Drum brakes hard to beat
 

Drum brakes hard to beat
January 25, 2007

BY MARK PHELAN

FREE PRESS AUTO CRITIC

"What's up with those rear drum brakes?" several readers asked after carefully studying the new Chevrolet Silverado's specifications.

Actually, it was more like, "What do those idiots think they're doing sticking these antiquated pieces of junk on their new pickup?"

Turns out they were reducing the truck's cost and weight without compromising brake performance or safety. The idiots.

Just about every vehicle used to have drum brakes, but they've been widely replaced by discs, which are less likely to heat up and lose effectiveness when the brakes are frequently applied. Because of that, some people associate discs with more advanced technology and think drums are outdated.

Engineers, however, love simple systems, because they are usually easier to build and maintain, and that means fewer repairs and lower costs.

So a good engineer will occasionally go back and reconsider old solutions to problems.

GM did that with brake supplier Bosch a few years ago, and the result was a system that replaces four-wheel-disc brakes with front disc and rear drum brakes on some models of the new Silverado and GMC Sierra.

I had the chance to test it and four-wheel-disc versions of the 2006 Silverado back to back on a closed course a couple of years ago, and the disc-drum combo provided better pedal feel and smoother, more assured stops. That's thanks to improved controls and the fact that a pickup -- especially one with little or no cargo -- carries most of its weight in the front half of the vehicle. Because braking leans all vehicles forward, shifting even more weight to the nose, the rear brakes of an unladen pickup are virtually unemployed.

You can use discs all around, but that's a bit like refusing to hire a babysitter who's not a qualified paramedic with an ambulance on call. You're over-engineering the program, paying for more than you need.

Silverados equipped for heavy work get disc brakes on all four corners, but the rear drums are more than adequate on other models.

Contact MARK PHELAN at 313-222-6731 or phelan@freepress.com.

I love the 4 wheel discs on my 2000 GMC Sierra when it comes time to swap out the pads :lol:

I do agree, if it saves the general some dough, the average truck buyer won't feel the difference.

Yeah, mine were a bitch too... :mad:

Do you have rear drums or disc? The discs on these trucks are a breeze, one of the better upgrades with the GMT800 trucks :D

I hated changing out my drum brakes on my 77 Caprice Classic (my 1st car). I pulled it all apart, began putting it all back together and had a hell of a time. I only found out that after the hours of trying to get the springs back in place, was there a tool that compressed them to make the job a snap.

:bonk:

hmm? well i was working on a chevy 2500 series thuck the other day and it had rear disk and drum brakes i pretty sute the drum brakes were the e brake tho

My 99 has disk on all four corners (love it)… I did a full brake job at the end of this last summer, $200 +, and my time . Everything rusted solid. Had to buy three torque bits and use the torches to heat the caliper bolts up… You know how the salt is… When I lived in “BIG D” and would travel back to West Michigan to see my family my maroon Silverado would turn white. Hell, I would have to fend off all the farm animals because they thought it was a saltlick… :bellyroll:

Man, I've replaced my pads twice and I did all four rotors pads last fall with no issues. My 2000 has 166K on the clock :D

:confused0068: Who knew drum brakes could be so effective?

We should make 4 wheel drum brakes an option!!! We could put it on the option checklist right between AM/FM 8-track monaural radio and landau roof!

Throw in some opera lights, deep-dish steering wheel, vinyl wood paneling and wire wheel hub caps. WHOA!

I had better stop. This kind of stuff is like viagra for Lee Iacocca

Did anyone get the joke? Hardy har freakin har.
...er....well then, you'd think engineers would put on disc brakes. ****ing drum brakes are crazy complicated, and definitely more difficult to maintain.

http://www.familycar.com/classroom/i...Drum_Parts.gif

http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=72130&rendTypeId=35

In truth, they're cheaper to purchase, and that's all. I suppose that's good enough reason.

We ARE getting a deep dish steering wheel.

Okay, skinny rimmed hard plastic deep dish steering wheel. :sm0:

We gotta' cut some opear windows back there and put a chrome luggage rack on the trunk too...that should match the awesome retro-tech drum brakes

Wait,

How are drum brakes lighter than disc brakes.

Sure, a wheel cylinder is lighter than a caliper. But after many years working with brake lathes I can assure you that discs are typically lighter than drums. Best you can hope for is a few ounces either way.

...and when you pull off a disc, you are not as likely to be exposed to all the brake dust the friction material ever created.

Pull off a drum and it's a huge cloud of bronze, copper, iron, steel wool, Kevlar, ceramic, Bamboo, asbestos....who knows?

I love when people actually bother to test an idea before dismissing it on preconceived notions.

I prefer 4 wheel discs in cars but trucks can have half and half for all i care. when it comes to discs sometimes it takes longer to get the car off the ground and the wheels off than the brake job itself! but when it comes to rear drums, i prefer to take it to my local garage that is run by a long time friend of the family (and former business partner with my dad ;) ) and write the check for the work :thumbsup:.

I had front disk and rear drums on my 89 Silverado, and the front pads lasted 80,000 miles and the rears shoes went for 120,000 miles..... I had no complaints...