Rear disc brake conversion

Are the rear disc brake conversions worth it? What is the benefit? Any negatives? I hear people make fun of toyota for it, but is it really an issue? I mean they are rear brakes, and don't do a majority of the stopping, so why so much hate for the drums? Did any of you guys notice a difference when you did the conversion?

 

People that make fun of it are the same ones that cry when their Silverado needs $800 in rear brake work at 25,000 miles. Be happy- drums are best.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/customsearch/?q=Rear+disc+brake+conversion

 

It depends on what you are doing. For most people drums are fine.

 

Thanks for the reply. Im happy with my drums, vut people act like I should be upset with toyota. I ask prople time and time again to give me specific scenarios where the rear discs would be noticeably better, but they never respond. Lol.

 

Thats what I noticed, and I feel like there's way less brake dust to deal with.

 

Correct me if Im wrong, but IMO, these trucks are built to maximize longevity, reliability, and simplicity. Thats drum brakes in a nutshell. They will most likely last the lifespan of your truck. And if you ever DO have to do a drum brake job, its very easy once you get the hang of it.
Have I done a drum brake job on this truck...no. But I have done many in the past on other vehicles and they are all basically the same.
Dont let it bother you, cuz you wont even notice.

 

I have to disagree on the simplicity part, calipers have way less moving parts then drums. I for one would prefer the ease of maintenance on calipers, not enough to shell out for a conversion kit, but would like it better. It seems every time I work on drums they take up more of my Saturday then I would like.

 

I agree always need 3 or more hands for drums...LOL.
But it really is just a bunch of springs holding it all together...it is simple in design.

 

What makes springs simple? A caliper is 1 or maybe 2 pistons, 2 slide pins and 2 pads, simple. A drum has 2 pistons, 2 shoes, 1 adjuster, 1 adjuster pawl, maybe half a dozen different springs all of which need to be assembled in a specific order to work right. In other words not as simple. A lot of parts and failure points.

 

My 13 4Runner had rear disk and TBH I felt that the braking was smoother. That being said, I don’t have a problem at all with the drums. The are as others have said, not too complicated and are actually kind of therapeutic to change out.

besides, if you had rear disk brakes, they actually are a little more complicated because you have two separate brake systems. The parking brake is actually a mini version of drum brakes.

 

70% of brake force comes from the front.
Drums are sufficient and keep cost down in the Tacoma. Unless you are oval track racing??.....

 

Lol I'm old enough to remember having trucks with 4 drum brakes with no power booster. The worst was my 1970 for 150. It was also 3 on a tree with no power steering!

 

That was my FJ40...and TWO wheel cylinders per wheel. Absolute nightmare setup.

 

I'm in the camp that says Toyota put drums on for one reason: Cost savings. I would like to drive someone's disc conversion though, to see how much they improve stopping. If I stab the brakes at speed, mine gets all squirrely. I've had other rear disc trucks brake just fine.

 

Don't think it would change braking to much. Probably you would see a difference with a heavy load though, maybe you could do a slightly heavier trailer before needing trailer brakes? I've always thought my taco stopped pretty well, the 4 piston front caliper is definitely overkill for and unloaded truck.

 

Nailed it.

Discs are easier to maintain and they're lighter. They're better in every aspect but there are better things to spend money on.

 

"Worth it" is hard to ascertain - depends on the person. I have them, primarily b/c I'm towing a lot (more than normal for a tacoma). Worth it to me, yes - they definitely help. That said you probably won't notice the improvement unless you're loaded up a lot, or in a panic situation. For general use, you'll be much happier with a BBK in the front - that was a significant improvement. I rate the brakes in these trucks as "adequate" for a stock rig. If you're going to do creative things with your truck (like at 1500lbs of bumpers, or tow a 20+ft 4500lbs+ rig, as many tacoma owners do) then the upgrade fr and rr is worth it. The truck stock will still do those things, but having more margin is always better.

 

100% those SUCK!

 

Your truck was designed by engineers to work with the braking system it's had your many years, rear drum brakes and front disc. Why waste you good earned money on rear disc's? Unless your going to race it or tow alot your fine with what you have. save your money for a mod that will make a difference in performance or suspension. Like a supercharger.