Drum and disc brakes are two types of braking systems. Both brake types offer different pros and cons. Learning about the difference between disc and drum brakes along with their advantages and features will help you determine which one is more appropriate.
Here is a detailed comparison covering the difference between disc and drum brakes for your consideration and learning.
Drum brakes
Drum brakes have a small drum with two brake shoes and pistons. The function of this drum is to rotate next to the wheel of the vehicle. When you depress the brake pedal, the drum brake receives pressurised brake fluid. As a result, pistons push into the brake shoes. When this happens, the brakes shoes press against the drum’s side causing friction, which results in the slowing down of the spinning wheel.
Let’s delve into the pros and cons of drum brakes to understand whether these brakes are a better choice for you:
Advantages of Drum Brakes
- The major advantage of drum brakes is that these are less expensive. Therefore, a new car with drum brake system will cost a lot less than cars with disc brakes.
- Additionally, drum brakes are more affordable to maintain as well since brake system parts cost less.
Limitations of Drum Brakes
- Drum brakes are not very effective at dissipating heat. Since applying brakes causes friction, a lot of heat is released. Compared to disc brakes, drum brakes do not handle the heat that well leading to overheating of the car brakes. With time, the heat damages the brake system usually leading to brake fade.
- Relative to the other type of braking system, drum brakes do not perform well in wet conditions either. Water is likely to accumulate inside the drum brakes affecting their braking performance.
Drum brakes are the older type of braking system. Cars with all wheels fitted with drum brakes are rare to find now. However, to lower the cost, many of the modern cars come with front disc and rear drum brakes since the front system is responsible for 85 to 90% of the braking. Here is a list of some of the cars with the latter configuration:
Disc Brakes
Disc brake system consists of two brake pads, a brake calliper and a metal rotor spinning in tandem with the wheel. Disc brakes working via a simple mechanism; when the brakes are applied, the calliper presses the brake pads against the rotor causing friction. This friction is responsible for slowing down the wheels.
Here are some pros and cons of disc brakes for you to understand how they work and what makes them a preferable choice.
Advantages of Disc Brakes
- Brake fade is less likely to happen as the disc brake system manages the heat much better than the drum brakes. Therefore, the disc brake performance is more consistent.
- The rotors in the disc brake system repel water while the brake pads also wipe water away. This means disc brakes offer better performance under wet conditions than drum brakes.
- Also, disc brakes are not likely to lock up. Disc brakes work in a straight and linear manner compared to drum brakes and therefore, they do not lock up that often during heavy braking.
Limitations of Disc Brakes
- The only limitation of disc brake assembly is it is more expensive than the drum brakes and increases the maintenance cost of the brakes as well as the pricing of a new car.
While rear brakes do not perform a lot of functions in the case of lightweight modern vehicles, the same is not the case with racing and sports cars. Therefore, to ensure optimum performance, maximum speed and safe swaying and turning on the road, many high-end SUVs and racing cars have disc brakes for all the wheels. However, various family sedans, trucks and other car types can also have all disc brakes.
Check out the listings for some of the models that use disc brakes for both front and rear offering excellent performance and high speeds:
Disc or Drum Brakes: Which are better?
As is evident from the pros and cons of both types of brake systems, disc brakes are better in terms of performance, consistency and longevity. Therefore, many modern cars come with both front and rear disc brakes. However, there is still a large number of car models available, being manufactured and still in demand with rear drum and front disc brakes.
If the drum brakes vs disc brakes comparison has revealed disc brakes to be better, why are drum brakes still in use? The reason is drum brakes cost a lot less than disc brakes in terms of manufacturing and maintenance. Therefore, two cars with all other features being the same but one having all disc brakes while the other having front disc and rear drum brakes will have a cost disparity.
As a result, several car manufacturers develop models with mixed brake types lowering the manufacturing cost and hence a more affordable product. However, for racing and sports cars, models with all disc brakes are more appropriate.
This is all about the difference between disc and drum brakes and which one is better. If finding a car with a particular type of brake system is not a priority for you when buying a car, you can browse through this wider collection of used cars for sale in the UAE. Whichever car you choose, always drive safe and ensure safety with regular brake system servicing.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s top auto blog for more information on car brake systems.
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