Does anyone know why it was necessary to revert to rear drum brakes for the 2009 FEH / MMH?

I know that they did it so that RSC could be added, but my question is why RSC could not work with ecvt / hybrid / rear disc brakes.

Any ideas?

The 2008 Ford Escape (non-hybrid) arrived with rear drum brakes--advanced track and RSC as standard equipment. The 2007 Escape (non-hybrid) had 4 wheel disc brakes but no advance track and RSC.

If one relies on this information it seem like the problem is with disc brakes and advance track/RSC, not regenerative braking with advance track/RSC. Or is it either advance track or RSC by itself unable to combine with disc brakes?

2005 AWD Escape Hybrid
Best Interstate tank trip MPG 39.02 (scangauge II) for 402 miles on I-70, 10.3 gallons used over mostly flat terrain. Aug. 2007

Best Interstate tank trip E30 MPG 34.6 for 271 miles along I-80 in Indiana and Ohio. May 2008

Best multiple road tank trip E30 MPG 36.2 for 202 miles in Southwestern Pa. July 2008.

Beancounters, STRICTLY beancounters.

Sorry but the official Ford statement prior to this year: problem was with combining regenerative braking with electronic stability control.

2005 AWD Escape Hybrid
Best Interstate tank trip MPG 39.02 (scangauge II) for 402 miles on I-70, 10.3 gallons used over mostly flat terrain. Aug. 2007

Best Interstate tank trip E30 MPG 34.6 for 271 miles along I-80 in Indiana and Ohio. May 2008

Best multiple road tank trip E30 MPG 36.2 for 202 miles in Southwestern Pa. July 2008.

Disc brakes have a slight drag all the time, drum brakes do not. I was kinda surprised when I saw disk brakes on the first FEH. This might be a good thing.

Ducit Amour Hybridae
Mark Smith
Master Certifited Technician
Tempus non reparabilis fugit
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."

Best Tank 35.0 MPG

Ford LIES......

The FEH/MMH's are primarily FWD vehicles and so regenerative braking has virtually nothing to do with rear wheel braking. And I would bet good money that along with electronic stability control (coming in 2010??) the rear brakes will be disc.

A slight drag? Why? That makes no sense at all - disc brakes would wear out REALLY fast.

My understanding of how disc brakes work is that the slight "wobble" of the rotor is enough to push the pads off the rotor for most of the time during cruise speeds. But there is some level of pad contact that isn't found in a drum system. Drum brakes have springs to pull the pads off the drum.

I just can't see where FORD engineers would have to have drum brakes on the rear to get Advancetrac and RSC to work. The Explorer has all disk brakes and has had this technology since 2005.

I agree with WWest, this has to be a financial decision...

Yes, remember that rear disc brakes require two braking methods, disc/caliper plus drum/shoe e-brake.

Mark, are you sure about this? I thought that disc brakes, depending on the design, either had an integral return spring or enough spring in the seals to keep the discs free of contact in a properly aligned system.