Ranger Mods

Has anyone done a rear disk conversion? Tickford and bendix both offer a high performance disk brake upgrade for the rear of the ranger. Im interested in and planning to fit the bendix 4 pot rear disk kit. Rather than replace the drums linings and cylinders which need doing. Bendix claim a reduction in stopping distance. This will come in very handy when towing heavy loads at highway speeds if an emergency stop is required. Keen to hear from at that has done a drum to disk conversion.

Trying an emergency stop with the Ranger and 2.5t van from 90kph didn't go well.
The vehicle doesn't weigh enough, even with the 4 brakes on the van working 100% the car gets pushed around, if the road is rough control is easily lost
At 70kph it's not too bad
A disaster waiting to happen with Ranger 7,000kg upgrade and stock brakes
I doubt many have actually tried an emergency stop so they know what to expext
No doubt they will be in for a shock

Priced the kit from repco today at around $3800. Repco have 20% off for November for auto club members. Will do more research this week

I saw a Youtube comparison done by 4WD247 on a Ranger.
They go through a few steps from better pads, to rear drum conversion and then onto bigger brakes, etc.
They used the Bendix kit
May be worth a watch,

Have watched that when they posted it. Disks certainly are a better iption but pricey. Wondering if a complete everest diff will be a solution?

Considering that the Everest uses multi link suspension and coil springs it may require a few mods.
Fabricate leaf spring mounts and the like.
Does the Everest have the same track a the Ranger?

Harrop does a kit too, and they have an installation guide online. Looks like quite a job, but also a decent improvement over stock.

RossPat wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 11:06 am Trying an emergency stop with the Ranger and 2.5t van from 90kph didn't go well.
The vehicle doesn't weigh enough, even with the 4 brakes on the van working 100% the car gets pushed around, if the road is rough control is easily lost
At 70kph it's not too bad
A disaster waiting to happen with Ranger 7,000kg upgrade and stock brakes
I doubt many have actually tried an emergency stop so they know what to expext
No doubt they will be in for a shock

I was forced to experience this when a woman in a Toyota Corolla just stopped in the Right hand lane on the Great Western Highway then, without any indication of her intentsions did an illegal U turn over the centre grassed meridian strip ! Seconds before I was doing 70 kph.
We were towing our 2.3 tonne off-road camper-trailer at the time and even with the trailer 12" drums locked up and the tyres smoking it was quite obvious that the brakes on the Ranger were inadequate, as I've said before I'm bemused that the rear ventilated discs on Julies Skoda Octavia VRS are bigger in diameter than the front ventilated discs on my Wildtrak !! And the Skoda is a lot lighter !!
Okay, the front brakes account for 60-65% of the total braking capability of the vehicle so apart from the sheer cost a rear disc conversion has a few issues. One is the conversion would need to be carried out by a qualified and licensed automotive engineer as you are changing the braking design, it will need an approved second manufacture plaque to be fitted covering the conversion, its not a DIY project and secondly from bitter experience with the Disco the reduced size of the parking drum brakes may be an issue if you are forced to pull up on a steep hill with a fair sized trailer - the Disco's single 10" drum parking brake on the rear prop shaft couldnt hold poo !!
Okay, looking back I should have considered improving the brakes when I had the GVM of the Wildtrak increased from 3200kg (std) to 3500 kg. Currently the Wildtrak weighs in at 3260 kg with the tow-ball connected, 60 kg more that the original GVM and thats not including us two adults and all our personal effects.
My solution was to go to a full legal Brembo conversion. As It involves "like for like" no engineers certification is required. The discs are the same diameter only slotted radially, the calipers are identical but have bigger pots and the disc pads are Brembos own composition. To finish it off I replaced all the rubber flexible brake lines with stainless steel braided hoses. I did this for two reasons one was the front originals had a few stone cuts on them from touring on tracks in the bush and secondly they will expand under heavy brake applications, while this expansion is very slight its enough to deprive the calipers and brake shoes of heavily applied hydraulic pressure. I left the rear drums as they were with the semi-competition shoe material.
Okay, the discs are now bedded in and the improvement in the stopping distance from 90 kph to zero with the trailer connected is amazing. I did three runs on a local straight road that I know to be only used by its residents and its one I use to set up the Redarc controller..
The next step will be to install a "softer" shoe material in the trailer's dual 12" drums. The fact that the "softer" shoes will wear a bit quicker isnt a real issue - this will be more than compensated for by the improved breaking distance.
I'll also look at seeing if the single brake cylinder and the existing leading/trailing shoe configuration can be modified with the installation of a second cylinder to apply equal braking forces to both shoes. But this design alteration will need to involve approval and certification by an automotive engineer so thats on the back burner for the time being.

Have looked at the harrop kit and can get it for a reasonable price however it requires minimum 18 inch rim and offset change. Brembo pads and discs are really cheap on flea bay so thats an option. I can also get the bendix front upgrade complete kit for under a 1k so a few options. Braided and extended brake lines are a minimum upgrade that ill throw on as partvof the process. Ideally the rear disk conversion is the best option but pricey.

I have the Bendix rotors/pads on mine (standard size, not the bigger ones with new callipers), and it doesn't improve brake performance as such. The 4WD 24/7 test showed that they didn't improve brake performance, but did offer consistant braking when hot and didn't fade like the OE brakes. That is basically what I'm seeing. Day to day braking isn't much different, and the feel through the brake pedal is just as bad as it was with the OE pads/rotors. I'll find out if they fade or not in a few weeks when I'm towing the van. I've not fitted the braided hoses yet, but have them to fit when I get around to it. I do like the Ranger in many ways, but the combination of zero engine braking (mine's the 2.0l bi-turbo) and barely adequate brakes was certainly a little disappointing to discover. The lack of engine braking means I'm relying on the brakes a lot more than I'd like, and the lousy brakes on the Ranger mean I'm relying on the van brakes a lot for long downhill descents. My van is "only" 2.9T as well, so a good bit under the 3500kg max. I'd honestly not want to tow anything heavier than mine with the 2.0l. Not sure if the 3.2 (or the new V6) has any better engine braking.

Even with the 3.2 litre engine braking in what I consider to be a "baby" diesel isnt really an option and there can be issues with the standard torque converter failing in the automatic gearbox due to it being over torqued as the blades are designed to apply hydraulic pressure, they are not designed to have hydraulic pressure applied onto them as in the case of engine braking. The Eaton TC as installed in their 18 speed autobox as fitted to big semi-trailers, B-Doubles and Road Trains is a totally different designed "kettle of fish". For that reason I think we Ranger owners have to accept that the only braking forces we can expect to have are those generated by the actual brakes, 60-65% on the fronts and 35-40% on the rears. With thre Ford ABS system I dont see how a greater applied hydraulic pressure can be applied to the pads and shoes but if there is one I'd like to hear how it can be legally done without having to resort to having engineers certification.

I think the harrop kit is probably the best on the market. It was designed with bendix however years of v8 supercar tech comes into play. Having picked up the new 2022 sport today and driven it 60km home through a mix of driving i can comfortably say the brakes are an improvement on the px1-3. I would consider a more aggressive pad to round out a significantky improved braking package. Its an impressive rig and a significant step up.

I have fitted a Pedders kit to my PX2 to improve braking off road and have a more consistent feel, regardless of heat and water. Less time having to adjust the drum brakes. I am running at around max GVM all the time on and off road with 285/75/ 17 tyres as well which require more braking than the stock size wheels.
However the handbrake isnt as strong due to the design change so more force is required on the handbrake lever in the cab for the same amount of hold. None of the kits I have seen are mutli pot pistons, there pretty basic however works well.

If you are doing the conversion yourself I would take the axles to a mechanic to change the backing plates and bearings unless you have the right tool for the locking nut and a decent press

https://www.terraintamer.com/4wd-produc ... 1gQAvD_BwE

Terrain Tamer now do a rear disk kit for px1-3. Calipers they use are tiny single piston units. According to their info Braking does improve