Hi all,
Just a fair warning this is my first write-up so decided to do it on a topic that is pretty simple and aimed towards the newer guys (like myself) who may be looking for a simple mod.
After realizing that over extended use, my brakes started to fade pretty badly, I decided to do focus on trying to dissipate heat from the rotors. For the fronts this meant cooling ducts and for the rears it meant upgrading to the 13.8" GT500 rear rotors.
There are two ways of going about this; using the Ford OEM GT500 caliper brackets:
(PN: DR3V-2C101-CA & DR3V-2C100-CA).
Or buying the calipers adapters off ebay for $100
(link:http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338634152&icep_item=153614098269)
The biggest advantage I found in the Ford pieces is that it is from Ford, meaning that fitment is just about guaranteed. While the biggest draw back is the install process. In order to install the Ford caliper adapters, you will have to pull the axles which I found out after buying them. If you are going to open up your rear diff, this could be to your advantage and might as well kill to birds with one stone. In comparison, the install process for the adapter brackets is much, much, and I repeat, much easier. Essentially, if you can change your brakes, you can install the adapters. Additionally, the brake adapters come with brand new bolts.
Because I was going to do this on jackstands and had no wish to deal with diff work in almost 90 degree weather, I chose the latter option. Upon arrival, the pieces seemed to have a good weight to them and showed good craftsmanship, barring a few very minor cosmetic flaws (probably from the bolts scratching up the adapters in shipping).
The install itself was pretty straight forward, jack up the car, pull the wheels, unbolt the rear calipers and zip-tie them so they don't hang from the lines.
Now this is may just have been an issue I ran into, but it seems as if God himself had torqued down the rear caliper bolts and I could not brake them free. Being the visionary I am, I had to get creative on how to get more leverage.
Once the two bolts connected to the axle are removed, the remaining part of the caliper can be removed and the stock rotors should be taken off and the caliper adapters can be installed.
From here, this is the part that confused me a bit and gave me some frustration trying to figure out. Eventually I came to the realization that the caliper adapters should be set up such as this.
One thing to note, the shorter, fully threaded bolts, will bolt onto the lower portion of the adapters and the axle itself. These will be removed from behind the dust shield (threads facing outward) and the installed facing the opposite way (threads facing inward). This is what confused me and made me question my sanity. The longer bolts that are partially threaded will bolt onto the caliper and the caliper adapter (threads facing outward)
From this point onward, you will install your new, or in my case used, 13.8" GT500 rotors and put the brakes back together as normal (make sure you have your caliper compressor nearby, or at least an Autozone).
Double check your work, and then put the wheels back on and enjoy!
Here is a size comparison pic:
Sidenote: I wanted to test the concept that the caliper adapters made a difference and not just a brand new rotor, so I picked up used OEM GT500 rear rotors from a friend for cheap to test the difference (will change pads, rotors, and brake lines very soon!). Initial bite seems to be slightly more pronounced but nothing life changing (about a 3/10 in terms of noticeable difference), everything else seems about the same for street driving, I haven't had a chance to test them beyond spirited highway driving. Also, the way the rotors fills up the rear wheels is much better now!
Before:
After:
Just a fair warning this is my first write-up so decided to do it on a topic that is pretty simple and aimed towards the newer guys (like myself) who may be looking for a simple mod.
After realizing that over extended use, my brakes started to fade pretty badly, I decided to do focus on trying to dissipate heat from the rotors. For the fronts this meant cooling ducts and for the rears it meant upgrading to the 13.8" GT500 rear rotors.
There are two ways of going about this; using the Ford OEM GT500 caliper brackets:
(PN: DR3V-2C101-CA & DR3V-2C100-CA).
Or buying the calipers adapters off ebay for $100
(link:http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338634152&icep_item=153614098269)
The biggest advantage I found in the Ford pieces is that it is from Ford, meaning that fitment is just about guaranteed. While the biggest draw back is the install process. In order to install the Ford caliper adapters, you will have to pull the axles which I found out after buying them. If you are going to open up your rear diff, this could be to your advantage and might as well kill to birds with one stone. In comparison, the install process for the adapter brackets is much, much, and I repeat, much easier. Essentially, if you can change your brakes, you can install the adapters. Additionally, the brake adapters come with brand new bolts.
Because I was going to do this on jackstands and had no wish to deal with diff work in almost 90 degree weather, I chose the latter option. Upon arrival, the pieces seemed to have a good weight to them and showed good craftsmanship, barring a few very minor cosmetic flaws (probably from the bolts scratching up the adapters in shipping).
The install itself was pretty straight forward, jack up the car, pull the wheels, unbolt the rear calipers and zip-tie them so they don't hang from the lines.
Now this is may just have been an issue I ran into, but it seems as if God himself had torqued down the rear caliper bolts and I could not brake them free. Being the visionary I am, I had to get creative on how to get more leverage.
Once the two bolts connected to the axle are removed, the remaining part of the caliper can be removed and the stock rotors should be taken off and the caliper adapters can be installed.
From here, this is the part that confused me a bit and gave me some frustration trying to figure out. Eventually I came to the realization that the caliper adapters should be set up such as this.
One thing to note, the shorter, fully threaded bolts, will bolt onto the lower portion of the adapters and the axle itself. These will be removed from behind the dust shield (threads facing outward) and the installed facing the opposite way (threads facing inward). This is what confused me and made me question my sanity. The longer bolts that are partially threaded will bolt onto the caliper and the caliper adapter (threads facing outward)
From this point onward, you will install your new, or in my case used, 13.8" GT500 rotors and put the brakes back together as normal (make sure you have your caliper compressor nearby, or at least an Autozone).
Double check your work, and then put the wheels back on and enjoy!
Here is a size comparison pic:
Sidenote: I wanted to test the concept that the caliper adapters made a difference and not just a brand new rotor, so I picked up used OEM GT500 rear rotors from a friend for cheap to test the difference (will change pads, rotors, and brake lines very soon!). Initial bite seems to be slightly more pronounced but nothing life changing (about a 3/10 in terms of noticeable difference), everything else seems about the same for street driving, I haven't had a chance to test them beyond spirited highway driving. Also, the way the rotors fills up the rear wheels is much better now!
Before:
After:
Last edited:
