Drum brake to disc conversion

Breezy · May 7, 2006

I got a 2006 WT and much to my surprise it did not have rear disc. I didn't think any trucks come with drum on the back anymore. Anyhow I work at a parts store so I was wondering what it would take to do this? Anybody know?

ZZebes · May 7, 2006

They switched back to rear drums in 05 i think because of the shear craptasticness of the rear disc system, they also made the front brakes larger which in turn cause the upgrade to 17" wheels

lrymal · May 7, 2006

I got a 2006 WT and much to my surprise it did not have rear disc. I didn't think any trucks come with drum on the back anymore. Anyhow I work at a parts store so I was wondering what it would take to do this? Anybody know?

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BAER makes a conversion kit. Unless you do some heavy towing without a brake in the trailer, you aren't going to see much improvement. The 05 1/2 ton trucks and upwards have a far better braking system than the earlier years. The booster is larger, the front rotor has more surface area.

Do some digging for BAER for the kit. It is about $1000, I think. Dunno... haven't checked in a year.

My '05 stops with my eyeballs smacking against the windshield. Best braking truck I have ever had.

larry arizona · May 7, 2006

Consider yourself lucky that you have the drum brakes instead of the disc. The disc system requires constant (yearly) maintenance. Pads freeze up in the caliper cradle and drag, especially the inside pad. Most disc will stop working at all if you let them go with lubing the contact points between the pad and the cradel.

We all wonder why the Gm truck brakes are mushy. It is because when the rears stop working the fronts are doing all the work.

Breezy · May 9, 2006

Lots of good info guys. I have heard that they had problems with them. I would think they would be better. Oh well I will keep digging. Thanks guys I'll post back if I get it figured out.

pm26 · May 9, 2006

I have an '06 Z71 with rear drum brakes and cannot complain about the braking performance. A brand new '04 Z71 with rear disc brakes, which I test drove several years ago, was much, much worse, and the stopping distances longer, and more brake pedal pressure required.

FWIW, I owned a 95 Nissan pickup for 10 years. It had rear drum brakes, and I never had to change the brake shoes. Typically rear brake shoes last a long, long time.