2016 has rear drum brakes...

ThatGoPromounttho

 

The idea that Toyota puts drum brakes on the Tacoma because they offer any real performance advantage over discs is absurd: it's because they're cheaper, and Toyota can seemingly get away with equipping the Tacoma with lesser performing equipment (see, e.g., no Dual VVT-i engine) without sales suffering. No performance vehicle in the world uses drum brakes anymore. In Toyota's line, the 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Tundra and Land Cruiser all use four wheel disc brakes. Hell, even the Camry has them. In fact, you know which other Toyota vehicle does have drums? The Corolla. If rear drums really were somehow better, they would be used in something other than the cheapo economy models.

 

My Corolla is 11 years old, and the drums have been great. Stops every time. So what if they're cheaper? They work. At the end of the day, if the truck stops when it's supposed to stop, is there really anything to complain about?

 

You do understand that the Camry, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Tundra, and even the FJ are targeted towards the people who prefer more of a "luxurious" ride than a Corolla, or a Tacoma right?

 

... I'd say that's not a good argument. I wouldn't buy an FJ, Land Cruiser, Tundra or 4Runner for the way it rides .

The Camry maybe, but the others are not exactly the smoothest riding vehicles. I guess it's time for a Colorado in your future.

 

The drums in my last two Tacomas seems to have stopped them pretty well...

 

Disc brakes aren't that bad in the rear. I mean sure discs would be nice but drums will work for a light truck. If we are talking about an had truck then discs work better for a Chevy 3500.

 

Look at their interior. Look at their brake feel and capabilities. More importantly, look at their price tag. The people who buy these vehicles are looking for the "ooh" and "ahh" factor when they are purchasing it. I'm not necessarily talking about the way it rides. That was my bad for not specifying ...

"Oh yeah. Look at the rear of the vehicle. Those are disc brakes on all 4 corners! Great for stopping power." -Salesman

 

I was comparing every other body-on-frame 4x4 vehicle in Toyota's line, which would be comparable to a Tacoma. Most Tacoma owners at least considered a 4Runner, Tundra and/or FJ (I ended up buying my wife a 4Runner). The Camry/Corolla reference was just to make my point that drum brakes are only spec'd to save money on cheap vehicles, not because they're better than disc brakes.

And yes, the four wheel discs on my 4Runner have a better braking feel than my Tacoma.

 

I think you're trying to sell a BMW... not a Toyota.

 

Most? Really? None of those vehicles have been on my radar. I bet I'm not part of a minority, either. But that digression gets us nowhere...

A better comparison may be to consider usage, such as straight on-road towing/hauling versus 4x4 offroading. Would it make more sense for Toyota to offer disc brakes on the 4WD and TRD packages, and drum brakes on the 2WD? I'm looking at a 2WD Limited - rear drums are just fine with me. However, I could see that if I was an avid off-roader or performance truck enthusiast, the discs would be a better option.

Educated speculation follows:
I'm sure that Toyota weighed their options, and went with drums because of some kind of internal decision process after having reviewed multiple considerations. Perhaps they consider that the demand for rear brakes is better suited to the customization/after market upgrade community?

 

Hey! You get out of here with your logic and facts, there is not a place for that in this thread!

I'm off to rip the disc brakes off my MR2, Tacoma, and mountain bike and set them on fire. Long live drums and rim brakes!

 

Can it at least be safe to say that four wheel disc brakes are a sign of progress?

I question the money factor. If most of Toyota's line-up is using discs all around, wouldn't it be cheaper to drop drums altogether and just use discs from another model on the rear?

And although I do agree with the benefits of drums in some situations, none of them seem to really apply to the Tacoma. Off-roading...most real off-roaders are not rocking a truck and Jeep switched to rear discs awhile ago. Towing...not what the Tacoma was meant to do in any hardcore manner on a regular basis. Drums just don't seem right for the majority of applications with this particular truck and in the market it is meant for.

 

I'll take drums on any vehicle that see's gravel often. The rears always have rocks kicked into them from the front tires in my experience. With discs that means constant backing up while standing on the brakes to get rid of the rocks now squealing away in the rear. While I agree discs are the way of the future, I see no major reason I need discs on the rear of any light truck I buy. They just aren't going to make a big enough difference that I care. Heck, if it saves Toyota a dollar or two and it means a lower maintenance rear brake for me, I'd call that an advantage in my case.

 

They do I know. I have driven all the other vehicles in Toyotas line up and compared them to the Tacoma brake feel and they did feel much better. I'll tell you what though at the end of the day I'm better off because I don't have to deal with a hybrid disc brake/mini drum equipped vehicle that either warps, and or burns out the mini drums under the discs. Just more peace of mind to me.

Lucky for you no one buys BMW's, just lease them.

He has a point. I never wanted any of those due to the fact that the FJ was just too ugly looking. 4Runner too limited in availability and was an SUV when I wanted a truck, and the Tundra just ridiculously large overall and a pain in the ass to park and maneuver when you are in city situations.

I have to disagree with you on your statement of most real offroaders that don't run trucks. What about Prerunners? You wouldn't call those off roaders? For rock crawling, Jeeps are best suited and most of the time win that battle given then have the right combination of parts in their setup. They can take on a lot of obstacles out there. For Prerunning though, trucks are king.

I do have to question that myself. Given that they are using discs in many models you would figure it is cheaper to go that route. Maybe the reason they stick with them is because they want to remain true to the "dependable maintenance free workhorse" label that Toyota has always been known for.

Yet again. I whole heartedly agree with your statement. Lol.

 

Prerunners....good point that I don't think about often. I'm from Iowa, offroading means something different up there. Mainly forests and fields.

I agree that a semi-sealed system would be better in constant gravel/sand/small abrasive particle situations but that would be the minority of us. It would be like the person arguing they wouldn't buy a Tacoma because it didn't have rear discs, would you in turn not have bought your Tacoma if it didn't have rear drums?

 

Maybe one should ask about the problems people have had retro fitting disk brakes on the rear of a Tacoma. From what I have read it has been a nightmare. When I sold my 97 it had 285,000 miles on the rear shoes the only thing I ever did to the rear brakes was free up the pivot for the parking brake and an occasional adjustment. It was used as a truck it towed it hauled fire wood if it ain't broke don't fix it. personally I don't need to have people ooh and ah over the fact my truck has rear disks as long as the drums do the job well I'm OK with that.

 

Disc brake set up produces more stopping power than a drum set up. F1 uses them.
Toyota puts rear drums on the Tacoma for one reason, cost. They don't have to change anything. Drums trap more contaminates then discs, then wears out the shoe material. If you think that a disc gets more contaminates on it then grinds it in with the caliper, go to your sink, put water in a bowl and on a plate, which one holds more water.... The drum hold it in there for , well until it wears out.

 

Other than my beater F150(not a daily driver and is gone now), I haven't had a vehicle with drum brakes in the last 11 years. While I haven't used it after deep mud or water yet, this truck has the best feeling brakes I have used in a while. The pedal feel is about perfect(much better than my 14 Forester), they stop the truck quickly without any drama.

The drums on the Tacoma are done well, I have no problem at all with them.

 

No. I have 242,000km on my drums, aside from the shoes being warn to 50% they are like new internally. I didn't even check them until 200k. I have around 30k of rough unmaintained dirt road driving on the truck, they have been submerged in salt water etc.. My 88 4runner had 480,000km, the drums never had an issue.