rotor size confusion

[nesralyrrej]

so 97 explorer rear rotors are 11.2 inches
but duad pistion 97 ranger front rotors are 10.2 ish
and 91 ranger front rotors are 10.8


so people run bigger brakes in the rear?

 

[JoshT]

I think the vehicles you are looking at are too different.

97 Explorer is 11.26" front rotors, and 11.22 rear rotors. Dual piston front, Single piston rear. SLA suspension

97 Ranger is 10.28" Front rotor (or 10.85" for 4wd), and 9" or 10" drum rear. Dual piston front. I beam suspension

91 Ranger is 10.28" Front rotor (or 10.85" for 4wd), and 9" or 10" drum rear. Single piston front. I beam suspension

Yes, people with a 97 and earlier (maybe even later) Ranger that do an explorer axle swap run bigger brakes in the rear. That said due to the dual pistons and/or brake proportioning valve it is not that much of an issue.

Hope that gave a little more clarity, if not please give more details about what you are asking.

 

[nesralyrrej]

well i understand that much but it seems bizarre but oh well with luck ill be running 13" cobras up front

 

[JoshT]

Well from the factory they do not run larger in the rear. It's just us arm chair engineers that think we can do it better that make it that way. We're lucky enough that the system is designed with enough flexibility that it works, and we still get an upgrade.

I get what you are saying about it being odd, but it works. In many cases they will be hidden behind and not visible through the wheels, so I think the "who cares" attitude comes into play. I also think a lot start out planning to upgrade the front like you are doing, though maybe not quite as large.

If you can't swing the Cobra fronts, the sport trac upgrade is pretty good as well.

 

[nesralyrrej]

Yeah I have my explorer axle already no one makes the swap brackets anymore so I'm gonna figure them out on my own I'm thinking about selling them for much less then the last guy was maybe $150-200 depending on how much work goes into it

 

[JoshT]

Should you opt to go the cheaper Sport Trac rotor route, there is a how-to in the tech articles section with details on making brackets.

 

[don4331]

It's a truck for gosh sake; bigger rear brakes make sense if you are using for work; not just transportation.

If you fill your Ranger up to GVWR - ~5k lbs for 4x4 SuperCab; and are towing the largest permitted trailer - ~4.5k lbs, you can effectively use a lot of rear brakes. And Explorer's ratings are even higher...

So, Explorer's rear discs have ~3X the power of Mustang Cobra discs... (Which kind of makes sense - Mustang weight is biased forward under heavy braking).

Also note: While the Explorer Sport Trac doesn't have the large diameter rotors of the Mustangs; because it has much large piston calipers, it has more stopping force than even the current Shelby Mustang setup (and allows smaller diameter rims).

Explorer setup might not look as cool; but stops you better.

 

[nesralyrrej]

Good insight, I'll keep it in mine definitely.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Sorry to drag up an old thread but it seems like a good place to have any additional info on this.

I was just looking through RockAuto, gathering parts for my 97 front beam swap on my 87 Ranger, and I noticed they list front rotors for 95-97 Rangers and on some of them the outside diameter is 11.28"

From RockAuto:

"MOTORCRAFT BRRF64 {#4L5Z1102BA} Rotor & Hub Info
Front; RWD; 4-Wheel ABS (ABS Sensors on all 4 Wheels); OE Design; 11.28 In. Diameter"

or

"MOTORCRAFT NBRR69 Rotor & Hub Info
Front; RWD; 4-Wheel ABS (ABS Sensors on all 4 Wheels); High Level Service Design; 11.28 In. Diameter"


Any thoughts on this?


EDIT: just found these kits, and while they look top of the line, they're mucho $$$$: http://www.tceperformanceproducts.com/no-title/kits-57/


GB