Originally Posted by CXTKRS1
I have to disagree, if you want better braking performance then just run TRD or some other high performance pads up front. DO NOT run full race pads on a daily driver. The rear disc conversion that is suppose to be coming will be an upgrade mainly in looks. Very little (10%-15%) of our braking comes from the rear of car. The rear brakes main job is to actually keep the car stable under braking so the rear end does not try to come around on you.
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All that is true! Your braking is mainly enforced by the front, but the rear engages first to allow the ass of your car to stay behind you. Drum breaks are horrible though: the drums are heavy and they are not as effective as disk brakes. My first car was a 1968 Mustang, and it had all around non power assist drum brakes. I had a lot of close calls in that thing, but mainly in the rain (lack of abs). The worst close call was when it was dry though. I got some bad advice, and was told I needed to add fuel cleaner and open up the car on the freeway. Turned out later the real problem was a rubber plug on the carb had a vaccum leak. Back to the story, I decided to open up the car on a highway bridge at night since cops can't sit on the side to shoot radar. I end up well above the speed limit cresting the bridge, and I see a cop blocking the slow lane out of the two lanes. So I switch to the fast lane and absolutely stand on the brake pedal. The distance was probably less than a 1/4 mile on the downgrade side of the bridge, but the car didn't slow down at all. I had pressure under the pedal, so they were probably engaging, but it felt as slippery as ice. It felt like the vehicle had to much momentum to even lock up the wheels. I ended up flying past the cop standing outside his car, who did little more than watch me fly by. After that I never drove that car fast again. That's the only car that I've driven that actually scared me to drive.
So I guess the point of the story is drum brakes are fine unless you drive like an ass!