Ranger Raptor Brakes performance?

[Bigmikey65]

Does anyone know if the calipers/rotors are different in the Lariat and Raptor ? Are they the same setup ?

Sponsored

 

[Chuck2001]

Regular Ranger has the BRRF-376 / KB3Z-1125-A front rotor which is 311mm, same as the 2.3 and 2.7 Bronco.

Confusing because Ford part number website says Raptor in vehicule fitment, but then it's written "without raptor" in the description.

Ranger Raptor seem to have a 341mm rotor part # MB3Z-2C026-B which is has only the raptor as vehicule fitment.

 

[MGKRISTON]

I am currently seriously considering buying a new Ranger Raptor. My only concern about the performance of the vehicle is braking. The reviews and comments that I have read are not favorable. My current Wrangler and H-D Fat Boy (even with PM brakes) are both poor in the braking department. To be honest - I’m tired of it.

Are the rotors and calipers in the 2025 Ranger Lariat the same as the rotors and calipers in the 2025 Ranger Raptor ? The braking performance of the two vehicles looks similar when you take the Raptors higher weight into account. (70 mph to 0 mph braking tests).

I can tell you that my 2024 XLT brakes (10,000 miles) have major problems that Ford is not interested in addressing and I'm currently working with the BBB to resolve the issue. 1. Brake pedal is very soft and routinely grabs at different heights and many times travels past the level of the gas pedal. 2. Sometimes they grab at a 1" depression and sometimes at 3" with the pedal continuing to travel to the floor. 3. When starting the truck with light to moderate pressure on the brake pedal, the pedal sinks to the floor. They had a Ford field tech look at it and he "inspected things" but didn't even bother to bleed the brake lines or test the master cylinder. The sponginess and softness which they consider "normal" would make me stay clear of another purchase from Ford.

 

[embedded rock]

From these two sources, it seems all trims get the same brakes based on rotor diameters.

https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/co...2025_Ford_Ranger_Technical_Specifications.pdf

https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/r...25/ford_ranger-raptor_ford-ranger-raptor_2025

 

[jordantii]

I think what people miss is the characteristic's that brakes exhibit. The two most common are bite and torque.

initial bite can be very misleading. You hit the brakes and you get this strong initial bite. This gives immediate confidence and that is what can be misleading. You feel that the brakes are strong at initial moment and if they do not continue into torque you wind up in trouble.

I prefer less initial bite and loads of torque that I can modulate. To me this is ideal. Also, with a high bite braking system you can abruptly transfer weight to the front and at times that is not wanted. Grip is simply the movement of weight around the 4 corners of the vehicle. I want to be able to move that weight with as much precision as possible. Steering, throttle and brake inputs are all we have to accomplish this.

That’s my 2 cents.

 

[pablo94sc]

I don't think the Raptor brakes inspire a lot of confidence. They are fine overall, but not what I'd expect on a performance vehicle. KO3s don't help the matter once they get some mileage on then. But I'm from a racing background, so I have high expectations for the brakes and tires on all of my cars and upgrade accordingly. The Ranger's are pretty typical of factory setups - good enough for most people.

 

[Hande]

I think what people miss is the characteristic's that brakes exhibit. The two most common are bite and torque.

initial bite can be very misleading. You hit the brakes and you get this strong initial bite. This gives immediate confidence and that is what can be misleading. You feel that the brakes are strong at initial moment and if they do not continue into torque you wind up in trouble.

I prefer less initial bite and loads of torque that I can modulate. To me this is ideal. Also, with a high bite braking system you can abruptly transfer weight to the front and at times that is not wanted. Grip is simply the movement of weight around the 4 corners of the vehicle. I want to be able to move that weight with as much precision as possible. Steering, throttle and brake inputs are all we have to accomplish this.

That’s my 2 cents.

You sound like a racing driver, too
I like progressive feel, when initial bite is strong without too much pedal free movement, and is easy to modulate after initial bite.

Problem with RR is, that you never know where is the initial bite - after 1” or 3” free travel, you never know. With longer free travel you must use more force and vise versa.
After driving sport / race cars, I find it very hard to trust RR brakes 🥲
Otherwise just a great truck.

For sport cars, you can use pads like Carbon Lorraine number 6, EBC Blue etc but not sure which pad would give similar feeling to RR ?

 

[boraxman]

When I was researching I found the RR to have the longest braking distance of any (North American) truck in its class.

IMO brakes are one of the weak points on the truck, I have formed the habit of getting on the brakes early but we are talking about a quick 5000lb truck too.

 

[Switzguy]

Driving it home from the dealership I had to perform some emergency braking from 80mph to avoid some semi retread flying at me. Very satisfied with the breaks. Maybe a touch squishy in normal mode but I use sport mode quite often they seem adequate. Does anyone know if the Procal tune affects the breaks at all?

 

[jordantii]

You sound like a racing driver, too
I like progressive feel, when initial bite is strong without too much pedal free movement, and is easy to modulate after initial bite.

Problem with RR is, that you never know where is the initial bite - after 1” or 3” free travel, you never know. With longer free travel you must use more force and vise versa.
After driving sport / race cars, I find it very hard to trust RR brakes 🥲
Otherwise just a great truck.

For sport cars, you can use pads like Carbon Lorraine number 6, EBC Blue etc but not sure which pad would give similar feeling to RR ?

Yeah, how could you tell… lol. Former life. It’s just something I’ll have to train myself to understand and deal with as long as I run the stock set up. As many have pointed out the KO3’s are also huge factor as are all tires when it comes to all demands when it comes to grip.

 

[av8r]

They work well. Brake feel is subjective so the only way for you to know is drive a truck that has a few thousand miles on it where you're sure the brakes were bedded properly.

 

[daytoncarter]

I have a MY 25 Lariat and the brakes are good, albeit pedal pressure is more than I'm accustomed to with my other car.

If you jam the brakes it stops quickly and confidently, but my truck is opposite some other members like MGKRISTON who are complaining about a "soft" pedal.

 

[Flak]

To test this today, I carried a half ton of pellets from the store back to the house. Boy are my arms tired.

But more seriously, with all the other stuff in the back and two people this was near or slightly over payload cap. Using tow/haul it was pretty docile. It felt like it had the extra weight, though, and my driving habits changed to match the driving feel (as it typically does when I'm towing). To that end, it doesn't feel like a 2500+ where you can barely feel that type of weight change, but it isn't an HD truck either.

My final assessment is, brake function is acceptable, brake feel is only fair. I like my brakes to have a bit more bite earlier in the range, all my normal driving should have very minimal pedal movement.

 

[Flak]

For me, this is more ideal. In low stress with fine motion control, brake pedal is very responsive. For high stress (e.g. emergency braking), no difference.

 

[spazzyfry123]

Meh they’re all right. I don’t think they match the performance of the truck, but they do the job. They definitely do not feel strong and require more pedal pushing than I would expect, but they do stop.

One thing that I’ve noticed is they don’t feel consistent. I’m assuming with them being electronic, they are reactive to driving situations as the same amount of pressure and pedal depressed doesn’t always deliver the same braking experience. I’m sure I’m being nit picky, but it definitely doesn’t offer the confidence from a well balanced hydraulic system. I do typically have the truck in Sport to take advantage of the downshifts to supplement braking efforts.

Sponsored