4 Wheel Disc Brake Conversion???

I know we've had several people look into it but no one has followed through due to cost and difficulty. As long as your rear drums are adjusted properly (pull the hand brake up - it should reach top about 2 inches in front of the center console) the drums on this car are more than sufficient to stop the car quickly. Remember, you do have disc brakes in the front.

In theory you can swap the whole rear axle assembly from a crashed front cruze. Should have everything you need

Before buying the Cruze I did a bit of research on Drum vs Disc. Bottom line is for normal driving Drum brakes are as good as disc brakes. Disc brakes are better at heat dispersion when you are using your brakes *alot*, otherwise you wont see much difference between the 2 with a properly adjusted drum brake.

I also believe that the braking is like 90% front, 10% rear or such?

more 70-30 but yah for street driving dont bother, now if you track or drive very aggressively could be good. again try to by a rear whole assembly so you have everything and you have an extra axle assembly just in case

pandrad61 said:

In theory you can swap the whole rear axle assembly from a crashed front cruze. Should have everything you need

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How would that work again, I'm not familiar with your theory?

Yeah the biggest question I would have here is "why"? Can't imagine a scenario where this would be needed from a performance standpoint.

if you take the whole rear axle assembly off a cruze with disk brakes rear everything is already done. the mounting points are all lined up and you dont need to cut, weld, measure,modify but simply swap. it saves time and head aches but cost more money. at most maybe you need to adjust some brake lines

Thanks everyone.. the main reason is that I find when I apply the brakes, I feel like Fred Flintstone lol... foot through the floor style.. they just seem so soft compared to all disc brakes. I don't intend on taking this to the track but where I drive, you need to stop on a dime thanks to the ppl around you that got their license from a crackerjack box! LOL

it does seem like far too much work for me tho so i'll just have to get used to them I guess!

CDNCRUZIN said:

The main reason is that I find when I apply the brakes, I feel like Fred Flintstone lol... foot through the floor style.. they just seem so soft compared to all disc brakes.

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Your exactly right, if you drive a cruze with 4 wheel disc brakes its a night an day difference on the pedal feel. Unfortunately for me I have a 1LT with drums and HATE the pedal feel, makes the car feel like every GM car from the 1980's I drove.

At least the 2016+ cruze GM has put 4 wheel disc brakes as standard.

to try to help run racing brake fluid like ate racing blue or motul dot4. this helps firm up the feel a bit. use semi metalic sport front brake pads to help with initial bite, the biggest factor to your brake distance is the tires. if you put some more sticky sport tires vs economy the abs can apply more pressure without lock u

exactly spacedout... and thanks pandrad61.. i'll try that! I've got some nice rubber going on in the summer and winters are going on tomorrow so we'll see how that helps!

CDNCRUZIN said:

it does seem like far too much work for me tho so i'll just have to get used to them I guess!

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In the models that have the Disc/Drum combo think of it as GM cutting corners and being cheap. While other makers do the same thing it is right up there with roll up manual windows as far as I'm concerned. However from a safety point of view there is little if no compromise when it comes to stopping power. It is though more expensive doing routine maintenance on drum brakes. This was one of the first things that bothered me about the 1LT.

i refuse to buy any vehicle with drum brakes besides vintage cars and motorcycles. i hate working no drums and the pedal does feel like mush

If your pedal feels soft you may wanna make sure the rear drums are adjusted properly. I have rear drums and have a solid pedal.

Took my Cruze on VIR for Holiday laps, the drums have an issue with warping under high heat loads. Smooth on the first stop but as they heat up, it gets worse. I have a video of the drive in case anyone is interested.

I do notice the vibration gets worse if I'm coming down off a highway, from 70 to stop in about 1/4th to 1/2 mile of braking. Anyone notice a similar issue?

It's an economy car, folks. Not a street machine.

and your point is? many "economy" cars can be fun too. ford fiesta,Mazda 3, mini cooper are economy cars but are still fun. for daily driving drums are just fine but for track time they suck. just because a car is economy does not mean it cant be made better or more fun. the old dart was a economy car that was made into so much more

CDNCRUZIN said:

Thanks everyone.. the main reason is that I find when I apply the brakes, I feel like Fred Flintstone lol... foot through the floor style.. they just seem so soft compared to all disc brakes. I don't intend on taking this to the track but where I drive, you need to stop on a dime thanks to the ppl around you that got their license from a crackerjack box! LOL

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Get the rear brakes adjusted. We know the drums on the 2011 and 2012s weren't adjusted properly. There shouldn't be that much play in the brake pedal, even with rear drums.