Mk3 v mk3.5 st front calipers

[Pug=309]

Hi, I asked this question elsewhere here, but maybe i should of asked here.

After some research since posting this question in another section I have found out the mk3 st's had 320mm front discs and mk3.5's got 335mm, since the pads for both are the same dimensions I am assuming that the difference is the caliper carrier/bracket, can anyone confirm this?  And if this is the case, how do you tell the difference between the 2?

 

Thanks

 

 

Allan

[JW1982]

Based on the information in Ecat / Etis the 320 mm front disc brakes were installed on the MK3 and early MK3.5 Focus ST. From production date 02-03-2015 onwards ford installed the 335 mm front disc brakes.

The increased brake disc diameter was not because of performance reasons. The 320 mm front discs brakes perform adequately. The reason why Ford changed the front brakes is because of the enormous amount of brake dust that the 320 mm front disc brakes produces. Ford tried to improve this by developing new brake pads with a less agressive friction compound. To compensate for the reduced braking power of the new brake pads the brake disc diameter was increased to 335 mm. The performance of both the older 320 mm and the newer 335 mm front disc brakes is basically very identical. Many people actually prefer the older 320 mm front disc brakes because these are known to have more bite than the newer 335 front disc brakes.
 

Ecat / Etis however shows very little information about the newer 335 mm front disc brakes. However these brakes are known to be a mix and match of brake parts that were already used on different Ford models. The brake discs were already used on the USA Ford Escape / Lincoln MKC. The brake caliper brackets are known to be identical to the ones that were used on the Focus MK3/MK3.5 Electric but unfortunately I can neither confirm or deny this.

[Pug=309]

20 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

B

Thanks, the reason for asking, well apart from the obvious looming brake conversion, is that I bought a front "2017" caliper and bracket from fleebay and the other 3 I took off a 2013, when I was going to order discs I noticed that there was 2 different sizes available, both front carriers appear to be the same, as do both calipers, bolt holes in the same places etc, and since both share the same pad size, I'm not sure how I can tell what I've got so that I can order the right discs.

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Allan 

[JW1982]

The Ford brake caliper brackets usually have the brake size casted into the metal. 

After a bit of further research I found out that the change from 320 mm to 335 mm front disc brakes was primarily done for the USA market. Other markets (countries) did not get the 335 mm front disc brakes at all or only as an (paid) upgrade.

[Pug=309]

5 hours ago, JW1982 said:

The Ford brake caliper brackets usually have the brake size casted into the metal. 

After a bit of further research I found out that the change from 320 mm to 335 mm front disc brakes was primarily done for the USA market. Other markets (countries) did not get the 335 mm front disc brakes at all or only as an (paid) upgrade.

I have been looking at edc discs and pads, that is where I saw the different sizes, they have an 11-14 section and a 15-18 section, and the 15-18 section dose not have the 320's listed, just the 345's and 271 rears

Here are the caliper and carrier numbers, I'd show pics but for some reason I keep getting a "-200" error

 

Fleebay "2016" 

Caliper bv61- 2b302

Sobka on caliper and carrier

Under piston sp 

Carrier

092 >gjs< 1096

And a number 1 under the centre bar

 

2013

Bv61-2b294

A426m on caliper and carrier 

Under piston  aas 

Carrier

092 >gjs< 3282

Number 4 under the centre bar

 

 

Thanks for the help

 

 

Allan

 

 

 

[Pug=309]

Well I did so.ethi g that I probably should of done earlier, contacted the fleebay seller, he confirmed that it was from an early 2015 focus (error in listing it as a 2016) so they are both 320mm.

 

Now to decide on disc pad setup,  any suggestions?   Been looking as ebc yellowstuff

 

 

 

Allan

[FatHead1979]

On 11/18/2019 at 3:56 PM, Pug=309 said:

Well I did so.ethi g that I probably should of done earlier, contacted the fleebay seller, he confirmed that it was from an early 2015 focus (error in listing it as a 2016) so they are both 320mm.

 

Now to decide on disc pad setup,  any suggestions?   Been looking as ebc yellowstuff

 

 

 

Allan

My last set of pads on my MK2 Focus saloon were EBC yellowstuff.  They were by far the best performing pads I've ever had, the more I beat down on them the better they seemed to work.  Despite being performance orientated they also worked as well as the OEM pads when cold, unlike a number of "performance" pads that only work efficiently when they're warm/hot.

[Pug=309]

32 minutes ago, 1979Damian said:

My last set of pads on my MK2 Focus saloon were EBC yellowstuff.  They were by far the best performing pads I've ever had, the more I beat down on them the better they seemed to work.  Despite being performance orientated they also worked as well as the OEM pads when cold, unlike a number of "performance" pads that only work efficiently when they're warm/hot.

Cheers, those where on the top of my list for that reason, similar/better to stock when cold and the nuts when theres heat threw them, mating them to some "c hook" discs and goodridge hoses, new oem handbrake cables and rear disc back plates

Just a fluid choice now,  do I stay with regular dot4 or is there a better option out there?   remembering that this is a daily, like a 300+ mile a week daily, mainly b roads, school run, shopping etc, i do like the odd blast here and there (though not so much in this weather), so any advice, recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

 

Allan

[FatHead1979]

3 minutes ago, Pug=309 said:

Cheers, those where on the top of my list for that reason, similar/better to stock when cold and the nuts when theres heat threw them, mating them to some "c hook" discs and goodridge hoses, new oem handbrake cables and rear disc back plates

Just a fluid choice now,  do I stay with regular dot4 or is there a better option out there?   remembering that this is a daily, like a 300+ mile a week daily, mainly b roads, school run, shopping etc, i do like the odd blast here and there (though not so much in this weather), so any advice, recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

 

Allan

No worries mate.  I wouldn't worry about potentially "upgrading" the fluid, regular DOT 4 is more than up to the job and if you change it every 2 years you shouldn't have any problems with giving it a hammering on a regular basis.

[Pug=309]

4 hours ago, 1979Damian said:

No worries mate.  I wouldn't worry about potentially "upgrading" the fluid, regular DOT 4 is more than up to the job and if you change it every 2 years you shouldn't have any problems with giving it a hammering on a regular basis.

Cheers bud

 

 

Allan

[Pug=309]

Hey all, since I already have this up, may as well continue to beg for advice.

 

Away to start to rebuild all the calipers, I am planning to repaint them with caliper paint, but I'm unsure of the best ( well I meancheap and easiest) way to remove the factory powdercoat, I know the sand blasting would be the easiest and probably give the best results, but after buying the calipers, new discs, pads, rear backing plates, braided hoses, handbrake cables, rebuild kits and everything else, im feeling very light atm,

 

So any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

 

Allan

[JW1982]

Some types of powder coating can be removed with paint stripper / liquid paint remover while other types of powder coating are resistant to chemicals and do not dissolve. It is however definitely worth a try. 

If the paint stripper / liquid paint remover method does not work the powder coating can be removed by applying heat. Most types of powder coating can only withstand temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius and can be removed pretty easily by using a gas burner and a wire brush. 

 

The best and easiest method however is still media blasting. Personally I would prefer glass media blasting or dry ice blasting to remove the powder coating. Media blasting cleans the metal thoroughly without leaving any dirt or residue. 

Media blasting of small parts like brake calipers is usually not expensive. Many metal fabricating companies do have a media blaster. Just find a local company that has one and ask them how much beer they want for blasting your brake calipers. 

[YOG]

I've done 2 sets of calipers with the following method:

High pressure sand and wet blaster kit like the following, with my Karcher K4:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076VDYWGW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tried the various expensive "specialist" ground glass and abrasive sands used for wet blasting. I eventually ended up using kiln-dried sand, normally used for brushing into block paving joints, and is much cheaper.

It was easier to place the bag end on, into a bucket for stability, then just punctured the top of the bag with the pick-up spike.

Placed a small tarpaulin on the grass for protection, wedged the caliper in position with wood, and away I went. It's quite a wet job, so I wore wellies and waterproof bottoms.

I left the old piston (with the outer seal removed), bleed screw and brake line connector (with the line cut off) in position, as they were all being replaced with new. Once the paint was stripped, I rinsed off the sand deposits, and put them in a warm oven to dry.

Once dry, they were ready for painting, in my case, I used several coats of Hammerite Smooth.

Note, the ceramic nozzles wear out from the sand passing through them, so I purchased spares from eBay that come from China, and are quite a long delivery time. I purchased 2 x 5, as they are quite cheap:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5x-Ceramic-Nozzle-Bush-Bushing-For-Sand-Blaster-Blasting-Kit-For-Karcher-UK-FAST/392372697770?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[Pug=309]

2 hours ago, YOG said:

I've done 2 sets of calipers with the following method:

High pressure sand and wet blaster kit like the following, with my Karcher K4:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B076VDYWGW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tried the various expensive "specialist" ground glass and abrasive sands used for wet blasting. I eventually ended up using kiln-dried sand, normally used for brushing into block paving joints, and is much cheaper.

It was easier to place the bag end on, into a bucket for stability, then just punctured the top of the bag with the pick-up spike.

Placed a small tarpaulin on the grass for protection, wedged the caliper in position with wood, and away I went. It's quite a wet job, so I wore wellies and waterproof bottoms.

I left the old piston (with the outer seal removed), bleed screw and brake line connector (with the line cut off) in position, as they were all being replaced with new. Once the paint was stripped, I rinsed off the sand deposits, and put them in a warm oven to dry.

Once dry, they were ready for painting, in my case, I used several coats of Hammerite Smooth.

Note, the ceramic nozzles wear out from the sand passing through them, so I purchased spares from ebay that come from China, and are quite a long delivery time. I purchased 2 x 5, as they are quite cheap:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5x-Ceramic-Nozzle-Bush-Bushing-For-Sand-Blaster-Blasting-Kit-For-Karcher-UK-FAST/392372697770?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Wow, that is, well, didnt think of that, assumed these kits were either nasty cheapness or uber expensive,  might look into this

 

Cheers

 

 

Allan

[Vaughn]

On 11/17/2019 at 5:44 AM, Pug=309 said:

Hi, I asked this question elsewhere here, but maybe i should of asked here.

After some research since posting this question in another section I have found out the mk3 st's had 320mm front discs and mk3.5's got 335mm, since the pads for both are the same dimensions I am assuming that the difference is the caliper carrier/bracket, can anyone confirm this?  And if this is the case, how do you tell the difference between the 2?

 

Thanks

 

 

Allan

Hi Allan,

I came across your post having a similar problem, but i need to find a way to solve by changing the caliper bracket.

I have ordered and received in error a 335mm front disc set from r1 concepts eline.  My current rotors are smaller.  Through this thread i have come to understand that all the hardware except the caliper bracket are the same.  If this is the case, can i just change the bracket and all is ok? or do i need to do something more drastic?

 

If its just change the bracket, any clues where i could get this?

 

Thanks,

I have a focus st facelift 2016.

 

 

[Pug=309]

On 2/27/2021 at 7:43 AM, Vaughn said:

Hi Allan,

I came across your post having a similar problem, but i need to find a way to solve by changing the caliper bracket.

I have ordered and received in error a 335mm front disc set from r1 concepts eline.  My current rotors are smaller.  Through this thread i have come to understand that all the hardware except the caliper bracket are the same.  If this is the case, can i just change the bracket and all is ok? or do i need to do something more drastic?

 

If its just change the bracket, any clues where i could get this?

 

Thanks,

I have a focus st facelift 2016.

 

 

Hi, I'm sorry for the late reply, from what I have read, it is just the caliper carrier that is different, but i cannot confirm this sorry, I'll have a look back at my notes in the morning to see if I have any part numbers that may help you.

 

 

Allan

[Radek09]

Hello all,

Did you solved if only caliper carrier is needed ? Planning some track day and new discs + hawk pads. I think that more mass in brake rotors 335mm can help with the heat.

Thanks