# Rear disc brakes 1LT



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I also bought a 1LT but wish GM would have at least offered the rear discs as an option. I figure there will be an aftermarket upgrade kit sometime so no big deal.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

If you are just getting ready to get one, and havent actually driven one yet, I was pretty surprised, having an Eco, how well the car actually stopped. I havent even done what I consider to be an agressive stop with my car yet, and I've already had the ABS chirp the tires a few times. The car stops in 122 feet, which by comparison, the only thing that stopped that fast 10 years ago, was an Acura NSX.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

You have get either a 2LT or LTZ trim level to have rear disk brakes. They are not available on the other trim levels.
2012 Chevy Cruze Compact Car Features and Specs | Chevrolet


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I was surprised with the stopping power of front disc rear drum on the Cruze. After my 02 Alero and my 2007 Civic with 4 wheel disc, I thought I would miss it more. Maybe GM finally figured out how to make the drum self adjust work after all these years? Haven't noticed much nose dive with the Cruze and long stopping distances unlike my wife's 2005 Malibu and her car has new pads and rotors but drum(never touched except trying to adjust by backing up)?



CruzeTech said:


> If you are just getting ready to get one, and havent actually driven one yet, I was pretty surprised, having an Eco, how well the car actually stopped. I havent even done what I consider to be an agressive stop with my car yet, and I've already had the ABS chirp the tires a few times. The car stops in 122 feet, which by comparison, the only thing that stopped that fast 10 years ago, was an Acura NSX.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Also, if you actually look at these drums, they are the biggest drums ive ever seen. rear brakes are only there to keep the car straight under braking and only provide 20-30% of the stopping power.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> Also, if you actually look at these drums, they are the biggest drums ive ever seen. rear brakes are only there to keep the car straight under braking and only provide 20-30% of the stopping power.


Yes for the size of our cars they are big

h3llion


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## iCruze2 (Dec 16, 2011)

spacedout said:


> I also bought a 1LT but wish GM would have at least offered the rear discs as an option. I figure there will be an aftermarket upgrade kit sometime so no big deal.


I have a 1LT Cruze and got to test out the stopping distance yesterday(not by choice!) I was going 85mph on highway when one of those giant tour buses cut me off, I slowed down to 60mph in a second or less. Needless to say, the stock brakes are perfectly fine. On another note, drum brakes wear a lot slower than disc brakes!!! There's a plus!!!


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## scha7530 (Apr 15, 2012)

The reason the cars don't have the nosedive problems so much anymore is:

1) They have *EBD* which is *E*lectronic *B*rakeforce *D*istribution, which is part of the Stabilitrack (ESP) unit. It uses the sensor cluster to determine how much the car is pitching forward and adjust the brake pressure to the rear of the car in order to get the shortest and most stable stopping distance.

2) The suspensions have been improved to have less dive in general. 

I would recommend not swapping the rear brakes. The stabilitrack programming is different between the two brake packages, and you may get somewhat wonky ABS and ESP behavior when you need it the most. 

Having driven both versions, the rear disks are slightly better. Rear drums have less drag. Magazine tests show about 10ft from 60mph difference. You'd be better off buying pads with a higher friction coefficient for the front brakes.


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## jfischer (Sep 17, 2011)

I agree, I have a 1LT and the brakes are some of the best of any car I've owned. It stops quickly and surely as is so I'm not worried about them at all.


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## wstadnick (Feb 9, 2012)

Weird how in Canada they put the disc brakes on with the RS package, yet in the states they don't.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Cruze Eco here and I have no intention of removing the rear drums.

Rear brakes do about 20% of the braking. That's not very big to begin with. The danger with drums is they overheat on repeated emergency stops from high speeds. As I've told others, if you have to make repeated emergency stops one after another, you have a problem bigger than your brakes.


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## iCruze2 (Dec 16, 2011)

wstadnick said:


> Weird how in Canada they put the disc brakes on with the RS package, yet in the states they don't.


That's bs!!!! I have rs too, but drums, lame.


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## wstadnick (Feb 9, 2012)

iCruze2 said:


> That's bs!!!! I have rs too, but drums, lame.


Ours is more expensive though i beleive, but we get the LTZ 18's also.


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> The car stops in 122 feet, which by comparison, the only thing that stopped that fast 10 years ago, was an Acura NSX.


The Cruze LTZ / 2LT with 4 wheel disks stops in 122 feet, not the other models. The Cruze Eco / LS / LT are worse than that... I've read 135ish feet. Probably more to do with the tires than actual brakes though.


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## amalmer71 (Apr 5, 2012)

Less brake dust to clean off the wheels with drum brakes. 




XtremeRevolution said:


> As I've told others, if you have to make repeated emergency stops one after another, you have a problem bigger than your brakes.


Like driving on the Dan Ryan? LOL


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Anyone who is thinking about a disc brake swap needs to read this thread:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-how-forum/6485-how-adjust-rear-drum-brakes.html#post89365


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Still have some learning to do with the rear disk brakes on my 2012 2LT. In previous GM cars with four wheel disk brakes, adjustment only occurred when the parking brake is applied. Who uses the parking brake anymore?

It was a ratcheting affair when the parking brake was applied, if excessive movement would occur a pawl in a tooth would click back and actually rotate the piston on a screw to close the gap. Another misgiving, was with the much lower friction area of pads compared to shoes. If launching a boat for example, the disk brake pad would never lock the vehicle, either had to augment that with park or in reverse with a MT. Drum brakes always locked solid.

Another thing is the replacement cost for cylinders, a convention wheel cylinder for drum brakes runs about 12 bucks, but with the combination of the parking and service brakes for disk brakes, looking more at 140 bucks.










Salt can leak in behind that parking brake level into that screw and was absolutely impossible to turn that piston back in with a special tool when replacing the pads. Times two, that is close to 300 bucks just for parts. I already coated that parking brake exposed lever with anti-sieze, but appears these are better plated than the older parts.

My 88 Supra really solved this problem by using a conventional cheap cylinder for the service brakes, and completely independent shoe brakes for the parking brake function. Conventional calipers are inherently self adjusting. 

With the new Cruze history will tell the story, at one time could buy that square O-ring and a boot for a couple of bucks, that is history, if you can take that combination caliper apart and clean and lubricate that screw. My wheel and caliper honers are gathering dust, that is history. 

Would have preferred if my 2LT did come with rear drum brakes, but other values of the 2LT like getting a spare tire with a manual transmission, well I already have learned to live with four wheel disk brakes. See what happens. Still have to learn this car, but have three years of warranty left, proportioning valves were always used for the rear brakes, only provide about 20% of the stopping power. But any problems with them, and your brake pedal can go clear to the floor.

Owners manual doesn't say anything about the self adjustment feature, just says, see your dealer.


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## scha7530 (Apr 15, 2012)

If you're worried about the rear disks seizing, just use the parking brake often.

The very old cars like the '88-'93 W-body GM (Grand Prix, Lumina, Cutlass Supreme, Regal) had an issue with the calipers seizing, sometimes it was the lever for the integrated parking brake, and a lot of the times it was the slides. I had a 1994 Cutlass Supreme with calipers that were improved and similar to what we have today....and so did my sister. We never had an issue, and the parking brake was rarely used. 

These calipers hold really well. There are FMVSS standards for hill hold that they had to meet. I believe its GVWR on a 30% grade with the transmission in neutral.


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