Drum To Disc?

[corrolaSR1998]

Im looking to find out how much money and effort would be required to change the rear drums on my 1998 corolla SR to some nice shiny discs!? what parts need changed and what parts are interchangable! was thinking of trying to buy the parts 2nd hand from breakers yards! help?

[anchorman]

Im looking to find out how much money and effort would be required to change the rear drums on my 1998 corolla SR to some nice shiny discs!? what parts need changed and what parts are interchangable! was thinking of trying to buy the parts 2nd hand from breakers yards! help?

I don't think it is worth the effort. The ratio of work done between front and rear is roughly 70/30% so the benefit of having a performance brake on the rear is very small. A few years ago (say mid 90's) was a move towards rear disc brakes but while the service brake performance was OK there were big problems with the parking brake. This is because you require a very high clamping force to be effective. A drum brake provides a very cheap and effective parking brake so manufacturers drifted back to them for a while. Some have started to fit them again but very often they have the parking brake as a pair of small shoes inside the disc (referred to as "drum in hat").

If you just want them for looks you will have to look at the mountings to see if they will accommodate the callipers. If not you will have to fit the trailing arms as well. You will need the hand brake cables and possibly the hubs as they will have the correct offset for mounting the disc and wheel. The brake pipes will have to be suitably modified. You will need to make sure the callipers are in good arder (no doubt you will want to paint them red!) and it would be false ecomomy not to fit new discs and pads.

Take care that you may also need the master cylinder unless the pistons are the same bore and you will almost certainly need the load apportioning valve (that caters for weight transfer) as I am fairly sure that the output characteristic between drum and disc will be quite different.

The big problem you have is that if you do not do it properly and then run somebody over because you can't stop it or the rears lock up prematurely you might end up sewing mail bags at one of Her Maj's hotels for the foreseeable future!!!

Or you could just leave them as they are and have perfectly adequate brakes for all but fairly serious competetions. You can even paint the drums red!!

Good luck

anchorman

[ae111sr]

I've done it and it was well worth the cost and effort. The brakes are so much better with the discs on the back although the hand brake is not as efficient. But be prepared it won't be cheap, I paid £380 for the parts from a breaker and then you have to get them fitted. The parts I got were from the previous incarnation of the Corolla the AE101 GXi. You will need the stub axle/hub, discs, calipers, pads and hand brake cables. The discs have the bearings inside them - one of the reasons why new rear discs are more expensive than front ones. I was going to point you to my website but it looks like there is a problem with it at the moment.

[bigshark]

i've noticed that the corolla diesel estates (E11 models) have break disks in the back, would they not be an easier option seen that they are identical models?

[ae111sr]

Yes it would be but it's difficult trying to find one in a breakers. I searched for months to find the parts I bought

[corrolaSR1998]

thanks everyone for the help. ae111sr was looking at your web site, your car is nuts, looks like a standard WRC'd road corolla, but goes like a GT4!! i thinking of going down the same line as your in terms of brakes, uprate the front and stick disc's on the rear! did you have to change your master clyinder or servo etc?

[ae111sr]

No - all that stuff is original.

[*rollaboy]

if ya can get em.....ae101 and ae111 levin and treuno rear brake assembly fits

theres levins getting crashed the whole time here in ireland. you should keep an eye on the for sale section on www.racershaven.com and www.cruiseirl.com .

i can sympathise with you though.....drums look ******* dont they? especially when the car is nice