Drum brakes must be worse than disk brakes?

No, there is one thing that disc brakes can’t compare to drum brakes.

The automotive industry has been developing for more than 100 years, and there are some inherent “prejudices” left behind throughout the development process, some of which are indeed true, while others are just misconceptions of some people.

” Disks brakes are better than drum brakes” is one of them. When this statement comes out, it may cause a lot of dissatisfaction among netizens, but it doesn’t matter, because popularizing technical knowledge means changing some people’s inherent perceptions, but this is only popularization, there is still a very long time to really accept it.

But if we look at this issue from a technical point of view, we will find that there is no question of who is better than who with drum brakes and disc brakes. We have to look into the nature of both.

The composition of drum brakes and disc brakes and the braking principle

Let’s first understand the structure and braking principle of both.

When we apply the brakes, the brake pump will apply pressure to the brake shoes, so that the brake shoes will be close to the brake plate for friction, thus achieving the effect of stopping the vehicle.

In contrast, the structure of disc brakes is much simpler, mainly consisting of brake discs, brake pads and brake sub-pump. When we apply the brakes, the brake sub-pump will also apply force to the brake pads, and the brake pads will then be clamped to the middle of the brake disc on both sides to achieve the effect of friction and deceleration, thus realizing braking.

Drum brakes have better braking force

After understanding the structure and braking principle of both, let’s look at the advantages of each.

First of all, the braking force of drum brakes is better than disc brakes, which you may not believe, so let’s listen to the author slowly. From the previous article, we have learned that disc brakes are made by the brake pads clamping the brake disc to generate friction for braking. The drum brake is different, first of all, because the contact area between the brake shoes and the brake plate of the drum brake is larger than that of the disc brake, and with a large contact area, the friction is naturally larger, so the braking force is better.

Secondly, when we take braking measures, the two brake shoes of drum brakes will be more fitted and pressed against the brake floor, thus increasing the braking force, which is another reason why drum brakes have better braking force than disc brakes.

This is another reason why drum brakes have better braking force than disc brakes. Some of you may not understand, but simply put, under the same braking, drum brakes have a larger friction area and disc brakes have a smaller friction area, so drum brakes have better braking force than disc brakes.

Disc brakes have better heat dissipation

The advantage of drum brakes is their excellent braking force, while the core advantage of disc brakes is better heat dissipation, because disc brakes use an open structure, most of the brake discs are exposed, so they can come into contact with a large amount of air during the friction between the brake pads and discs, thus achieving a faster heat dissipation and cooling effect.

Drum brakes, on the other hand, are wrapped in the brake drum and cannot come into contact with air, so they dry slower than disc brakes after water exposure.

In the end

After understanding the structural principles, advantages and disadvantages of drum brakes and disc brakes, let’s conclude with a summary.

In general, although most cars nowadays use disc brakes, it does not mean that drum brakes are necessarily worse than disc brakes, and in the case of family cars, you can hardly feel any difference between the two in daily use, so we should not be prejudiced against drum brakes.