Disc brakes vs Drum brakes

[Mikeyfingers]

Fortress & Acemundo: Thanks for all your inputs & advice. Gonna leave this thread cos it's getting rather hostile and territorial. C u guys around! Cheers!!!

[Fortress]

It is a myth that it is more expensive....In fact, in my view as I maintain and repair my own cars, Japanese is more costly due to the disposable parts....surely, if I throw away the parts, it will cost me more..moreover, you need to know where you get your parts and it will be cheap. Drove an Alfa 164 for 3 years on it 7th year, spent only S$250 on parts,of course, the mechanics quoted me S$3000 or more for them. They usualy like to project that perception, like what you have rightly said.

[Mikeyfingers]

Thanks to Sweeney too...

[Yttrium]

Where disc brakes have an advantage over drums is that the rotor is exposed to air and therefore cooled more easily. They do not fade as badly as drum brakes under continued braking.

 

However, since 60 to 90 percent of the car's stopping power comes from the front brake, drum brakes in the rear would be more than adequate for normal cars. Performance cars would come with all round disc brakes for uncompromised braking performance.

[Acemundo]

yup, that's what i read before too.

 

i was kind of surprised when fortress said it is about the same but of course it could have been he was just referring to the rear wheels.

[W2K_83]

The only difference I see between disc brakes and drum brakes on normal saloon cars is that disc brakes are more dirty hahaha performance-wise, I dun feel any difference between a Mz3 with all-disc and a Mz3 with 2-disc... Guess it applies more on more powerful cars

Edited September 23, 2005 by W2K_83

[Imuya]

you mean for cars with Front Disc and Rear Drums, when you brake, the rear Drums is activated meh??

 

I always tot only the front discs are working!

[W2K_83]

foot-brakes will activate all the 4 brakes one ma... if not mite as well dun want any brakes for the rear wheels hahaha

[Yttrium]

Yep.. all 4 brakes are activated.

It's only when you use the handbrake that only the rear brakes are activated.

[Imuya]

sia la...how i know....

 

Cos last time late at night i tried pulling hand brake hard when moving...

the stopping power is like non-existent

[Yttrium]

Perhaps only when on the very limits... you might see a difference.

Drums can lock up more easily ... but probably not under normal driving.

[Fluffy]

handbrake should be rear only.

[W2K_83]

haha actually u can think of it from another perspective, when your handbrakes are on, u still can drag your car when depressing the accelerator, but by stepping on the foot-brake, your car generally does not move

[Downtownbabe]

yah he's right good comment

[Jyen]

anyone knows in general when do we have to change the brake disc? By mileage or other indicators?

[Tigershark1976]

i think in the end of the day, tyre contribute more in the whole braking system performance...

[Cklasse]

Ever notice big cc cars tend to have rear disc and not drum? Of course, there are some 1.6l cars today that use all disc but all disc on 2l and above points to the fact that the faster your car can go, the more braking power you need to stop. My conclusion is, disc has better stopping power than drum.

[Manfred_sg]

Not only faster car, bigger and heavy car too nee 4 disc. I think something to do with balancing or inertia thing when doing E-brake. Normal light Jap 1.6 or lower with ABS is more than enough with 2 disc. Braking power comes from the front disk, drum is only dragging to reduce the push force