Drum to disc upgrade.

[mickywrx]

First post, so be gentle as I'm not sure on the netiquette on this forum.

I've just bought a MK7 Zetec S as a new daily, needs a couple of little bits tidying, but, easily sortable.

Anyway, I've never really been a fan of drum rear brakes, they look a bit poverty spec especially on newer cars.  Is it possible/difficult to replace the drum brakes for a disc/caliper setup from a different model or higher spec car?  I realise if it is possible, I'd most likely have to replace the front discs and calipers to suit.

Any pointers from folk that have done it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Galyss]

No need ! You have a light car, just brake harder :D
The main problem is that you should change all the system, it will cost the price of a car ahah.

But you can convert your front disks to a ST180 system, doesn't seem that expensive (And it's safer if you want my opinion).

[pragmatix]

As the rears do very little in the way of braking, why bother, upgrade the brakes that do the work, the fronts cheap and easy.

[MarksST]

You can fit the rear beam from an ST.

[Waynedance]

Just looking to do this myself. I am picking up an axle and front calipers next week.

Need a rear axle, brake hoses and hand brake cable.

[Ian Lanc]

I remember somebody doing this on their Fiesta, all donour parts from a ST, he said after all the sweat & tears & money, it just wasn't worth it and the stopping hadn't improved at all and now has four wheels that get filthed up with brake dust 🌑 

[jsk]

A bit off topic but my 2019 Titanium Fiesta had rear discs. My new 2021 Vignale Fiesta has gone back to rear drums. Cost cutting I suppose.

[Neb_engineer]

On 5/15/2021 at 7:54 PM, mickywrx said:

First post, so be gentle as I'm not sure on the netiquette on this forum.

I've just bought a MK7 Zetec S as a new daily, needs a couple of little bits tidying, but, easily sortable.

Anyway, I've never really been a fan of drum rear brakes, they look a bit poverty spec especially on newer cars.  Is it possible/difficult to replace the drum brakes for a disc/caliper setup from a different model or higher spec car?  I realise if it is possible, I'd most likely have to replace the front discs and calipers to suit.

Any pointers from folk that have done it would be greatly appreciated.

 

the reason ford still uses drum rear brakes on fiestas (unless they are the ST spec) is due to the fiesta being a light car, the rear brakes doing very little braking loads and mostly only there for the E-brake, the disc rears on most small cars are also plagued with accelerated pad and rotor wear compared to the fronts due to the fact that the handbrake cable forces the pad to rub a bit more, the pads and rotors are also smaller and so ford decided to keep the drum rears and have a system where the rears only add braking force on the last 1/3 of brake pedal travel

[Eatonm112]

I have a MK7 Ecoboost and I changed the rear axle to one with disks from a ST Fiesta and noticed no real extra braking performance but it does look better than the drums although the handbrake is rubish in comparision. On a positive note the rear axle from the ST does improve the handling a lot as the rear beam is 2 or 3 mm thicker so inessence its like adding a thicker antiroll bar which tightens up the handling.

[mickywrx]

On 5/15/2021 at 8:57 PM, Galyss said:

No need ! You have a light car, just brake harder 😄
The main problem is that you should change all the system, it will cost the price of a car ahah.

But you can convert your front disks to a ST180 system, doesn't seem that expensive (And it's safer if you want my opinion).

 

On 5/15/2021 at 10:31 PM, pragmatix said:

As the rears do very little in the way of braking, why bother, upgrade the brakes that do the work, the fronts cheap and easy.

So, basically what you're saying is, I should get the black Hammerite out and paint the drums so they don't look scabby, and invest in the front brakes.

Advice taken on board, thanks.  Out of interest, what is the kerb weight of a MK7 Zetec S?

[Mavroz]

4 hours ago, jsk said:

A bit off topic but my 2019 Titanium Fiesta had rear discs. My new 2021 Vignale Fiesta has gone back to rear drums. Cost cutting I suppose.

My 2019 St line X has rear discs, so does the wife's 2021 Mhev St Line X.

Doubtful I / we would take a new car without discs all around. Drums do look gruesome now.

[hilljamie17]

I had drums on both my Zetec S's and I thought the stopping performance was great! My second one I painted the drums black and I was happy with them. Discs do look more appealing though.

[Ian Lanc]

18 hours ago, jsk said:

My new 2021 Vignale Fiesta has gone back to rear drums. Cost cutting I suppose.

I thought Ford's Vignale's are supposed to be the best Ford has ever made, when my daughter in law was purchasing her 15 plate Fiesta two years ago, there was one unhappy new Fiesta Vignale owner in the show room, he'd only taken delivery of his brand new un' and noticed straight away the inner sections of his alloy wheels was in a primer grey colour, yet the Vignale on show was ALL in that lovely satin chrome effect, he wanted the same wheels that is on the showroom car, dealer bloke said the cars all have a grey inner surface and that's how the production cars are done like that, bloke stood his ground and wasn't having none of it, even saying he wants a full refund If the wheels are not sorted, think it was around £20,000 😕 dealer bloke then said ...''I'll sort it out'' Walking off and coming back to Mr Unhappy and saying to him.....''Two choices sir'' .....''Have the wheels taken off and the inner section resprayed in the matching colour'' or ''the wheels on the showroom Vignale are the same as yours with the same tyres what would you say in the wheels being swapped over'' Mr unhappy agreed for the swap over and In less than half hour the wheels came off the showroom car and was put on Mr Unhappy's car, what a set to to watch that evolve, but you know that saying....

''The customer is always right'' 🤣 😂 🤣

[TomsFocus]

Discs are usually fitted on engine size or power rather than trim level.  Was your previous Fiesta more powerful @jsk ?

All the Mk4 Focus's have rear discs as standard but I'm not sure about the Mk8 Fiesta.

[hilljamie17]

27 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Discs are usually fitted on engine size or power rather than trim level.  Was your previous Fiesta more powerful @jsk ?

All the Mk4 Focus's have rear discs as standard but I'm not sure about the Mk8 Fiesta.

I believe new MK8 Fiestas over 125ps have rear discs. I had drums on my 140 but I thought they were decent.

[jsk]

No Tom Titanium and Vignale both same power 125. Car still stops well so not overly bothered. Don't use the handbrake when car is in the garage, just leave in 1st gear.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I wonder if this could turn into another case like the Focus multi-link? I have a feeling another member mentioned having rear drums on a recent Fiesta Sportvan, though all the recent plated Fiestas I've seen so far still have rear discs.

They don't seem to do much work though - even pre-lockdowns mine were getting pretty rusty, and my dealer mentioned it at MOT but it wasn't flagged as an advisory.

Can't say I noticed the brakes on this one being better than the 2 Mk 7s we had (that were both drums of course), so it wouldn't greatly bother me. (Provided I was aware of it -  I would still be a bit narked if they changed the spec after ordering without notifying the customer though, as they did with the multi-link.)

I suppose another factor in this could be the increased braking effect on regen with the MHEV's?

 

 

 

 

 

[Paulkp]

Just to lower the tone......

Drum

 

Disc

 

[Ian Lanc]

7 hours ago, hilljamie17 said:

I believe new MK8 Fiestas over 125ps have rear discs. I had drums on my 140 but I thought they were decent.

This 2018 Ford Fiesta 1.0 T EcoBoost has rear discs, lovely looking cars 😍

[Aldridge Andy]

Officially all MHEV Fiesta have drum’s on the rear, even the 155ps version as the hybrid systems regenerative braking makes up for any loss in performance due to the change. 

Disks do look better, but on a 1.0L Fiesta would we really notice any difference in a blind test. 

[Mavroz]

1 minute ago, Aldridge Andy said:

Officially all MHEV Fiesta have drum’s on the rear, even the 155ps version as the hybrid systems regenerative braking makes up for any loss in performance due to the change. 

Disks do look better, but on a 1.0L Fiesta would we really notice any difference in a blind test. 

Our Mhev StLx 155 doesn't have rear drums, it has all around discs.

[Aldridge Andy]

7 minutes ago, Mavroz said:

Our Mhev StLx 155 doesn't have rear drums, it has all around discs.

I’d class yourself as lucky, I doubt there are many of those out there.

[hilljamie17]

2 hours ago, Ian Lanc said:

This 2018 Ford Fiesta 1.0 T EcoBoost has rear discs, lovely looking cars 😍

Sorry when I meant new I meant the MK8 Fiesta’s. It’s only info I gathered off Carwow as that were Ford’s intentions when they brought the new shape out. I think that their ideas have changed as some people have drums and some have disks 😀

[Eric Bloodaxe]

21 hours ago, Aldridge Andy said:

I’d class yourself as lucky, I doubt there are many of those out there.

Interestingly, I was just browsing the nearly new cars on my local dealers site. They have 3 70 plate MHEV Fiestas (2 Vignales and an ST-L X) and the rear discs show clearly in the photographs.

 

 

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Interestingly, I was just browsing the nearly new cars on my local dealers site. They have 3 70 plate MHEV Fiestas (2 Vignales and an ST-L X) and the rear discs show clearly in the photographs.

 

 

I reckon it's a 21 plate thing...  First new Vignale I checked is clearly drums.  And they do look a bit silly behind 17s!!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/new/202102118964048