have heard yet, but would be interested in to know.

Have only the rear rotors so far from centric of which I am happy about (but they also work less), fronts are still the Brembo’s.

Can you be more specific on the search? Have tried here, but can’t find anything here about centric rotors.

PS You can also find issues with the Jaguar Brembos, mostly warping (but I doubt sometimes if that was the correct diagnosis),

 

You can't compare car lines and try to figure out what something should or should not cost -- to make at any given number and then stock worldwide.

This is true with Porsche on the same basic car with the same hub design - the cost as you go up the food chain -- goes up accordingly.

The cost is what it is. The stock XJR was a 72k car in the USA in 2002 plus the cost of the R1 package .... and that was expensive.


I'm glad the rotors have worked out for you -- for me I don't go aftermarket on much ... I see too many problems from people I am around and I don't have time to play around. Stop tech does a lot of marketing - I have no idea the manufacturing location or where the rotors are cast -- although China is the normal spot today ... I would bet the R1 parts have been sitting for years in some locations.

I can't think of a time where I have driven a performance passenger car with aftermarket pad/rotors and found them better then stock for standard road use.

 

since the 00 model, XJ8 and XJR have exactly the same brake.
B4 that the only difference was a slightly smaller front rotor ( 10mm)

 

It's not about braking power, it's about being fade free and about feel and modulation

 

Your 100% correct, the Dodger Viper (03 on) use exactly the same calipers than the R1 (albeit mounted differently) and the factory rotors are like $100 each

 

Yes, but the point is that once the brakes are capable of reaching the limit of adhesion of the tires any further braking force *cannot* help stop the car any faster.

The brakes might look prettier, feel better, engender pride of ownership ... but the tires do not care.

As for ABS, that's one of those solution looking for a problem things.

 

As luc said, for normal driving it is for me certainly the feel and modulation for me. As you need less force to get some braking power, you will already shorten the brake distance as they will react sooner. Due to the less force needed, you can also modulate relatively easy even close to the slip levels (so where ABS kicks in), so controlled stopping can even lead to shorter brake distance. This all gave me a better feel of control, and made the swap worth it. Looks played never a role, I just wasn’t happy about the imho week stock brake system.

 

Avos is correct, when you find the brake threshold just before the ABS activates, this is the sweet spot - a well known fact in the Porsche Cup and touring cars here in the UK where ABS is NOT allowed to be disabled - the drivers find this limit and with performance brakes on a road car, one of the fun things is to do the same.

Another thing that's interesting is pad variation. I run a slightly softer compound on the rear.

@ Plums, for me as with Andre' - looks weren't a consideration, braking performance is. If I was into looks only I'd have bought drilled rotors, but I'm after pure performance so plain discs where chosen. I'll say ABS has nearly put me through walls before now so I don't rely on it. Merely stating modern systems have anti locking, so locked tires on braking are a thing of the past. Besides, the size and dry summer performance of my tires was another consideration. It's not just about big calipers, it's disc/pad combination, tire choice and outside influence like weather, water, road surface, driving style.

Why do it? Modern traffic and idiots that like to talk on cell phones, play with their mp3's and slap their kids while driving. I can now brake my XJR like a Mini Cooper. Nuff Said

 

@luc

Did you mean Viper uses that same set as the R1 calipers?