Here are answers to five questions car owners frequently ask about drum brakes and disc brakes:
1. What Are The Critical Components In Drum Brakes?
A drum brake system has the following five key components:
- Brake drum: a large metal drum that rotates with your wheel and forms a frictional pair with your drum brake shoes.
- Brake shoe: a curved metallic block coated with friction material (a.k.a. brake lining) that rubs against the brake drum to generate stopping friction.
- Wheel cylinder: a cylindrical brake component with pistons inside that pushes the drum brake shoes outward as pressurized brake fluid is forced into it.
- Return or retracting spring: a steel spring that pulls the drum brake shoes away from your brake drum as soon as you release the pressure on your brake pedal.
- Self-adjuster: a small brake lever that maintains the gap between the brake shoe and drum to ensure that they stay close enough when brakes aren’t applied but don’t touch each other.
2. What Are The Critical Components In Disc Brakes?
Disc brakes have three main components, and they are:
- Brake rotor: an iron, steel, ceramic, or carbon-ceramic rotating disc connected to your vehicle’s axle that turns along with the wheel.
- Brake pad: a metallic piece coated with friction material or brake lining that generates stopping friction along with your brake disc or rotor.
- Brake caliper: metallic housing that houses your disc brake pads and pushes them against the wheel or brake rotor when the brake pedal is pressed down.
3. How Do I Know Which Brake System My Vehicle Uses?
Most modern cars have disc brakes for the front wheels.
As for the rear wheel set, you’ll either find drum or disc brakes. In lots of cars, drum brakes may be more common for the rear axle since they’re less expensive.
Why use disc brakes for the front wheels?
Usually, while braking, the weight of the car shifts forward. This means that you’ll need more stopping power in the front wheels. And since a disk braking system offers more stopping power, fitting disc brakes at the front is recommended.
In case you want to check which category your vehicle’s front or rear brakes belong to, you can try taking a peek through the wheels:
- For drum brakes, you’ll come across a large cylindrical drum that’s almost touching the inside of your vehicle’s wheel.
- And for disc brakes, you’ll see a flat rotor with a wider component (brake caliper) at the front or rear of your rotor.
4. What Are The Most Common Symptoms Of Failing Brakes?
Whether your vehicle uses a drum brake assembly or a disk brake assembly, it’s crucial to keep track of its condition to stay safe on the road.
If you notice any of these symptoms, it could be an indication that your drum or disc brakes are malfunctioning:
- The brake warning light gets activated
- Your brake pedal feels spongy or sinks to the floor
- There’s brake fluid leaking from your brake drum or caliper
- You experience inconsistent braking power while driving
- You hear grinding, rumbling, or squealing noises when you hit the brakes
- The brake lights on your vehicle won’t turn OFF
5. What To Do When Your Drum Or Disc Brakes Fail?
If you notice any issues with your vehicle’s brake system, take your car to a repair shop or request a mobile mechanic to come over to your driveway ASAP.
We recommend asking a professional car technician to come over to your driveway since driving around with defective brakes can be a safety hazard.
However, when hiring a mechanic, ensure that they:
- Are ASE-certified
- Offer a service warranty
- Use only high-quality replacement parts
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