99 Tahoe rear break upgrade recommendations?

[TahoeVet86]

I want to replace the rear drum brakes on my 99 Tahoe LS 4X4 and upgrade them to quality discs. Anyone have recommendations on products? Also, is this something someone with a little experience can do?

 

[Hoesgottaeat2]

Greetings and welcome to the forum from NY.

A brief search on the site I found this thread from the past. Maybe it'll help with your inquiry.

99 Tahoe 2 Door Getting Rear Disc Conversion

Well Im getting the LS MFG rear disc brake conversion for my 1999 2 door/2WD Tahoe. I opted for the drilled and slotted disc brakes, Calipers with the built in parking brakes and SS brake hoses. It should be here on Monday or Tuesday. I also bought the larger front calipers with pads, which are...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

I cannot personally assist you with your issue, but other members of this Forum much more knowledgeable than me in this area will chime in.

 

[exp500]

The usual way in the past was to swap in a complete disk brake rear from salvage yard. Try say a 99 Suburban or P/U G80 and match your gear ratio via sticker in glove box.
car-part.com will get you local prices.

 

[WWD III]

This is always a good topic, options change over time. I would guess a lot of us have kicked around swapping rear drums for disc. My concerns are ABS and proportioning valves. Emergency brake cable too.

In the case of my 2 door. I have my rear brakes working good but when it comes time to change shoes it’s a mess. Using a drum brake truck off road in East Texas can play heck with rear adjusters.

I’ve read a lot of these threads about rear brake conversion and I still can’t decide if I want to do it or what option if I did.

 

[OR VietVet]

You might want to consider a 14 bolt 9.5 6 lug rear drum axle. I believe they are 11" brakes and of course, stay with the same gear ratio.

 

[strutaeng]

The answer is always a can of worms or Pandora's box.

What is the purpose of swapping rotors out back? Just for looks? Or performance? I'm guessing the former for most folks?

The generic rear disc kits have this sketchy design where the brake reaction force is applied at the end of these pins. The pins themselves are not really stiff enough to take any large load and therefore won't provide any significant stopping power (too flexible in bending)...by then, the front brakes probably always did all the work. So if it's just for looks, those kits are marginal at best.

The way the OEM brakes work on rotors is, the braking reaction force is taken by the caliper bracket, which is a heavy, stiff casting, actually engineered for the use and abuse.

So take that for what it's worth.

I've never done this, but maybe a NBS truck axle that actually came with rotors is a better option, from 1999-2004. I'm sure there's some fabrication involved so a welder and torch will be required.

Or just forget about rear rotors and do a hydro boost swap, which is a better system anyways over vacuum assist brakes, drum or rotor.

The larger brakes from the 14 bolt 6 lug GMT400 is another upgrade and a direct swap. Still drum, but braking performance improvement nonetheless.

Edit: I'm pretty sure on most of those aftermarket kits you lose parking brakes! Or you have to use some parking brake from like a 70s Eldorado or something goofy like that. So that's another thing to consider.