Car Forum World

For a big four wheel drive off road application truck, is it better to have drum or disk brakes?
Just trying to choose if I should change over to a disk setup. I know that big industrial trucks like dump trucks and buses use drum brakes...and I know that majority race cars use disk..for cooling reasons..but the new tundra just came out with four wheel disk brakes. Will it make a big difference for me to upgrade? Is it worth the upgrade? How more useful with this be for me?

The front brakes do 70% of the vehicle's braking. Disc brakes supply more stopping power than drums, which is why you usually see front disc and rear drums. For normal driving, you don't need rear discs because that much stopping force in the rear of the car isn't needed. Discs do have some benefits over drums but, particularly for the offroad driving you're talking about. Drum brakes will gather mud and debris in them and it'll get between the drum and shoe, decreasing the stopping power in the rear. as well, after a day's offroading, water that gets caught in the drum can because rust particularly if you do not let it sit for a day or two and can make the shoe stick to the drum and may be hard to break loose. If you have a big heavy truck that you drive lots, as well as lots of offroading, discs are a smart idea. If you do go to a rear disc setup, I propose you use a proportioning valve for the rear so that you may decrease the liquid pressure to the rear. If you have equal brake pressure to the front and rear discs, the rears will lockup and you will lose control. Plumb an adjustable proportioning valve into your rear setup and you will don’t have problems.
Dump trucks and buses can use drum brakes because the drums are much bigger and have proportionally more friction material than regular car drums do. These bigger commercial vehicles use an air actuated system instead of a hydraulic [fluid system. Hope this helps.

WyoTech education

Disk are much cheaper to make and it is a selling point, but only 10% or less of breaking is done with the rears unless your drifting, if really makes no differance though all the heavy responsibility axils come with drum and if your off roading braking is the least of your worries

disk all the way.drums were great when they were invented..in the early 1900s but why could anybody want them now? it'll cost 1000 to 2000 to switch.trade for the truck you want.