Upgrade Brakes for towing: 93' Ford ranger 4x4 v6 options

[Dvine]

Hey guys. I want new parts, this is all OE from 93. No idea on good brands or other year ranger/maz/explorer parts that fit. Any advice is much appreciated.
Rotors \bearings \pads\hoses? \calipers(preferably not red)\hubs and locks and any other thing that's a good idea. Wheel bearings? One is going out (brake shop also said no pads up front).....

 

[sgtsandman]

Check Rock Auto. They offer different model lines of brake components. They do for my 2011. I got heavy duty rear pads and I think heavy duty rear rotors from them. All Motorcraft. They might have the same for the front. I haven’t had to replace them yet. Ao I haven’t looked. But if they have them for the rear, they should have them for the front.

 

[North Idaho 5.oh]

Just throwing it out there .... if you want to throw a little money into her.
Go to a junk yard and get the front knuckles from a 1995-1997 ford ranger (as long as it’s 4wd).
They are a nice factory upgrade and they bolt right in place of the factory 93 stuff.
The benefit is that the 1995-1997 ford rangers had the dual piston calipers which obviously means better stopping power! Lol
Ive done the same swap to my 1992 ranger in the past and I had 33’s and it definitely helps!

 

[SenorNoob]

Also note the 96-ish Explorer front calipers fit those knuckles. So you can mix and match your parts.

With differing levels of difficulty, the Ranger can have 9" drums, 10" drums, Mustang disc, or Explorer disc in the rear.

Edit: Is there any reason the knuckles from a 95-97 2wd couldn't be swapped onto the earlier beams?

 

[Dvine]

Good question senor noob. N Idaho, I've thought about the dual caliper. Taking my knuckles off could lead to potential breakage of other parts. It's old and got rust issues. Plus getting the old parts to change my old parts with, sounds self defeating. 2weeks of searching, I can't find new knuckles that I believe will bolt on. I want everything new on the knuckles anyway, new knuckles just a bonus.

 

[North Idaho 5.oh]

Also note the 96-ish Explorer front calipers fit those knuckles. So you can mix and match your parts.

With differing levels of difficulty, the Ranger can have 9" drums, 10" drums, Mustang disc, or Explorer disc in the rear.

Edit: Is there any reason the knuckles from a 95-97 2wd couldn't be swapped onto the earlier beams?

I am sure the 2wd could be, I was just under the impression that he was working on a 4wd which is why I stated to only use the 4wd.
T

 

[Dvine]

To clarify: I'm only asking about front brakes. Already did the back thanks to the people on here. Want experienced opinions on brands for all parts new from the knuckle forward. Including 95-97 knuckles if anyone can find them new. I can't. Spent almost 2 weeks now researching all parts of suspension and the brakes because I want to tow a travel trailer.

Any one have these or an opinion about them? OK, poor choice of words but you understand my meaning in sure...

Chrome Brakes® - Drilled and Slotted 1-Piece Front Brake Rotors and Hub Assembly

Ford Ranger 1993, Drilled and Slotted Vented 1-Piece Front Brake Rotors and Hub Assembly by Chrome Brakes®. Quantity: 2 Per Pack. Looking for the finest brake rotors or pads? In our online store, you’ll find the widest range of high-quality Chrome Brakes parts and complete kits.

www.carid.com

 

[North Idaho 5.oh]

To clarify: I'm only asking about front brakes. Already did the back thanks to the people on here. Want experienced opinions on brands for all parts new from the knuckle forward. Including 95-97 knuckles if anyone can find them new. I can't. Spent almost 2 weeks now researching all parts of suspension and the brakes because I want to tow a travel trailer.

Any one have these or an opinion about them? OK, poor choice of words but you understand my meaning in sure...

Chrome Brakes® - Drilled and Slotted 1-Piece Front Brake Rotors and Hub Assembly

Ford Ranger 1993, Drilled and Slotted Vented 1-Piece Front Brake Rotors and Hub Assembly by Chrome Brakes®. Quantity: 2 Per Pack. Looking for the finest brake rotors or pads? In our online store, you’ll find the widest range of high-quality Chrome Brakes parts and complete kits.

www.carid.com

Best of luck to you man. You’re not gonna find many “brand new” parts for these old trucks. Sure hope you find what you’re looking for

 

[Dvine]

Best of luck to you man. You’re not gonna find many “brand new” parts for these old trucks. Sure hope you find what you’re looking for

Appreciate it. New knuckles I'm sure aren't going to happen. But I've found loaded calipers, hubs and rotors and manual locks picked out. They happen to be the same color as the rear blistien shocks I hope fit.

 

[sgtsandman]

To clarify: I'm only asking about front brakes. Already did the back thanks to the people on here. Want experienced opinions on brands for all parts new from the knuckle forward. Including 95-97 knuckles if anyone can find them new. I can't. Spent almost 2 weeks now researching all parts of suspension and the brakes because I want to tow a travel trailer.

Any one have these or an opinion about them? OK, poor choice of words but you understand my meaning in sure...

Chrome Brakes® - Drilled and Slotted 1-Piece Front Brake Rotors and Hub Assembly

Ford Ranger 1993, Drilled and Slotted Vented 1-Piece Front Brake Rotors and Hub Assembly by Chrome Brakes®. Quantity: 2 Per Pack. Looking for the finest brake rotors or pads? In our online store, you’ll find the widest range of high-quality Chrome Brakes parts and complete kits.

www.carid.com

Drilled and slotted rotors work but there is a price. For them to work properly, you need to make sure the drilled holes stay clean to allow the pad off gassing to escape. Brake dust and dirt build up in those holes over time and will clog them.

Speaking of the holes, drilled rotors have a bit of a reputation for cracking sometimes. Rotors with chamfered holes are reputed to reduce, if not eliminate this possibility.

There is usually a "roar" associated with these due to their design. Not annoying but noticeable.

Braking power is going to be sort of a zero sum game. The holes and slots reduce surface area to generate friction for braking. The benefit is that the braking you have will not fade except in extreme circumstances.

There are some braking benefits to these rotors and I ran them a long time on some of my previous vehicles with no problems, as long as you keep up on them. If you aren't willing to keep up on the maintenance, stick with standard rotors and get a good set of ceramic pads. Heck, get a good set of ceramic pads even if you stay with standard rotors. They off gas less and generate less brake dust.

Also, because of the slots and what they are designed to do, your pad wear will be accelerated some. Not a huge amount but it's there. Like the rotor roar, it's best that you know it's going to be there.

 

[Dvine]

Damn dude. Think about brakes much? All very good points. Only thinking the rotors would last longer than standard. If not there's no point. Except calipers match.....

https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?&make=Centric&model=Posi+Quiet+Loaded+Caliper&group=Posi+Quiet+Loaded+Caliper&CLC142.65009_Qty=1&autoMake=Ford&autoModel=Ranger+Super+Cab+4wd&autoYear=1993&autoModClar=

 

[sgtsandman]

As much as a good set of cross-drilled slotted rotors cost, I wanted to make darn sure they were worth the money before I jumped. Especially since I was running the vehicles in question at around the max manufacturer's rating. LOL

As far as the rotors lasting longer, they won't. They will still see the same wear and tear as a standard rotor. They will just run cooler in certain conditions.

 

[Dvine]

Well this is why you talk to experienced people. With all that knowledge, heavy duty rotors are probably the way to go. Anyone use carbon ceramic pads? The sound good online.

 

[don4331]

Drilled and slotted rotors were great 40 years ago when:

a. the binding material of the pads created large amounts of gases when heated (reason for drilling)​

b. the pad material was prone to glazing (reason for slotting).​

But unless you are running original pads in your Ranger, the pads you would but to don't glaze easily/don't off gas significantly. But everyone still thinks drilled and slotted rotors make your vehicle look like it should stop like a Porsche.

From what I have read, carbon ceramic pads work great once they are up to temperature (day at track with sports car), but not so good in regular drive, especially not in winter (although Seattle temps are a little more moderate than Calgary ones in January).

The ultimate 4wd front end upgrade for TTB is Bronco/F-150 knuckles/hubs/rotor/caliper - technically, it is OEM, but changes truck to 5x5.5 pattern so might not be what OP was after.

Knuckles don't really "wear", so set off '95-97 Ranger/?'95? Explorer is considerable improvement over older ones, as the caliper both changed from single pot to dual pot and from caliper sliding on knuckle to sliding on bracket pins. Caliper not sliding on rusty knuckle dramatically reduces braking/increases pad wear.

The "wear" item on knuckles is the ball joints and you would want to replace those anyways. I suppose you could count knuckle rust as wear item, but those I have worked on haven't rusted significantly - cast iron survives better than sheet steel.​

All the rest of the parts - spindles, hubs, bearings, caliper, etc are all replaceable with NOS (or aftermarket equivalents).​

My 2¢ worth.

 

[sgtsandman]

Well this is why you talk to experienced people. With all that knowledge, heavy duty rotors are probably the way to go. Anyone use carbon ceramic pads? The sound good online.

I've used some ceramic pads that were really dark in color. I have no idea if they were carbon infused or not. They didn't stop any better or worse than other ceramic pads I had used.