Sgorsuch77

What are the advantages of a 5 lug disc conversion? Anyone know where I can find a5 lug conversion kit or disc conversion fora 93 5.0 stang. For a decent price?

houtex

There's no real advantage to it unless you are talking a certain wheel application or perhaps track needs. On the track, the extra lug might be a good idea for stress reasons, but for street, unless your pokin' about with 600 ft-lbs, no real need for it.

I will say this, you can get better looking 5 spoke wheels with the 5 lugs if they're exposed. Won't matter if the lugs are covered though, nobody will really care/know with those.

So unless you just *have* to have the 2010 Shelby GT500 Convertible wheels, or the giant brakes (and therefore giant wheels, which is, what, an 19" max on that car with /20 tires?) there wouldn't be much point to it, honestly. I mean, you can get big brakes for the 4 lugs too, SSBC has them. Pricey, but then, what big brake kit isn't?

However, here's how you upgrade from 4 lug to 5 lug, as an example, this is NOT the only place/way, but it gives you an idea what's needed:
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/...onversion-Kits

Namely, front rotors, rear axles (make the right choice on spline count, mind), and 5 lug drums. Your current brakes otherwise will be re-used. Your rear axle will require partial disassembly and reassembly, hence the rear gear oil included. Then it's just wheels of your choosing. They have a kit with the Cobra wheels/tires included if you so desire.

Doesn't upgrade your brakes, but it does swap out the 4 to 5 lugs, and I might add, fairly economically. Then again, in that list, you can also choose to keep the drums in back, or go disc. And this is just LRS, there's others out there like SSBC, Baer, etc.

Or, you can also probably find some of this stuff in a junkyard and do it yourself, if you wanted, and didn't care about upgrading so much. For $400 for the basic kit? No way, I'm just buyin' it.

Have fun!

Sgorsuch77

Thanks i am not too worried about the 5 lug conversion now. And real advantages to converting to rear disc brakes? Aside from it just being easier to do brakes in general. And what is the difference in the # of splines on rear acles?

hi5.0

Hate to disagree, but the advantage of a 5-lug, 4-wheel disc conversion on a Fox Mustang can be summed up in one word. Safety. IMO the stock brake system on the car is barely adequate to rein in stock horsepower levels for every day driving. Had a couple "pucker moments" bringing the car to a halt in panic situations. Even using the discs off a V6 '94-'04 could be considered an upgrade. If you plan to keep the factory 4-lug setup, pirate a complete rear disc brake assembly from a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.
That said, IIRC, the M2300K conversion kit is no longer available from Ford. Finding one NOS may be your only bet. There are many tech articles on the internet detailing DIY 5-lug, 4-wheel disc conversions and the parts you need so you can budget accordingly. The expanded choice of wheels is a nice bonus. Good luck, what ever you decide to do.

skunk21

We have a Fox tech section..anyways from post #3 5 lug conversion/ rear disc upgrade, read it/learn it.

http://home.comcast.net/~mjbobbitt/mustang/page1.html


5 lug swap advantages: Better wheel selection. More brake options or big brake kits..larger rotors = more swept area = more leverage= better braking. rear disc conversion.. street cars get roughly 75% of thier braking from the fronts, the rears play a role but it is smaller hence the lack of vented rotors in the rear would be the 1st give away. the advantage to rear disc is more consistent braking since drum brake shoes tend to have more distance between them and the lining, most our out of adjustment rather quickly and are much slower to respond vs a caliper thus the rear disc gives more positive/quicker braking to rear.

skunk21

I agree to an extent. I run the stock 4 lug set up. I use high quality rotors, hawk pads and braided lines. I rebuilt the entire braking system in the rear, keep them adjusted but I also a grippy tire, most people tend to forget that the tires grip on the road is a factor in braking. I have had no issues stoping the car, even with spirited driving. driving technique also should be considered. for teh most part though it is weak and most people tend to over brake and over drive thier car.

houtex

Then don't disagree.

No, I agree to these points to a certain extent too. I did point out the bigger brakes issue though, and they ARE available for the four lugs... 5 lugs aren't needed.

'Upgrading' the back brakes to disc is, in my opinion, a preference for fading elimination only. Your main stopping power in any car is the brakes/tires in the DIRECTION OF THE CAR. Your weight shift to the front, the front wheels, the front brakes, all of which are needed to stop the car.

That same weight shift, with an upgraded brake disc system in back, is maybe more likely to cause you to simply lock up the wheels in the back instead of making the car stop normally. Not that that's *bad*, per se, but it's not as good as a rolling stop, or why invent ABS? Car *could* swap ends...

Of course, upgrading all the brakes to big discs might mean always locking up and flatspotting the tires, yeah? Unless you had proper meats to handle the new brakes and therefore prevent the lockups.

Meh. Probably a philosophical difference. My bottom line on all this is: Factory was good enough in many respects. Well, not a 1966 Mustang Sprint 200 with non-powered drum brakes. Those sucked. A LOT.

Upgrade for your own reasons, and let us not sway you.

Re: the 28 vs 31 spline, the 31 spline is stronger, BUT you will have to have a matching differential. If your diff is a 28 spline, then you will be talking an entire axle replacement sans housing to get the 31s.

/*I* would do the upgrades, big brake discs in 5 lug all the way around, 4 pistons in the front for sure, only because they're prettier, by far. And that's about the only reason for me.
//Not a track star, drag strip junky. And I don't street race either.

hi5.0

FWIW, I still have the stock-style 4-lug brakes on my car. Did the MM steel caliper sleeves, their front and rear brake pad package, and added synthetic high-temp fluid. Do not have the braided brake lines though.
I do agree about the points made about the roles that the front brakes and tire grip play in braking performance. Neglected to mention that .
A proper 4 or 5-lug (rear) disc brake conversion will not result in the rears locking up before the fronts if the F/R bias was adjusted accordingly - as most of the conversion kit or DIY installs out there should have that taken into account. Using SN95 parts will mean having sealed bearing front hubs which makes maintenance a bit less of a hassle, plus replacement parts are widely available and prices shouldn't be outrageous (if not using Cobra or "big brake kit" specific parts).
Guess I prefer adding more "whoa" before the "go" even though it did not end up that way on my car. The M2300K kit is sitting somewhere in my house gathering dust until time and funds permit. Also have ABS retrofit planned for the future if I can find all the parts at the salvage yard.

skunk21

Plenty of fox 5 lug and rear disc swaps out there and plenty of them run on track day cars. rear lock doesn't seem to be a problem that I have heard of. The whole conversion needs to be done correctly right down to the master and booster, also no brake bias valve should be needed on a rear disc conversion or be on a street car. If the correct proportion valve is used the rears will operate like normal. running a rear bias valve in the hands of the wrong person will cause oversteer/understeer under braking and an accident. Every car suffers from tossing its weight onto the nose during braking and heavy braking. suspension set up and a few other factors effect this for sure.

Really though way over thinking it for a street car. increasing the braking surface area is a good thing, rear disc provide more even consistant braking over drums. drums when properly adjusted work just fine for the street but are also more unsprung weight. The stock 4 lugs are also fine for the street when using quality parts and good driving technique.

I like to keep all aids out of my performance car and keep it a pure driving experience..my preference. If you are locking up then you are over driving it or are having a mechanical issue.