[Walker111]

Drum brakes are dumb. I know I know, they’re better, they’re still dumb. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. I’ve scoured my area for someone that will turn drums with no luck, and the Chinese shat that new drums are made of are shaped like an egg.

I recently picked up a D80 disc setup with LSD for 150 bucks. Needs a pinion seal, calipers, rotors, and e-brake equipment. I’m looking forward to getting rid of the drums.

 

[Walker111]

Drums brakes are not going anywhere anytime soon at least. Heck there are brand new, high end luxury, electric cars coming off the showroom floor with drum rear brakes (the Audi Q4 e-tron is one).

In fact the lack of brake drag that drums have compared to disc brakes in making them look good again in the eyes of those looking for fuel mileage and EV range. Here are few quick google search articles that talk about it a little, kinda interesting if you're into that kinda stuff.

https://www.carvibz.com/news/cars-are-still-sold-with-drum-brakes-in-america-right-now-including-evs/

https://www.engadget.com/how-the-rising-popularity-of-e-vs-could-lead-to-a-resurgence-of-drum-brakes-170000388.html

...

Thanks, especially for giving me an example. I’m intrigued enough to see if there are any differences old vs new)

maybe they’ll make a comeback like all the other terrible things from the past. If the tree huggin hippies want them in their ev’s….be my guest.

For me, I’ll stick to disc’s.

 

[Walker111]

I’ll keep My drums. Every semi truck I’ve ever driven has them, and for good reason. They prevent dirt, and water from constantly bombarding the brakes. I’ve seen so many problems with rear discs it’s not even funny. When it comes to EV’s I’ll never get rid of My 12 valve, but the 2007 Honda CRV will go to some poor *** if I can make enough money, Ill get a RAV4 Prime.

Drums on a semi are slightly different than our hydraulic drums.

 

[Walker111]

Tell us how much you like the discs after buying all that stuff, plus a different proportioning valve, and attempting to make the park brake to work.

It’s on the list. Currently taking up a lot of room in my shed. I haven’t done a ton of research, but it was too cheap to pass up. Disc brake, lsd, d80 for 150…if anything I can recoup my money or just swap the lsd over.

The drums that I hate on my truck are currently working great. If I could find someone to turn drums this size it would take away some of my hate. I’ve spoken to everyone in a 50 mile radius of me. The ones that said they could do it ended up not being able to do it because of the size. Unreal when you talk to places that say they don’t turn them anymore, more cost efficient to buy new, wtf.

 

[Walker111]

If they are working great why are you wanting to turn them or replace them? I was somewhere in the 800,000 mile range before I had to even remove my drums, much less replace them. I only had to because a wheel seal started leaking and I had to replace the shoes. The drums were replaced as well, " just because."

I want to turn them because I think they’re slightly out of round. I replaced everything a year ago and it’s a pain in the arse compared to discs. I get the advantages of drum brakes, but for me, I’d rather have disc. Again, there are many other things and research that come before this project.

I just replaced rear brakes on my jeep last night and it took me longer to remove and reinstall the wheels than it did to r/r the brakes.

 

[Walker111]

I am driving a 2018 Freightliner disc all the way around. They are great! Our newer trailers have them. They work great. Stopping distances are shorter.

I have 2 Buick Lesabres. '97 with drum in the rear. A 2005 with 4 wheel disc. The 2005 seems mushy.

Gen1's like the GM wheel cylinders too from what I heard. Have to lightly bend the brake line because they have a slight angle to them.

Our fire trucks have discs and they stop great. I use to race cars in my non married, non kids days and they all had disc, they stopped on a dime. I wouldn’t think for a split second to put drums in either category.

like @Antonm said, if zero resistance is what your looking for, drums might be the way to go. That and EV’s are low maintenance, car manufacturers might look at drums as getting more money from the consumer.

 

[Walker111]

There are two advantages to disc brakes, neither of which is they stop the vehicle better. They cool quicker so you won't get brake fade as quickly and they are less liable to get contaminated by grease or water. For the record, the tires stop the vehicle, not the brakes. No traction, no stopping.

Less inspection and adjustments. In terms of replacement, pads are cheaper than shoes. Disc manage heat better, more consistent braking.

In this conversation (rear), drum brakes are the better option. Both brakes have pros and cons. No one is putting drums on the front of anything.

I’m sure you’re exhaust brake has helped your pads last as long as they have.