[ZX3TUNR]

My dreams have come true :D I found a totaled off Focus sedan with rear disc brakes. I asked SGI how much they would cost but they did not have them priced yet. I told them to get back to me.

So my question is. Has anyone done it yet? What kind of work am I looking into? What should I prepare for?

[tdot-zx3]

Not Worth It.

=)

[Zoom]

So it seems. I have asked about this once before too. No one ever said it was worth it. if ur really hell bent on this one, bat inc sells a kit to do it which seems like an easy route to go. but its an easy 1000 bones.

[Gumby]

The rear disc wirks in conjunction with the advancetrac and ABS systems, so you may need a bias valve to compensate for the added braking capacity in the rear. I would suggest two Tilton units so you can maintain a dual brake line setup in the rear. If you have ABS, I would call a good brake specialist and find out how, or if, it will work, as I am not sure if the sensors used for the drums will be compatable with the new disc setup.

peace

[ZX3TUNR]

They called me back. Said they would sell the rear brakes for $600... I am going to wait a bit longer. Im sure I can find a set cheaper. I know a guy in civic that did it and all he had to say is its a bitch to do... Im not sure what the diference is but he worked on it for 3 days..

[BerinG]

thabrat,Jun 2 2004, 01:13 PM Wrote:They called me back. Said they would sell the rear brakes for $600... I am going to wait a bit longer. Im sure I can find a set cheaper. I know a guy in  civic that did it and all he had to say is its a bitch to do... Im not sure what the diference is but he worked on it for 3 days..

my brother did the rear disc conversion on his civic (with integra discs) and it seemed to work out fine.. only problem he got was rusted bolts.. had to break em off.. took a saturday afternoon

not sure if its has easy for the focus though

[2001 ZTS]

When I last looked into it a few years ago to get all the required parts from Ford was about $800 before tax and probably 3 hrs labour in the right hands. In the case I researched that was the Ford dealer where the guy who used to post as "rally@work" used to work. The did it to their Focus rally car. Whatever happened to them anyway?

P-51 did it too but only because it was cheap and easy for him, used parts and his own labour. He will be the first to tell you that their is no real performance advantage.

The simple fact is rear brakes on light economy cars like ours do so little. Having said all that I will do the conversion myself one day but wait till drums and shoes have worn away. Pure vanity on my part.

[ZX3TUNR]

I would be doing the labour work myself but Im only reason I was curious as to doing this is for when I do future engine mods. I will eventually need better brakes to slow the car down.. Im only shooting around 200HP so I think if I upgrade the front brakes that should be good enough. I just happen to comes accross the rear discs and if I could of gotten them really cheap then why not....

[DadsToy]

Remember, the harder you brake, the less the rear brakes have to do since the weight bias is all to the front.

Check out GP race bikes as they enter many corners: rear wheels off the ground.

As far as I can tell, rear drums on front wheel drive cars work OK. They shoes sure last longer than the pads up front. I'd be inclined to beef up the front end first.

If you want to check how little the rear brakes actually do, try stopping with the emergency/parking brake.

Cheers.

[hardk0re]

I read an article in car and driver: boost mag, they did a write up on upgrading your brakes. Doing the wrong upgrades like a big brake conversion in the front could actually increase your stopping distance if you haven't compensated in the rear.

They went into detail about the braking pressure required to apply the front brakes was less, and you would therefor be applying less pressure to the rear and having less braking in the rear. Then you would have increased brake force on the front brakes, less on the rear with a total braking force less that what they started with.

It would suck spending lots of dough on a nice big brake package on the front and end up with worse brakes.

[bill1459]

If I came across that deal and had $600, I'd bite.

[naz]

if its true that 800 gets you all the parts you need brand new.. i think i'd go with the extra 200 just to avoid any potential hassles of rusted bolts on the donor car

[ZX3TUNR]

Thats what my dad was saying. I m not sure what they ripped off and if there missing any bolts. Im just going to hold off. Seemd like a good idea at the time but I like my dad told me. Buy it then realize im missing something. Then I have to goto Ford and pay $$$$ (to much) for one peice you cant purchase by its self..

[paolo]

If i had $600 lying arround, and I havent done any mods to my car for a while, I'd definately grab those rear discs.

[naz]

that's a good idea. its always a PITA trying to track down that one random bolt you need to finish the job