anywho.. I've read so much crap on here about people taking the disc carriers from  a mk2 focus with 12mm bolts and enlarging them to 14mm to suit... don't waste your time and money... you need to get yourself used ford kuga mk 2 carriers and then et voila you can fit 300mm discs to the front of your car.. I really don't understand why so many  idiots on here who I wouldn't let loose with a spanner cannot cross reference an oem carrier number to determine fitment.. like many firms ford parts are modular and fit many vehicles... so 300mm discs are viable on the front of a mk3 focus if you just change the carrier to a kuga mk2  unit.. same bolts for everything.. same pads as they are a uni fit for both the 278mm & 300mm discs... glad to help and apologies for dissing you.. but it's really that simple 

1695010 is the part no. you need to be purchasing.. although it's not embossed on the kuga 2 carrier

different casting and number to confuse everyone but it will have 300mm stamped on it.. the only focus I found with that part no. was a focus 2.0 tdci 163 brake which is prob a rare beast

and as a by the by the carrier for the 2.0 tdci 163 brake wasn't available to Purchase anywhere.. hope this helps but here's where I get technically unglued.. if the pad for the 278mm & 300mm disc is the same size are there any real world advantages.. a much cleverer ***** need only apply 

1 hour ago, cleverer ***** said:

anywho..

Have you finished your little rant, or can we look forward to more ? 🤔

To be honest this is a well known modification. Through the years I converted quite a few 278 mm Focus MK3/MK3.5 front brakes to 300 mm.

The 300 mm front brakes are used on the Focus MK3/MK3.5 1.5 ECOboost, 1.6 ECOboost and 2.0 TDCI (non ST), C-max MK2/MK2.5 1.5 ECOboost, 1.6 ECOboost and 2.0 TDCI and all 2WD Kuga MK2/MK2.5 versions without factory fitted painted (red) calipers.

The 300 mm caliper brackets are easy to find since the 300 mm front brakes are extremely common. I usually buy complete sets of brackets and calipers from local scrap yards for little money. The calipers usually go straight in the bin since I already have several rebuild calipers on stock. Once grit blasted the brackets look like new.


Note that the despite having the same dimensions front brake size the 300 mm Kuga MK2/MK2.5 front discs are actually different from the 300 mm Focus MK3/MK3.5 / C-max MK2/MK2.5 front discs. Because of the higher vehicle weight the Kuga uses slightly more expensive front discs that are made of a higher grade (high carbon) cast iron.

The higher grade material Kuga discs are able to withstand more heat without warping and have better heat dissipation characteristics. The higher grade Kuga discs are actually an upgrade to the 300 mm Focus / C-max discs.


Also not that 278 mm --> 300 mm front brake upgrade requires programming of the correct brake size in the vehicle configuration otherwise the brake bias will be incorrect. The ABS system will prevent the wheels from locking up but it is better to prevent the activation of the ABS system in the first place.

 

12 hours ago, cleverer ***** said:

but here's where I get technically unglued.. if the pad for the 278mm & 300mm disc is the same size are there any real world advantages.. 

Moving the pad further away from the hub has the same effect as moving your hands along a wheel brace.  You create much more torque against the bolt by holding the brace at it's far end, without having to increase the effort that you put into it.

Are there any noticeable real world differences on a road going 1.6 TDCI?  Probably not...

I'd get upset about wanting 300mm brakes on a 1.0 Ecoboom