PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

We’re in two completely different worlds. I’m referring to factors that are quantifiable. Measurable. Repeatable. Based on the laws of physics...that sort of thing. “Good, better, best” without specified criteria is just a preferential opinion. That having been said, is there a mechanical advantage to a disc brake setup? That’s the topic I’m discussing.

 

Yes there is disc brakes are proven to work better than drums. Now to put rear discs on your 2nd gen Tacoma isnt worth the cost imo

 

I'm thinking that was more of a 'front tires barely on the ground' than a real 'reduced brakes because of weight'. Even though it's kind of semantics.
Had all the weight been against the cab, you prob. could have braked just fine.

My sister loaded her mini van full of long boards to take back and asked me to drive. "No way" "Fine, I will" she called to come get her after she went over a hill and the van wheelied til the boards caught it like wheelie bars and it hit a row of Oleanders.

And people worry about drunk drivers. hah.

 

So cost is not quantifiable?
Aside from that your question needs context. Such as, what is the application? Semi truck or STOCK Tacoma or heavily modified Tacoma with permanent extra weight in the rear?
As I said before at equal size the disc brakes can cool faster (that means less brake fade). Also, piston opererated calipers can provide much greater clamping force which provides greater stopping power.

 

How often do you change your rear shoes? They used to last just a little longer than front shoes but mine are @ 200K miles and still look fine.
The rears on these trucks are horrible. UNLESS you manually adjust them, then they work great for a month.

 

Your fronts do like 70 percent of the braking anyways, I haven't touched my drums since I bought the truck, my truck stops on a dime, does it stop as good as a Ferrari with 4 wheel discs, nah but its a truck not a racecar. Spend your money on something else other than a pointless brake upgrade.

 

1st gen problems.

almost 100k on my 2nd gen no issues, went to adjust the rears around 50k out of curiosity and they were exactly where they should be so I didnt touch em. Rears lock up the same time as the fronts on the street, and WAY before the fronts on the dirt.

 

No.

 

If I were to do the swap I would use all 4Runner parts; 05-09 should be the easiest. Either fab a plate to hold the caliper or cut off the hub flange and weld on the one from the 4Runner.
That way you retain the parking brake, don’t need new cables or lines and much cheaper than the SOS kit (which doesn’t even come with a dust/dirt shield)

 

Had to get my Tacoma inspected in NJ when I bought it in PA this year. They only drive it over a camera and look for leaks and rust on the frame. That's it. No brake inspection other than driving it forward real fast and stopping.

 

I have had a number of Wranglers with both types of rear brakes, some were originally drum but swapped the whole rear to one that just happen to have discs, some came with discs and the only time I can say discs made a difference was after a water crossing I had better braking with the disc rears then. Now keep in mind because of the short wheelbase and fairly stall stature in relation to the wheel base their isnt a lot of pressure going to the rear wheels to avoid locking them up . Drum brakes have much more braking surface than drums but its rare that the drum type are adjusted as well as they could be . The other big factor is maintenance, the drums require much more especially if used in muddy off-road condition.. Long story short if I could do it cheap enough I would as my off-road miles almost equal my highway miles.

 

Normal wear is every second set of front brakes the rears are about ready.

 

you're thinking on the right track, but its the increased heat dissipation of vented rotors that make them more efficient. Yes drum brakes have more friction material in contact with the drum but without being able to shed heat, they get brake fade easily

yes, discs give up their heat more easily

how are they horrible if they're lasting 200k miles? If it aint broke don't fix it

 

He is stating that the rear drums aren't operating properly. That is why they are lasting so long, they aren't working.

 

Ive had this saved in my bookmarks for the last few months. I thought the kit I was looking at was expensive until i saw the sos kit lol. Of course its without the e brake but I didn't look too far into having a complete turn key install as I believe the drums work for what I need them for. Cant beat the pad lngevity on drums either.

https://www.jegs.com/i/Trail+Gear/5...gSn0xWgDdcRN3F9acH3UKFKH7Fml4-GIaAlPUEALw_wcB

 

If they aren't working then they aren't being maintained properly.

 

If you can lock em up theyre working. Ive basically never had to touch any of the rear brakes on any of the toyota trucks ive owned. And its not like i was burning through front pads in a hurry either. Granted ive never towed anything heavy.. but i think we can chalk this up to a superior design from toyota

 

Rear drum brakes working perfectly I bet their are only a few for how many that don't . In my area self adjuster cable rust in half in no time . that means manually adjusting if that too isn't froze up. If you are having a hard time stopping and do not want to monkey with rear brakes a lot go to disc's. If you play in mud or live in a rust area go with discs. Most of my experience is with Jeeps and the rear does very little braking so most of our attention went to improving the fronts where all the weight is and transferd to during braking .

 

Thank you! I hated to seem so obstinate. The other folks who've tried to articulate this didn't do so well with an actual explanation. I always accepted that a caliper & rotor is the superior braking mechanism, however, I wasn't truly sold that it would be the best option for towing/hauling if cost wasn't a consideration factor. Your post helps to clear that up.

 

Personally for me with a normally empty bed I would put my money in the front brakes as being able to lock up the rears does nothing. Thats why they came out with antilock rear brakes to eliminate that for better control. Every ones trucks are used differently so thats up to the individual