4 wheel Discs and other Options-2013 SE

[Philxx]

The only way to get full discs on a 2013 SE (5Mt) is the 201A package which is about $1600 in Canada. Has anybody driven both the rear drum and rear disc configs and if so is there an appreciable difference ie better stopping distances, less fade or anything else? Besides the discs, 201a includes 17" wheels, fog lamps and some appearance stuff but nothing critical to me so I am wondering if the $1600 is worth it because it would help on resale or if it is just a good deal for the stuff it includes?

Thanks
Phil

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[suss6052]

Originally Posted by Philxx

The only way to get full discs on a 2013 SE (5Mt) is the 201A package which is about $1600 in Canada. Has anybody driven both the rear drum and rear disc configs and if so is there an appreciable difference ie better stopping distances, less fade or anything else? Besides the discs, 201a includes 17" wheels, fog lamps and some appearance stuff but nothing critical to me so I am wondering if the $1600 is worth it because it would help on resale or if it is just a good deal for the stuff it includes?

Thanks
Phil

The disks are much better than the disk / drum set up on the base car, both to drive, as well as to service. The appearance package essentially turns a base SE into what was a SEL premium package (minus leather for canada as standard). The SE sport or SEL with DCT base packages were much better value in 2012 vs 2013.

[onestout]

The SFE package also comes with 4 wheel disk brakes, the package was $95, but not with the 5mt. In the midwest I would actually prefer rear drums though.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by onestout

The SFE package also comes with 4 wheel disk brakes, the package was $95, but not with the 5mt. In the midwest I would actually prefer rear drums though.

I wouldn't prefer drum brakes, they are enclosed which means it will trap water and rust from the inside out. My last car had rear drums and they totally suck to drive on, or when it came time to have them worked on. I live in the mid west, but drum brakes suck full stop all the time.

[onestout]

where are drums trapping water?? I've never taken a set of drum brakes apart that have had water in them, i've also never had the corrosion issues with drums like I have with disks. You actually had water in your drum brakes when you took them apart??

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by onestout

where are drums trapping water?? I've never taken a set of drum brakes apart that have had water in them, i've also never had the corrosion issues with drums like I have with disks. You actually had water in your drum brakes when you took them apart??

I've had corroded brake shoe mounting hardware and springs both on my cars in the past, as well as when I had to help change the drums on my brother's 2003 Taurus. All the hardware was corroded much worse than any set of calipers I've ever seen in my life.

That's evidence that water and other road debris were jammed inside the drum for long enough to corrode it badly. It also froze up the star wheel on at least the one side, but likely on both sides. Also the rust was so bad on the side where the drum was completely shot that the car wasn't really that stable on the jack stands, so rather than change the worse side I had to button the car back up before it fell on me.

Was there standing water? Not that I recall, but the springs that held the shoes on were badly rusted, as well as the springs that hold the shoes together and locked to the self adjuster mechanism were badly corroded.

The pistons and brake pads usually have held up better in my previous experiences. I strongly dislike working on drum brakes, let alone driving with them.

[GEN3F]

Phil:

We just purchased two 2013's - one SE with 201A and one without. No appreciable difference with brakes - rear discs vs. drums. However, at higher speeds or with repeated stops, there could be a difference. Option 201A is worth the money - not only for rear disc brakes but for many additional features: leather seats, steering wheel and shifter boot, power driver's seat, ambient lighting, Sirius radio, brighter trim inside, perimiter alarm, fog lights, rear wing and 17 inch wheels/tires. 201A is $ 2,640 in US dollars. By the way, the SE without it works fine and has nice features for the price:16 inch alloys with decent tire size, SYNC with MyFord (works fine), all electrics, cruise and more. Both cars are impressive in design, engineering and driving dynamics. And they are very attractive inside and out.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by rl986@bellsouth.net

Phil:

We just purchased two 2013's - one SE with 201A and one without. No appreciable difference with brakes - rear discs vs. drums. However, at higher speeds or with repeated stops, there could be a difference. Option 201A is worth the money - not only for rear disc brakes but for many additional features: leather seats, steering wheel and shifter boot, power driver's seat, ambient lighting, Sirius radio, brighter trim inside, perimiter alarm, fog lights, rear wing and 17 inch wheels/tires. 201A is $ 2,640 in US dollars. By the way, the SE without it works fine and has nice features for the price:16 inch alloys with decent tire size, SYNC with MyFord (works fine), all electrics, cruise and more. Both cars are impressive in design, engineering and driving dynamics. And they are very attractive inside and out.

Only the US forces leather as part of the $2500+ 201 A package. The leather seats are not worth the extra money, especially not for black leather. Give me back the choice for stone leather and I might choose it. Otherwise the only good thing about the 201A package is the rear disk brakes. They make a huge difference in stopping performance in traffic or from freeway speeds repeatedly. Drums fade much quicker.

[sirhawkeye]

My issue with drum brakes is that I feel they trap brake dust in, so you need to clean them periodically (more than disc brakes). Plus, disc brakes (in my opinion) give you better stopping power because you're grabbing a moving disc, rather than trying to rub against a moving surface.

I think the disc brakes will lock easier, but with 4 wheel ABS, this shouldn't be much of an issue. Personally, I haven't felt a big difference between my 2010 Focus (which had rear drums, but 4 wheel ABS) and my 2012 Focus which has all 4 disc brakes with ABS.

But if I had to choose, I would always take disc breaks for the rear over drums. They're also easier to work on than drum brakes. And you can make better visual inspections with disc brakes, instead of having to remove the wheel and drum just to check the status of your pads.

[Philxx]

Thanks for the feedback; I did not know about the US-Cdn differences on the 201a. I just checked on the 2012 options and they are better for my purposes but I think they might have been altered; I thought at one point you could get the Sport Package without 201a for about $350; now though, you have to get 201a to get the sports package so the the total for both is about $!200 vs $1600 for 2013. Oh well. I think I will bite the bullet given the comments here but I feel that Ford should not be selling the Focus with drum brakes in this day and age. I am pretty sure that there would only be a small cost difference at production level for discs all around.