Rear Disc Brake Conversion - Worth the Investment?

[Jambi]

I'm contemplating investing in one of the rear disc brake conversion kits offered by one of the vendors and I'm curious what the thoughts and opinions are out there on converting from rear drums to rear discs. Is this a worthwhile upgrade/investment? The majority of my Bronco driving is around town, but plan several offroading trips during the spring and summer. I've read some threads that mentioned the e-brake in drums is superior to the e-brake in discs, but is this enough of a reason to stick with drums? Would also appreciate hearing opinions on the various kits offered by the vendors from anyone that has firsthand experience with any of the kits.

 

[Scoop]

I see your Bronco specs and I think you're on the cusp for whether rear disks are worth the cost. I would say no for a mostly around town Bronco with tires less than 35's with hydroboost. Definitely worth the cost for a Bronco with bigger than 35's and one that maybe sees more trail time. So for your Bronco with 35's and hydroboost I'm not sure you'll really see much difference. The biggest benefit in your case is probably the ease of changing brake pads as compared to changing brake shoes!

 

[Jaybr]

I installed one of the rear disc kits on mine (33s w/hydro boost) and took it back off and reinstalled drums. The parking brake setup was awful and a royal pain to get right. In my case I had to pull everything and adjust on the bench. Also the parking brake adjustment has an effect on the brakes in general. With that plus all of the spacers, etc, I just didn’t find it worth the hassles.

My 2020 Tacoma has drums on the rear and brakes great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SteveL]

If your drums and rear need a total rebuild it might be worth the extra couple bucks to go disc. Otherwise for a rig not going off road much I would say no. The money would be better spent elsewhere. Especially if you already have hydroboost. Hydroboost gives you way more bang for the buck than rear disc. If you want to do rear disc on the cheap get the caliper brackets from bc and source the rest locally. The caddy e-brakes are a pain to adjust but there are some u-tube videos now to help get it right.

 

[sprdv1]

I see your Bronco specs and I think you're on the cusp for whether rear disks are worth the cost. I would say no for a mostly around town Bronco with tires less than 35's with hydroboost. Definitely worth the cost for a Bronco with bigger than 35's and one that maybe sees more trail time. So for your Bronco with 35's and hydroboost I'm not sure you'll really see much difference. The biggest benefit in your case is probably the ease of changing brake pads as compared to changing brake shoes!

X2.....

 

[Madgyver]

drum brakes work well when maintained correctly. disc will be lighter and involves added costs.
when someone asks why we didn't put discs on the full width 9" swap we did. i just say 11" drums works great.
it did when it was stock.