I have a 2005 and haven't done the conversion yet because I am still looking for the donor car. If I can't find the donor car parts for $200 to $400 in the by next spring I am going to buy the parts I need new for a cost of around $700. I don't really expect much more than a minimal braking improvement. Most of the braking is done with the fronts anyway. But there are other advantages. The disc set up has less rotational mass than the drums. Discs are easier to work on. And finally, they look better.
Disks are only a real help If the self adjusters of the drums is faltie!
If you brake a few times quickly the drums will fade and be spongey(or do little work)
You will get a minamal braking advantage at first but if you keep going hard on them the disk set up will keep going strong and not fade like rear drums....can...ther for the advantage gets better.....and they look sweet..lol
I was talking to a mechanic friend of mine the other day and he was saying that rear drums are actually better than discs. They have improved stopping power due to more surface area of pad, they are less prone to clogging or slipping in Dusty or wet conditions and are less likely to fail on, they more than often fail off.
But yes, on the upside -they do look better. I would say though there would be minimal difference if any. The other thing he did say that was if you do get rear discs, make sure u always leave your car in gear or park, as the mechanical brake is not a efficiant and can be prone to slipping...
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- 2001 AU Ford Fairmont Station Wagon (The Family Taxi)
Good call spud! unless the hand brake operates the acual disk...normally thet have a small drum inside(usless) drum rear end has the best hand brake..full stop.!
I live in the hills (mountain area) and drums in the back will hold the car until the tyres slip lol!
Drum inserts in a disk set up are only adaquate at best! but this is from larger cars i have owned if the corrolla is better please let me know
the drum in the disc is the worst thing ever, always rots away. Alot of trucks have it and you usually have to replace most of it when you take it in for brakes...
I like drums on the rear of a car unless your driving it like a race car because a disc deals with heat better. For normal every day driving the drum is GREAT! if it was that much worse than the disc it would have been phased out over time. and since it's still soooooo common...
Just had a look at my mazda manual and the hand brake works of the main caliper..eg no hand brake drum!!!!! thats the manual anyway as mine has drums but sounds good
Drums have not universally replaced discs for a few reasons. You will notice, however, that all cars have at least front disc brakes. This is because they do work better. Some cars still use drums in the rear because they are cheaper. As far as discs not working as well in wet/dusty conditions that is only partially true. Any water on the discs/pads burns off really quick, and if it is deep enough your discs are unerwater your drums would be affected the same way. Dust/dirt is another issue. This does affect discs more and will cause more wear problems than with drums and I consider this a minor issue at best.
Discs have more stopping power than the drums they replace. It was mentioned above about the greater contact area of drums over discs, this isn't exactly true. You will see the brake shoe area is larger than a brake pad area, but this does not cross over to actual contact patch. The next time you replace your rear shoes take a look at the wear on the shoes. You will see that the ends of the shoes are more worn than the middle. Another thing to keep in mind is the greater radius of discs over drums. This puts the contact patch further out giving more leverage, therefore more stopping power. This is the whole idea behind the big brake kits and why they will stop better with a bigger disc and the same calipers/pads.
People talking about the mini-drum e-brake with the discs have a good point. These don't work as well as the ebrake with drum brakes, but are not always useless. I have seen lots of complaints about early repair/replacement needed but haven't experienced that myself. I had the mini-drum e-brake on my 2003 Silverado and they held the truck and didn't need replacement in the 106k miles I put on it.
usually on the chevs and fords they rot out. Cars just use the caliper. but in the rear of most small cars the drum will work just as well as a disc. they don't deal with heat as well as I said before but under normal conditions they work amazing. You see it all the time when you pull the rear drum off the pads are usually amazing where the fronts have to deal with most of the weight for obvious reasons. Unless you need them because you doing some form of racing like auto-x then I wouldn't waste the money.
besides brake cylinders tend to last longer in the rear than rear calipers!
Toyota rear disks for the AE92 suck, because the handbrake which is done by using the caliper to operate it is plain powerless. Drums are alot better in that way, as are the disk brakes with the small parking brake drum in them.
Drums have not universally replaced discs for a few reasons. You will notice, however, that all cars have at least front disc brakes. This is because they do work better. Some cars still use drums in the rear because they are cheaper. As far as discs not working as well in wet/dusty conditions that is only partially true. Any water on the discs/pads burns off really quick, and if it is deep enough your discs are unerwater your drums would be affected the same way. Dust/dirt is another issue. This does affect discs more and will cause more wear problems than with drums and I consider this a minor issue at best.
Discs have more stopping power than the drums they replace. It was mentioned above about the greater contact area of drums over discs, this isn't exactly true. You will see the brake shoe area is larger than a brake pad area, but this does not cross over to actual contact patch. The next time you replace your rear shoes take a look at the wear on the shoes. You will see that the ends of the shoes are more worn than the middle. Another thing to keep in mind is the greater radius of discs over drums. This puts the contact patch further out giving more leverage, therefore more stopping power. This is the whole idea behind the big brake kits and why they will stop better with a bigger disc and the same calipers/pads.
This is one of the most intelligent posts I've read on these forums - ever!
Does rear disc conversion do help alot in braking power? or its only slightly better thn rear drum?
For everyday driving you will not notice a difference - except the rear rims will get dirty faster. Instead of making your car LOOK fast, I'd spend the money on actually making it fast. You can do a shitload of performance improvements before you need to worry about upgrading your brakes.
the BEST thing you could do to notice a difference is get a set of rims and low profile tires. it will take away the flex of the tires and add soooo much grip and your stopping distance will improve greatly
As freakinbox said the most effetive brake up grade for daily driving is the tyes...
Improve handling,braking,accelertion off the mark..less wheel spin..
On the down side it might slow the car a fraction due to the extra fiction of a larger contact area with the road....freakinbox can answer this as i think his on a relativly stock motor still?
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This is one of the most intelligent posts I've read on these forums - ever! 
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