What rear disc brake upgrade to go with front Tundra brake upgrade?

I have a 2002 extra cab Tacoma 4wd TRD that I drive sporty and needs new brakes. I'm giving serious thoughts to doing the Tundra brake upgrade up front.

My question is what rear disc brake upgrade should I look into? It MUST have integrated emergency brake. Line locks are NOT an option.

Is there a factory bolt in solution? Newer Tacoma axle?

I was a bit shocked that it was drum in the rear whereas my 2000 S10 is rear disc.

 

I put these on the back of my truck. The parking brake cables have to be shortened and a cable bracket needs to be fabricated to make it work. https://sosperformance.com/products...-with-parking-brake-slash-tr-dot-ps2-dot-ta16

 

Sadly, it doesn't appear to work on first gen Tacomas.

I'm somewhat trying to avoid 'one off' custom type solutions requiring 'hard to find' parts for consumables.

 

It does work and if anyone knows it fits it’s Jon.

There is nothing on the market like what you’re looking for. If there were you’d find it here.

Funny you think drums on a 2000 is strange. Its drums up to 2023. Toyota doesn’t make things to push tech, they build things to be reliable.

 

I love Toyota as much as the next guy but my 06 sienna mini van has "reliable" 4 wheel disc. I've always wondered how the Tacoma had drums for so long? But see I (we) still bought it.

Its about where and which vehicle can they get away with shaving cost and still selling it. Not about hammer and anvil tech = reliable.

 

I put it on my truck.

 

On the first, ad says 2005+ Tacoma. I'm new here so I don't know mechanicjon and what mods he's done.

I now know there is something on the market but I was also curious if there was a "factory" option. Something like take axle out of FJ80 or 4 runner, cut link mounts off, weld spring pads on, and bolt it in. I may look at FJ80 option since I've played with one in the past... aside from two days of grinding brackets, fairly straight forward. Added bonus of full float. Back to research on WMSs.

Nothing unreliable about discs. And discs aren't "pushing tech"... my 68 Mustang came factory with front discs

Given that most trucks on the road don't carry much more than groceries in the bed if anything ever, I would think putting discs would ensure no brake fad for the soccer moms who ride the brakes

 

Sounds like you wanna make this a whole lot more difficult than it can be, for something that really isn't going to make a massive difference. Most of the folks (and I say this having been involved with Tacoma communities since 2001) who go down this road end up seeing very little if any brake improvement. The back end of these trucks are just sooooo light that disc brakes aren't necessary. If you're still dead set on it, the kit that is linked above is retrofitting FJ parts onto your existing axle, and the least intrusive approach. Swapping a whole axle from something other than an equivalent 4 Runner is going to put you into differing width territory - everything is wider these days.

Making comparisons to what other vehicles have rear discs in whatever year they did is pretty pointless, as pointed out already, it's not enough of an improvement to justify it.

 

That’s a great question about going to discs in the rear... Before I get into that though, I think it’s important to understand why the brakes get upgraded at all. On a stock 1st gen Tacoma, or even one like mine that’s 5500lbs (about 1700lbs heavier than stock), properly adjusted stock brakes - both front and rear - have no trouble locking up the wheels (or engaging ABS if you have it) when you press on the brake pedal. You can’t stop any faster than a skid (or ABS), so you don’t need bigger brakes for more “stopping power.”

The reason larger brakes come into play is because a lot of us carry weight (hence the 5500lb trucks) or brake for long periods of time (going downhill), and that can cause a lot of heat/friction build up. That can end up overheating the stock front rotors and cause them to warp. So, really, the main reason for the Tundra upgrade is to get the *much larger* rotors in the front, since they can absorb a lot more heat before warping. Also related - if everything gets *way* too hot, you also risk boiling the brake fluid, so technically the larger 13WL/13WE calipers (which have more fluid volume) reduce that risk as well, but it’s a distant second to the rotor heat.

So, with all that, for the rear, sticking with the stock drum brakes is really the best bet IMO, for a few reasons...

1. First, on our trucks, we have the LSPV (load sensing proportioning valve). If you’re not familiar with it, it’s mounted to the frame on the driver side above the rear axle, with an arm that connects to the axle near the rear diff. Anyway, that controls how much braking the rear end does compared to the front, and when it’s properly adjusted, it can supply up to 30% of the overall braking action. That means, that even in the best (most balanced) case, the front is doing 70% of the braking. Usually, it’s doing more. That makes the Tundra upgrade (primarily larger rotors) in the front a great option to absorb the heat from braking, but also means that there’s no real reason to add anything “more beefy” in the rear.
2. Also important is the fact that by swapping to a caliper/rotor in the rear, you’d lose your ability to use the e-brake - at least, the current incarnation that you have in the truck. There are options - like a hydraulic line lock - but they add complexity that just isn’t necessary IMO.
3. Lastly is maintenance. One of the great things about the drums is that they are almost no maintenance. They rarely need to be replaced, and you don’t (usually) have to worry about them overheating and warping like you might with rotors.

Anyway, that’s my opinion on why there's not really any good reason to do the rears; stick with drums back there for almost no maintenance and just do the Tundras up front. Of course, some folks (like @mechanicjon) do convert to discs in the rear - mostly because they enjoy figuring out how to do it, and having a setup that's unique in the Tacoma world. Which is a totally fine reason to do it!

For the Tundra upgrade on the front - this page has a great step-by-step guide (with pics) on the Tundra upgrade, as well as links to all the parts needed (at varying price points). OEM is best for the pads, but for the calipers you shouldn't pay the premium. Get them from your local parts store (ideally) or Amazon, which will give a lifetime warranty in case you ever need to replace them.

And don't forget the upgraded lines, they make a big difference with the larger calipers.

Step by Step Tundra Brake Upgrade on a Tacoma (or 4Runner)

Hope that helps!

 

That’s a better clarification than what I said. It’s not about tech, I should’ve stated it’s about simplicity and that drum brakes are good enough. In a vehicle that’s light in the ass end and usually has the front end doing 70% of the braking, they decided it wasn’t cost effective or necessary to reinvent the wheel. Like many other parts in their vehicles, Toyota’s rear drums fit a wide range of their trucks across the years. That certainly ads to the reliability factor.

A minivan with rear discs makes sense where it has a more distributed load and are very heavy vehicles that need the extra braking, especially when loaded with 7 people and a bunch of gear.

These trucks aren’t sports cars. I don’t see many soccers moms driving trucks, far more frequent it’s and suv or minivan.

A full size truck definitely makes more sense just based on usage, but around here, Tacomas aren’t often used to tow or haul, at most they’re outfitted with off-road gear, which can add weight, but I’m sure Toyota just said keep it simple since most people simply don’t need the extra braking.

I’ve had my truck for almost 20 years, and I would carry a lot of weight regularly, often times well over a half ton of lumber, and even in Seattle where we have a lot of hills and winding tight streets I didn’t see the need for extra braking, probably because i wasn’t going that fast. Much of that was with 33” tires. I did the Tundra swap pretty early on because with larger tires the stock brakes couldn’t keep up.

I researched the rear system Jon suggested a while back and decided it simply wasn’t cost effective for a truck I don’t drive like a sports car.

I think if it’s worth it to you, you should go for it, but the tundra swap will make a huge, huge difference, so maybe start there.

 

Call SOS brakes. That's the kit i put on my truck. Bolt on setup. Parking brake cable length is the only thing in the kit that has to be mocified for length. SOS will do that for you once you know the correct length. Hell I think I have the length written down somewhere.

The only reason I put them one my truck was because I bought the kit off another TW member for half the price.

 

1. 
   
   I retained the LSPV valve and e-brake.

 

Nice. Most who do this, don't, and start looking at other solutions like manual proportioning valves in the engine bay and line locks, as @Lil'John mentioned in his first post. The kit you've got seems pretty nice - certainly the nicest I've seen. Still not worth it (for me), given the weight and braking profiles of our little beasts, but certainly a cool (and relatively rare) mod!

 

It does look like the 2nd gens require an upgraded master cylinder, 1st gens have the 1” bore and the smaller bore, I’d imagine that makes some difference. @mechanicjon, can you clarify that?

 

It works fine with the stock 1st gen master cylinder. The pedal is about 1/4" lower then with drum brakes, but it's good and solid like it should be.

 

I'm running a bit of extra weight over the back; camper shell plus a little bit. So it isn't complete light butt light.

And I actually do drive fast within my limits. I live a 'quick' drive from the Rubicon and daily drive Wentworth Springs. I push it HARD.

Part of the reason for my desire for an upgrade isn't for "increased" braking force but brake fade mitigation. I don't ride the brakes but I feel a bit of an issue.

FWIW, I don't have that "brake fade" issue on the S10 truck with both trucks being about equal: V6, manual trans, 4wd, and ~31s. The butt on the S10 gets a bit loose since it doesn't have any extra weight in the rear.

 

The SOS kit is the only rear disc with an e-brake option that’s off the shelf I know of.

I feel you in wanting better brakes and certainly retaining the ebrake. Years and years ago there was a transfer case brake kit in testing, I think from Sky Fabrication, but it never went anywhere. Sucks because I’m pretty sure they made/still make it for pre-Tacoma trucks.

If you’re okay with pushing some wms and can do some fab to set up for leafs you could run a 03+ 4Runner or 07-09 FJ Cruiser axle and get discs and an ebrake.

There’s just no easy/cheap/off the shelf way, at least none I’ve found and I’ve been looking for a long time.

 

My rig, loaded, but fat and heavy to begin with lol

 

Now thats a ladder!

 

Well, pump jacks, kinda like a ladder only 5x the pain in the ass to set up
not me but I’m sure you get the gist