Rear Disk Brakes

elite0259 · February 9, 2012

Anybody know any good rear disk brake kits for an 07 Z71? I do a lot of my mechanic work in my driveway, and well, drum brakes simply arent at all fun to fight with to get them apart when it's time for new shoes... I want something that looks semi stock in the sense that I don't really want the back brakes to look way different from the fronts.

Chris · February 9, 2012

checkout autoanything.com that or attempt to revert back to an 04 axle

redjewel2ss · February 9, 2012

SSBC makes a rear drum to disc brake conversion kit.

music · February 9, 2012

I doubt you could ever recover the cost of conversion vs paying someone to do the drums for you for the life of the vehicle.

elite0259 · February 9, 2012

I doubt you could ever recover the cost of conversion vs paying someone to do the drums for you for the life of the vehicle.

I hadn't thought about it that way, but i don't kno how much the kits are yet, if they're not too much then I thinkI'm still going to switch cause I like how disk brakes look better than drums

TimmyG · February 9, 2012

Drums stop better for pulling trailers thats why u still see them on trucks

elite0259 · February 9, 2012

They do? Why is that? I can imagine if you go off roading or though a puddle or something then drum is better cause it keeps everything inside dry and clear of debris.

TimmyG · February 9, 2012

They dpnt bulid up heat and cause brake fade like disc do, they last longer

music · February 9, 2012

A good set of rear discs will be expensive (as would a complete replacement of your current drum setup). Price the drum set you have with OEM replacements... they're not cheap! There is *no way* that I'd consider swapping this brake setup for the discs used on the '04 and earlier trucks. I had those, and this setup is much better. You would have to buy a good disc conversion kit to see any improvement. The ones I've seen were well over $1k for parts, and probably not much better than the stock drums for how most of us use a truck.

'01LS1 · February 9, 2012

Drums stop better for pulling trailers thats why u still see them on trucks

I know the Chevrolet set up stops quicker than the Ram 1500 4 wheel disc. So just having 4 wheel disc does not automatically mean better braking. Or that is what I would assume out of that.

BUT if rear drums are better for trailering, then why does the 6.2 max trailering package come with 4 wheel disc brakes?

redjewel2ss · February 9, 2012

the SSBC kit is like $1100-1300... not worth it IMO. unless you're building a show truck and want it to look purdy

wtbrowne · February 9, 2012

Funny - you don't see drums on any of the three quarter ton pickups! Cold drum brakes can be as good as disks, but drum brakes overheat rapidly and braking ability quickly fades. Disk brakes dissipate heat more effectively and maintain braking ability much better than drum brakes. Drum brakes didn't fade into oblivion because they were better than disks.

txab · February 9, 2012

Drum brakes are easy to work on. I personally wouldn't swap.

tesnoboy · February 9, 2012

^{the SSBC kit is like $1100-1300... not worth it IMO. unless you're building a show truck and want it to look purdy}

^{I concur. You don't do a brake replacement very often these days anyways especially on an 07? Drum brakes last a long time.}

00Silverado4x4 · February 9, 2012

I've had both set ups (previous Sonoma was 4 wheel disc) and both did just fine for towing & braking. I didn't really prefer one to the other however I personally wouldn't swap from what the vehicle came with, not worth the cost to me. I've done a full brake job on this truck and neither front or rear were easy, both had their unique challenges but neither were extremely hard either. I'd just keep what you got, but that's just me.