A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum. And a disc brake is a type of brake that uses the callipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a “rotor” to create friction.
PROS OF DRUM BRAKES:
- Drum brakes are much cheaper and affordable when compared to disc brakes as the manufacturing cost is lower.
- Installation of the parts are easy and costs much lesser than that of Disc brakes.
- Drum brakes protect the braking system from outside particles and prevents rusting and corrosion.
- Usage of drum brakes for the rear part of your wheels and changing to disc brakes for the front is possible
CONS OF DRUM BRAKES
- Drum brakes have bad heat dissipation which causes overheating and expansion of metallic parts present in it.
- These bakes are closed and can collect several unwanted materials and can cause rusting, which in turn reduces performance of the car.
- Tearing and wearing of these breaks are quite sooner since it has less heat dissipation.
- Since, a lot of parts is involved in drum brakes, the probability of problems and failure is quite high
PROS OF DISC BRAKES:
- Disc brakes offer quite a large braking power and can stop high-speed vehicles better than a drum brake can.
- These brakes ensure that over-heating doesn’t happen since their brakes are opening and they have good heat dissipation
- Disc brakes contains fewer moving parts when compared to drum brakes which gives easy access to better cleaning and maintenance of the disc.
- These brakes are less likely to be affected by unwanted material like dirt, water or rust contamination and are fade resistant.
CONS OF DISC BRAKES:
- Disc brakes are quite pricey when compared to drum brakes since it’s production and manufacturing costs are high.
- If the master cylinder is exposed to the slightest air flow, it can completely fail the disc brakes and can lead to serious accidents.
- Regular brake bleeding and changing of brake fluids is necessary during servicing of a car to maintain drum brakes.
- A disc brake without Anti-braking System has a high chance of skidding and locking tires.
In conclusion, disc brakes might seem like a better option than drum brakes as they can deliver excellent braking performance. The disc brakes might cost you quite a bit but is worth the bucks. But at the end of the day, it depends on each person’s personal choices and vehicle suitability.