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My 1998 Jeep Wrangler's rear brakes are in need of replacement. I was thinking of just upgrading to disc brakes while I am doing this. Is this a safe and good idea? Any negatives? Has it been done? Will the ebrake still work?

Neeraj Murarka
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  • If you cannot recognise between drum and disc brakes, then it may be besr if you get a professional mechanic to do the work ... see https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/q/64061/10976 – Solar Mike Feb 28 '19 at 03:23
  • I did not say I planned to do it myself, but yes -- that is a good idea. – Neeraj Murarka Feb 28 '19 at 04:03

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The conversion is a do-able DIY project. The easiest method is a donor vehicle or purchasing a kit. Most of the off road on-line suppliers offer kits. You will need to read some user reviews to determine which kit best fits your needs. The price range is from $300 to $700. Some kits are more complete than others. The Parking brake will work in the same manner as the Jeeps with factory rear discs. A small set of brake shoes fit under the disc rotor and use the hub flange of the rotor as a brake drum. Only you can decide it is worth the cost and effort. If this is a vehicle that you plan to keep for a long time and possibly do some power modifications the discs may be worth it.

mikes
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You will have a shorter braking distance with the upgrade. On older cars, before electronic brake distribution, 70% of the braking is in the front while 30% of the work done is in the back. So not too much of a difference, but an upgrade is an upgrade.

SophisticatedBear
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  • I am told that drum brake replacement is about 600-700 CAD while the conversion of the rear brakes to disc is about 1800 CAD. Thoughts?

    I am wondering also... does the ebrake get changed here if the drum brakes are replaced?

     – Neeraj Murarka Mar 01 '19 at 01:21
  • Yes, it is cheaper to manufacture drums and shoes than rotors and pads, so they will be cheaper. The e-brake is a drum/shoe system on most cars. (even cars with rotor/brake pad setups. It will push on the inner walls of the inside hub of the rotor when you pull the e-brake handle/floor petal.) So it is possible to use the existing e-brake cable with your drum/shoe setup with a rotor/ brake pad setup. You need to verify this for your car to be sure. Look up the schematics of the brake system if you are not sure. – SophisticatedBear Mar 02 '19 at 17:36
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Take your car to the shop and have'm replace the brake shoes, adjusted them, check the parking brake. Done. Much better than conversion.

Bob S.
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