2016 has rear drum brakes...

like stated.... i have ZERO issues with drums in the rear of this truck.... braking is very balanced as is. and the drums are literally maintenance free. dads 04 taco we just replaced the rear shoes at 220k mi, only cus we had the rear tires off. took an hour to do both sides n get them adjusted.

 

They wear like iron. I mean what more could you want out of brakes?

 

It continues to sell good because Nissan let the Frontier wither on the vine. All the other manufacturers left the midsize market. Ford, GM and Dodge realized they could loose their midsized offerings and use the gain in production capacity to further amortize the costs. I can't fit a full size in my garage which BTW is the ONLY reason I got another Taco. Otherwise I would have gotten a full size for the same cost.

As for the new one, well the Toyota marketing people earned their keep but the more informed can clearly see the Emperor got new clothes.

 

Can't argue with most of this - hey I'm driving a Tacoma now and it has served me extremely well. There is a good niche for this truck, especially since the economic collapse in '08. IMO, there is nothing as practical, durable, and has probably the least depreciation and best resale of anything else on the road. That's exactly why I own one!

The downside is the thing drives like an ox cart, is pretty tight if you are big, and while mine tows what I need now, I'm looking at a bigger boat and the taco won't cut it (it's a 2.7). A 6cyl taco? Still drives like an oxcart, 1995 technology, gas mileage sucks, small and cheap interior, same towing capacity, and so on. And, from the sounds of it, I'm talking about the 3rd gen!

We'll see. I've got another couple of years with the taco (shooting for 200k), I'm just keeping my eye out right not.

 

I don't see why everyone is so gung ho about rear discs, in trucks your rear brakes are hardly used and drums are fine. All vehicles I've had with rear discs have been nothing but problems.

 

Just so they have something to contribute and run their mouths... notice no factual evidence has been stated for discs to be superior for the tacoma application... just jaw flapping

 

It's a double edged sword with rear discs. They have advantages, but you still gonna have a drum brake for the parking brake in addition to the rear disc.

 

Basically. The hung ho'ers could take their imaginary rear discs and shove them where the sun don't shine. I'm very happy with my dear drum braked Taco.

 

Don't forget the front brakes already has 4-piston calipers which in my opinion is overkill for a truck but probably contribute to the Tacoma being #1 in braking for it's class.

 

When you look at the TV and see expedition in the north pole, in a mudhole in the middle of nowhere in a jungle of indonesia or South america, in africa, in the autralian outback, wich truck do you see?

First, it's not a full size truck. It's a midsize/compact. Full size is mostly for north america

Second you know the answer.

Third, in this places and condidtions, if we are asking the question about rear drums vs. rear discs, what's gonna be the answer?

 

You see one of these:

http://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-70-series/features/safety

And it has rear disc brakes.

 

And, go for one of these if possible:

http://www.toyota.com.au/landcruise... 70_RangeSpecs_DoubleCabChassisWorkMate_Specs

Still has rear discs.

 

Expect drums on the rear unless they release a hybrid version. The recursive braking system is discs.

 

Wow, talk about lazy and cheap on Toyota's part. it's 2015, not 1985.

 

Define recursive please. My dictionary doesn't provide a definition that fits your use age.

 

regenerative disc..... ol man

 

Drum brakes are " self energizing", the rotational force of the drum helps apply the brakes this is why there is a leading and trailing shoe. This makes it easier to stop (less pedal effort) it also makes it easier to control braking force reducing wheel lockup. Most trucks today are nothing more than a suburban toy and never get used for what they were intended. Rear disk brakes "look nice" gives the truck a "sporty look" and sells but as far as braking on the back end of a truck there is no gain unless all your trips are down hill. How often do you see disk brakes on a tractor trailer? Drums are simple rear disks are not many of them still have issues with parking brakes trashing the pads and disks. I do not advocate front drums but rear drums on a pickup certainly work better than disks other wise the "sport truck" would out stop them.

 

I've been following the 'rear disc brakes on trucks' trend for awhile now. My 05 Frontier 4x4 Nismo had them and that's when I started paying attention to which other trucks did or did not. Ford went to rear discs and never looked back. Chevy went to rear discs on their full size, went back to drums, and now are back with discs (although their 2500 and up stayed with discs), Nissan switched and stayed, Dodge switched and stayed... Evolution and trends indicate a switch to rear discs.

Performance wise, I realize the Tacoma is an 'industry leader' in stopping distance. But to me, it feels like mush. So does the engine. I really have to get my foot into the Tacoma to make something happen. My Nissan 4.0 was smooth as well as the brakes. My wife's 2014 4Runner, discs all around of course, has got to weigh more than my truck (somebody correct me, I'm not sure) and stops much more confidently and smoother than my Tacoma.

The semi truck comparison is difficult and moot. Most semis on the road are ancient but still seen all over the place and many new ones do have discs all around. And then of course they are semis, not mid or full size trucks. My dad and I don't talk about much but when we do it is always about cars and trucks (he has been a diesel mechanic for 40 years now) and he says either is fine, one is just more archaic. You can guess which one.

Weird nostalgic thought: I can remember seeing older, late 1980's single cab Isuzu pickups with 4 wheel discs. They were standard on their 4WD trucks for awhile. I realize that their passenger car/truck division disentegrated but offroad guys love them and they made some good product for a little while.

 

It's a far stretch comparing drum brakes on tractor trailers to drum brakes on cars or light trucks. Different actuating systems ( air vs hydraulic). Different design criteria as tractor trailer brakes are not shrouded by the vehicles wheels as much and lack backing plates as there is no need for a base to mount the slave cylinder, springs and other hardware and can be better sized to meet the load requirements as the wheels axles allow large diameters and wide drums and shoes and greater mass and surface area to dissipate the heat.

Yes most light trucks are not used to there capacity and drum brakes may be fine for you. I personally pull a travel trailer with mine and haul things in the bed. It would certainly please me to have more stopping power on the back axle rather than the drums that do little more than meet the requirement for four wheel brakes and cause a very poor pedal feel.

Evidence that they do little is found anecdotally right on this forum when the shoes last for

 

If you're buying a truck because of the four wheel disc's, you're probably not looking at the things that will really matter on your truck. the last Chevy I had didn't have bad pedal feel. I think that has more to do with Tacoma's design than anything else.

In Europe all the heavy truck manufactures have switched to disc brakes. Then again they need more heat dissipation over there on there brake systems due to the extremely rolling terrain. Over the last few years a few truck manufacturers have been switching to disks over on this side of the pond. I know truck fleets aren't that eager about disc brakes because the rotors tend to shatter when they overheat leading to a catastrophic accident inducing failure. There's trade off's to everything. Some drivers prefer the discs for there resistance to fade and others hate them for the risks. Plus heavy duty disc brakes tend to require less inspection but higher maintenance.