Drum Brakes

[GasSavers_Ryland]

I get alot of my parts from honda dealers, http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/ is who I got the price for brake parts from, their 3-4 day shipping however takes around 12 days.

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by thisisntjared

i drove a car with 4 corner drums recently. horribly unsafe. i would take out airbags and seatbelts before going drums on all 4 corners. i dont understand how there is an argument for all drums in a street car.

even with stainless brake lines, it still will have the play, all drums do this. it is the nature of the beast.

Even my n600 has front disc brakes. Sure, they're as tiny as hell, but they're disc brakes.

Just imagine how small the rotors have to be to fit underneath the 10 inch rims.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Ditto, for most of the general population's driving needs on city streets, drums are fine. I suppose during race conditions drums can heat up quite a bit, but given advances in materials since the disk brake was introduced, fade isn't what it used to be and they're actually suitable for some racing as well. According to the d00d that built this car.

Originally Posted by WackyWabbitRacer

Are rear brake drums adequate for performance braking?

The answer is yes with the right type of shoes.

As required by SCCA Production rules, I use the stock rear drum brakes on my H-Production road racer, plus the 9.4 inch solid rotors on the front.

I am sure that my race Wabbit gets more braking abuse than any street daily driver, and I really don't have any brake problems with the solid rotors and rear drums. However I do use performance race front pads and performance rear shoes.

The most important thing is maintaining the entire braking system, front and rear. With new rear brake cylinders, shoes, and drums, plus frequent fluid flushes, I believe that virtually all of our A1 Dubs do not require rear disk brakes, except in very rare situations.

Regards, WWR.

Originally Posted by Edmunds

In today's automotive pantheon, it's not uncommon to find four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment on medium-priced, non performance-oriented models. The majority of new vehicles, however, continue to utilize a front-disc/rear-drum brake setup. What does this say about the current state of braking systems? Are these manufacturers sacrificing vehicle safety in order to save a few bucks by installing disc brakes on only the front wheels?

While a "yes" answer would certainly be great for increasing Town Hall traffic, the truth is that today's disc/drum setups are completely adequate for the majority of new cars. Remember that both disc and drum brake design has been vastly improved in the last 20 years. In fact, the current rear drum brake systems on today's cars would provide better stopping performance then the front disc setups of the '70s. And today's front disc brakes are truly exceptional in terms of stopping power. Combined with the fact that between 60 and 90 percent of a vehicle's stopping power comes from the front wheels, it's clear that a well-designed, modern drum brake is all that's required for most rear wheel brake duty.

[onegammyleg]

Originally Posted by theclencher

I can't believe the guys on here raggin' on drum brakes- that's insane!

All of your points were exactly spot on.
For FE machine drums are the way to go !!!! no question about it.

Discs brakes rely on the disc knocking the pads back into the caliper for clearance drums dont.
This means there is ALWAYS more resistance on a disc brake setup as the brakes always drag a little.

With steel lined vented alloy drums supporting a twin leading shoe arrangement stopping power is good.

Manufacturers went to discs BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAPER FOR THEM !

[onegammyleg]

The corvair probably would have locked up anyway.(as you say)
Race car disc systems are manufacured to very high standards and are not the same as on our shopping trolleys.
If we had these brakes ,OK , discs are kool , but we dont., we have cheap immitations.
Its sure that because of racing success discs have been encouraged to put onto passenger cars also . but the cost of making a brake system (at teh wheels end) with only a few moving parts is a lot more economical idea than a drum setup which may have 10 or 20 moving peices.

As you say , drums can stop well.
On the front twin leading shoes have a power assistance type of effect often meaning no vac booster is required (especially on a light car)

[JanGeo]

Originally Posted by tomauto

I would love a firmer pedal. It just feels safer. That is one of my main quibbles about drum brakes...the soft feel of them is just unassuring. I had my brakes resurfaced, bled, and resurfaced last year. Still soft. It was dissapointing. I haven't done any shopping, but I know I would want it at some point.

Hey I think I have a quick fix for your problem . . . go up a hill where you can stop and roll backwards without anyone behind you and pump your brakes firmly several times. This adjusts your rear drum brake shoes and should take out most of the pedal travel, then as they wear and you do it a few more times they will get firmer.

[onegammyleg]

Many , if not most drum brakes get adjusted when you apply the handbrake.

[Silveredwings]

Originally Posted by onegammyleg

Many , if not most drum brakes get adjusted when you apply the handbrake.

True, but the old chevys adjusted when you backup and hit the brakes.

BMWs have disks in the front and rear, and an set of extra drums in the back for the hand brake.

[onegammyleg]

This is a vented alloy drum with fins if some readers are not familiar with what I have been talking about.



On small FE cars they could return.
Remember that in the old days machining and materials werent as good as what can be done today.

Ime sure if they put their thinking caps on they could make a nice drum system now days.

[jolt-tsp]

Lets not get too carried away one way or the other. Drums are better for FE, but should never be on the front of a car anymore. A pair of drums on the back never hurt anyone (unless you're racing), and they normally make for a much more effective e-brake.

For street driving, there should be nothing wrong with rear drums. If stopping in rain or dry is an issue, then there is probably a problem with the brakes or with the tires. Many people like to overlook the tire. If you are running 155's for FE, don't get pissed at your drums if you're not stopping. Short of running an r-compound tire, 155 mm is just not enough of a contact patch to stop your car on the dime (unless your car is in the sub 1800 lbs range).

The drum brake is going to be lighter and brake harder initially than a disc brake of equal size because their is a greater friction area. However, this causes heat build-up faster and degrades the performance very quickly. Rear brakes never support much weight during breaking and therefore will not heat up as fast. When braking the majority of the weight goes to the front of your vehicle, so drums in the front will heat up very quickly and can degrade your braking performance in just one hard stop.

I didn't really get any sleep last night so don't just my ability to string words together too harshly. :-p