2003 Rear Brake Disc Conversion: Was it Worth It?

[Lefty]

Well, this thread just blew every possible reason I had for thinking my 96 Explorer rear axle could be easy put to good use

Sorry to be a party pooper, but somebody has to ask the stupid questions.

 

[pjtoledo]

Well, this thread just blew every possible reason I had for thinking my 96 Explorer rear axle could be easy put to good use

all is not lost, in reverse, disk brakes work better than drums.
that may come in handy on a boat launch ramp

 

[pjtoledo]

Hauling... towing... living in the mountains... I might consider rear disc conversion. If I did... it certainly wouldn't be a Ford system with brake shoes in the rotor hat. Several kits the use GM Eldorado calipers would be my choice.

A properly installed/maintained 10 inch brake drum system on a Ranger works really well. I've never seen a reason for more braking.

certain years of Taurus rear calipers don't have the hat/drum, they directly clamp the piston. the cables may be an issue.

 

[Lefty]

I believe discs weigh less than drums and therefore make for a little smoother ride.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I believe discs weigh less than drums and therefore make for a little smoother ride.

Until the caliper enters the chat...

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Where disc brakes shine is racing. Easier to keep cooler.

 

[don4331]

Mustang rotors/calipers don't have the drum in hat. The unfortunate part about the Mustang setup - even the GT rotors are smaller in diameter than the Explorer ones, and the caliper pistons have about 1/2 the area = 1/2 the braking force. Fine if you are only driving truck empty, but if you're loading rear axle, it isn't as good as Explorer discs/Aerostar drums. The parking brake system on them is needed to occasionally "tighten" the pads to the rotor. But, the parking brake system assumes a wimp pulling a hand brake; with the Ranger foot pedal, it is far too easy to apply too much pressure - they hold too well, the result being pads don't completely release and wear real quick. Not an issue if you only use the parking brake now and again. But if you live where there are hills & have a manual, it will eat them like they are going out of style.

Note: A lot of people don't do maintenance on their drums, so the adjuster seize and then after a little wear, the rear brakes are doing nothing, so drums get a bad rep. If you rotate your tires every 5k miles and maintain the drums as part of that, they're actually pretty good.

 

[rubydist]

I put the Mustang rear disc brakes on my 2003 when I had that (28 spline) and I put Ford Racing rear disc brakes on the 2009 (31 spline) and I am glad I did. I hate drum brakes. Contrary to what was posted earlier, drum brakes are not at all sealed, and I would routinely have frozen rear drums in the winter. They let go with a big bang. Unlike some others who posted earlier, I do not have any maintenance issue with the disc brakes. If you buy decent rotors, they do not rust and they do not freeze in the winter unless you really work at it. If you properly lube the slider pins and have good boots over them, they will not bind up.

I will agree that the Explorer rear brakes are nothing special - they have all the disadvantages of the drum (drum parking brake) and all the disadvantages of the disc (service brake) so they are not my favorite. The advantage of the Ex axle swap is in the stronger axle, not better brakes.

There is really no difference in stopping power between them; a hard stab on the brakes will get a chirp out of the rear tires before the abs kicks in with either type.

 

[JoshT]

Where disc brakes shine is racing. Easier to keep cooler.

Which is also why they are an improvement over drums in most pickup towing duties.

Are rear discs needed on a Ranger? Not normally.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear disc just for the sake of getting rear discs? Probably not.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear discs because it's accompanied by larger 31 spline axles, a limited slip differential, and wider track width? Possibly depending on your planned use.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear discs because you want to? Absolutely!

Both my Rangers will likely end up with rear discs. Mostly for the latter reason.

The 99 will get an Explorer disc brake rear axle from the V8 swap donor, or maybe before since I've got one already. For my planned usage the larger axles, the limited slip, and wider track width will also be beneficial. The front will also end up with the slightly larger front brakes from a later truck.

If I can find one the 85 will probably get a 10-11 rear disc axle to go with upgraded front brakes. Almost solely because I want them and they'll look better behind some open spoke wheels than the drums would. Don't really need the 31 spline axles in this thing since it has, and will likely keep, the 4 banger (possibly with boost added). I think that it would be a better fit than the Explorer axle because it isn;t quite as wide, the Ex axle is almost too wide for a first gen. Almost. If I don't find one, I'll use the spare Explorer axle I should have by then. At this rate it'll be a few years before I'm ready to build it, so plenty of time to acquire what I want.

 

[Josh B]

Which is also why they are an improvement over drums in most pickup towing duties.

Are rear discs needed on a Ranger? Not normally.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear disc just for the sake of getting rear discs? Probably not.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear discs because it's accompanied by larger 31 spline axles, a limited slip differential, and wider track width? Possibly depending on your planned use.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear discs because you want to? Absolutely!

Both my Rangers will likely end up with rear discs. Mostly for the latter reason.

The 99 will get an Explorer disc brake rear axle from the V8 swap donor, or maybe before since I've got one already. For my planned usage the larger axles, the limited slip, and wider track width will also be beneficial. The front will also end up with the slightly larger front brakes from a later truck.

If I can find one the 85 will probably get a 10-11 rear disc axle to go with upgraded front brakes. Almost solely because I want them and they'll look better behind some open spoke wheels than the drums would. Don't really need the 31 spline axles in this thing since it has, and will likely keep, the 4 banger (possibly with boost added). I think that it would be a better fit than the Explorer axle because it isn;t quite as wide, the Ex axle is almost too wide for a first gen. Almost. If I don't find one, I'll use the spare Explorer axle I should have by then. At this rate it'll be a few years before I'm ready to build it, so plenty of time to acquire what I want.

Don't put it off too long buddy, those cars are disappearing fast At a yard who 4 years ago had 4 rows of RBV's I recently found 4 or 5 RBV's, none of which were much to look at

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Which is also why they are an improvement over drums in most pickup towing duties.

Are rear discs needed on a Ranger? Not normally.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear disc just for the sake of getting rear discs? Probably not.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear discs because it's accompanied by larger 31 spline axles, a limited slip differential, and wider track width? Possibly depending on your planned use.

Is it worth upgrading a Ranger to rear discs because you want to? Absolutely!

Both my Rangers will likely end up with rear discs. Mostly for the latter reason.

The 99 will get an Explorer disc brake rear axle from the V8 swap donor, or maybe before since I've got one already. For my planned usage the larger axles, the limited slip, and wider track width will also be beneficial. The front will also end up with the slightly larger front brakes from a later truck.

If I can find one the 85 will probably get a 10-11 rear disc axle to go with upgraded front brakes. Almost solely because I want them and they'll look better behind some open spoke wheels than the drums would. Don't really need the 31 spline axles in this thing since it has, and will likely keep, the 4 banger (possibly with boost added). I think that it would be a better fit than the Explorer axle because it isn;t quite as wide, the Ex axle is almost too wide for a first gen. Almost. If I don't find one, I'll use the spare Explorer axle I should have by then. At this rate it'll be a few years before I'm ready to build it, so plenty of time to acquire what I want.

Another perk, if you break an axle the caliper helps keep your axle shaft from running off with your tire.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I originally swapped my '90 to a drum Explorer axle to be easier but they worked great sometimes but others would randomly lock up both rear tires under somewhat heavy breaking which was fun with a locker in traffic... eventually got fed up and picked up a disc brake Explorer axle from a junkyard for like $150 with 4.10's if I remember right just to swap the disc brake parts to my '90 and sell the axle afterward... I ended up $20 ahead swapping to discs.

Swapping to a disc brake Explorer axle isn't too hard, I had to make an adapter to go between the parking brake cable ends but wasn't too complicated. I went the simple way and used two passenger side soft lines and cut and flared the original hard line in the middle to use the stock Ranger soft line, no other changes, works great...

 

[sgtsandman]

certain years of Taurus rear calipers don't have the hat/drum, they directly clamp the piston. the cables may be an issue.

The 2019 Rangers are like that as well. A much better design. It doesn't fix the corrosion issue but at least the parking brakes are pretty much self adjusting instead of having to manually adjust them every spring and fall.

 

[sgtsandman]

Where disc brakes shine is racing. Easier to keep cooler.

I agree with that. They have their application where they are superior. Racing is one of them.

 

[Danny74]

Well, this thread just blew every possible reason I had for thinking my 96 Explorer rear axle could be easy put to good use

Even an Explorer axle with drum brakes is an upgrade for almost any Ranger. Just make sure if you got four wheel drive that the gear ratio is the same.

Where disc brakes shine is racing. Easier to keep cooler.

I agree with that. They have their application where they are superior. Racing is one of them.

I don't like to do this, but I'm going to be relaying information that I was told but never verified. I was told that drum brakes are much more desirable for mudding or off-roading where you would get your Hub submerged in Mud or water at times, that the drums protect the brakes as opposed to the calipers with disc's getting wet and being harder to stop and or all muddy with sand another debris caught in the brake pad.