Hey.

Alright im about to shove a disc brake up fords big stubborn a$$hole..

I have an 03 Level 2 with alcoas...build date is 03/03 so basically a half breed 04..now ive measured the rotors on the front and there 12" but ford here is determined that alcoas didnt come with 12" rotors but 11.28"..now my question is has anyone else had a problem with installing pads and the lil metal brackets that hold them in scraping on the rim? cause mine did and i ended up haveing to cut off the metal tongue lets say to it wouldnt make a horrible screaching noise..

and if i switched out to 11.28 vented and drilled rotors what am i going to have to do to make the calipers work?? get some off a ranger with 11.28" rotors??...like whats my best solution here cause now the brakes are screaching every once and while..more like everyday and its driven me crazy.. i really hope someone else has had this problem so im not left in the dark here lol

 

My Level II was built 5/03 and it has 12" rotors inside of 15" Alcoas, just like yours. According to some people, the change from 11.28" to 12" happened sometime during the 03 model year. I heard on one of the various Ranger boards that the changeover happened in March 2003 but Zach's 2003 4x4 is earlier than March and he says he has 12" too. That's Internet info for ya.

There should be no difference in the U.S and Canadian spec trucks as far as brakes go. Your dealer is probably confused by the midyear change.

I looked up rotors on FordPartsCheap and they show one 4x4 rotor from 98~2003 (presumably 11.28") and a different one for 2004~2006 (presumably 12"). This may be the source of the confusion. The parts info does not appear to recognize the midyear change in 2003 1/2.

Have the dealer look up the pad part number for a 2004 4x4 Ranger. That is surely a 12" setup.

I have asked about this before at my local dealer and they say that if you have 12" rotors, the pads are also different from the 11.28". There is no reason that you should have had to modify factory parts for your truck. Since you had to trim the pads, it sounds like you may now have the 11.28" replacement pads on your 12" rotors - assuming, of course, that it is even possible for the parts to fit together at all.

AFAIK, the 2WD trucks continue to be 11.28" through 2006 but the 4x4's are 12" from 2003 1/2 on. Make sure that they are looking up 4x4's and not 4x2's.

 

yea bob i called them right after i messaged you..even head office said talk to a dealer so i calle d afew more and they all say 02 11.28 early 03 12" so i called my dealership back and he cant find that info anywhere i even got the other dealership to measure the replacements they had everything is good to go so come monday there doing a no charge inspection/service on the truck but i still wanna know if anyone else has had this problem? and if its possible to get 12" slottled or switch out too 11.28

 

As far as I have been able to determine, the aftermarket does not yet offer a 12" replacement. If you look at the sites that offer Ranger 4x4 "performance" brakes, they usually list through 2002 model year only, again adding credence to the timeline which says we had a switch to 12" in 2003MY.

As for going retro to 11.28", I have heard that the rotor and pad are definitely different part numbers. The diameter change says to me that the caliper or knuckle or both might also be different.

 

if i went out and got a set of calipers off an 02 ranger or jsut ordered some would they bolt up ?

 

i will toss another wrench in the hole rotor size. my 02 was supposed to have 11"rotors so when i got my new drilled/slotted i got the 11's

guess what i have the 12" ones!!! ended up sending the 11's back and got the 12's and it was a perfect fit. i don't know when ford switched, but it sure is confusing

 

To the best of my knowledge, the 12" rotors are 4x4 only and there is no way to bolt a 4x4 rotor onto your 2WD Ranger. There were two sizes of 2WD rotor: 10.28" and 11.28".

 

LOL.....let me throw another in the mix. 11.28 4x4 rotors WILL fit an 03 4x4. I know because I bought a set, mounted them, then found out my pads were 1/2 bigger than my disks. I had to eat those, and order a set of stock 12" rotors from the dealer. I was told by the dealer that the 11.28 rotors were for "non-towing package" trucks. At the time, I believed him....in a way it made sense. But after reading about more problems on the net, I figured out he was full of ****.

BTW: my truck was built 11/02

 

11.28" rotors will fit like TC said about but the pad hangs off. i think you can get the old (pre 03) style caliper bracket and the old pads and it should work.

something else to note when i went to NAPA to get my new rotors they had nothing mentioned of a rotor size change in there books, but listed under 03s were 12" and the 02 was listed as a 11.28" rotor. Napa claims all 03 4x4s are 12".

if you get on a site like tirerack.com the part numbers for the rotors are identical from 02 to 03.

best thing to do is measure your rotors then goto a store and measure the rotors before you buy them.

here is a pic that is explained to me. you can see how if the parts/pads get mixed up it can become a problem with pads not lining up.

 

I have the 12" rotors (build date 7/03) and Alcoa wheels. Clearance is very tight but I have never had any contact between the wheel and any brake components. My truck originally came with the 16" 5-spoke wheels.

Does anyone have the motorcraft part numbers for the "12 rotors and pads. I'll be doing the brakes soon and would like to avoid any confusion with the parts supplier.

 

ya when i went to NAPA 12" rotors no problem but FORD of all places thinks there king and says im on crack LOL yay for free service on monday to proce to them im not and ill get you the motocraft number when im there.

 

I beleive the change from 11.25 to 12" happened in 02/03.

 

my build date on my truck is in december if i remember right. and its an 03 with 12" rotors i think that change date is BS. plus ive heard 02/03 and 03/03 ive even heard a date like 03/21/03 is when the change happened. but if that is true why does mine and half the people with earlier 03s have 12" rotors.

 

my truck is a 10/02. i will try and find the info. from the receipt...

ok i found it and i am wrong!!! i got the sizes mixed up.

i was supposed to have the 10.28 from the data i found, but i have the 11.28

sorry about that guys, here is a link to the rotors that i now have: Drilled & Slotted brake rotor(pair-L/R sides)
http://www.nationalfleetparts.com/im...illandslot.jpg

http://www.nationalfleetparts.com/sp...RONT%20ROTORS&

 

Things that make you go..........................................hmmmmm .

 

for sure...well..im off to ford tomorrow morning no charge service there going to make the screeching stop...so im holding them to it..ill let all you know whats happening and if there is something different ford decided to do to "canadian" rangers ..