Rear disc brakes?

[thebigbread]

ive heard on this board about the possibility of Corolla FX16 GTS rear discs being able to swap onto the 2WD wagons & hatchbacks (i doubt this would work on 4WD models, being that the FX16 is FWD). unfortunately, i heard this may actually result in less braking power, but the reason i want them is because there is a lack of performance shoes & parts for the drums.

Maybe installing good rotors & high-end pads on the rear would even out the braking power?

on a side note, i just noticed my rear passenger side brake is not getting fluid, my dad located the problem, but cannot fix it; there is some kind of blockage at the "valve" below the master cylinder (where those three tubes meet after the master cylinder), any ideas on how to do this without contaminating the brake fluid?

[Petros]

not likley blockage in the valve, more likely the valve is stuck due to corrosion. The only way I know is to take it out, clean it so it functions properly (or replace the unit) and reinstall it. It seems odd that this should occur at all, you might also check the master cyl. for proper function, replace or rebuild if necessary. And then blead the whole system since now there is air in every line. Before you do this you should check each of the rear wheel cyclinders and the front calipers for leaks. On the rear you have to pull the dusk boots back, if there is any moisture under the moists you need to rebuild or replace them.

Disc brakes in the rear would NOT give you better braking performance, and may increase your stopping distance. You will change the balance of your front to rear braking force and it takes more "clamping" force to stop a car with disc brakes. Besides, 70 to 80 percent of the stopping comes from the front, that is why many new cars (espcially the lighter economy cars) still come with rear drums yet deliver good braking performance. The disks have the advantage of not fading or warping as easy as the old front drums used ro (there are a few on this list old enough to have driven cars with front drums including me), but the disk require power boosters so you can stop the car, even a lightwight one. Rear drums are unlikly to over heat and warp because of the lower demand on them. For very heavy vehicle or sports cars where "sport" driving puts heavy demands on all of the brakes there is some benefit beside marketing. But if you put rear disks on you will have to push much harder to stop the car, and risk lock up the front brakes earlier since they will be out of balance with the rear.

It would be best just to get your current system work properly with new parts, and then go from there. The soft organic "economy" pads usually stop better than the metalic or ceramic ones, they just wear out a bit faster and produce more dust.

Good luck.

[thebigbread]

Thanks for a great post, i dont know why i didnt think of corrosion, maybe i should read up on the FSM to see the correct removal for this valve (or whatever it is) & clean it up.

Im glad i noticed this. I do not have a tag or insurance, so it is only driven around the block. Im in the process of checking EVERYTHING! (i mean everything, from interior & suspension to brakes & engine) to make sure it is safe & sound before i get it on the road.

[Typrus]

Sigh...

Ummmmmmmm. Explain to me this- If a significant amount of the braking comes from the front, how is it that installing rear discs will suddenly make it a billion times harder to stop? I'd love to know.

I actually can't see it making it harder to stop. IF done right. Get rid of the metering valve. Keep the proportioning valve. Sucks that ours is incorporated.
Now the question becomes.... Is it worth it to you? Do you just chill in town most of the time? Then you're not going to see much help unless you swap the brakes from the front and rear of, say, and AE86, along with the valving. Master should be fine.
For someone like me or like Shogun. That might well be worth i. Why? Fade. I live in a mountains and am a psycho. My front rotors are dark purple. No, I didn't paint them. I overheated them several times. No they aren't warped or cracked. Yay. My rear drums have bluing inside of them.
Shogun races. Fade is evil.



What I might see giving a bigger advantage than rear discs however, is swapping to vented front discs. Fade will decrease significantly due to faster heat dissipation.



Disregard what I have said for I am A) An idiot B) Young C) Low in terms of blood sugar and D) Buzzed on coffee.

[shogun]

they can be swapped but youll need wheels with 4x100 and 4x114.3 holes in them, alsoae86 rear ends have lsd

[thebigbread]

What I might see giving a bigger advantage than rear discs however, is swapping to vented front discs. Fade will decrease significantly due to faster heat dissipation.

I am already swapping to front vented discs, i picked up a pair of 95 Tercel coupe rotors, but i still need the calipers from a 91-99 tercel or a Paseo.

About my driving, i live in a rural area and most of the family's driving is on interstates & highways. I do brake rough every now and then.

they can be swapped but youll need wheels with 4x100 and 4x114.3 holes in them, alsoae86 rear ends have lsd

Im not talking about the AE86, im talking about the AE82, a corolla FWD wagon. look it up on cardomain or google to see what im talking about.

[shogun]

on a 2wd wagon those brakes are a direct bolt on, hubs and everything, but with somefabbing skills it can be made to work