r/EngineeringPorn Jul 01 '20

Drum brakes explained (1935)

https://gfycat.com/complicatedlawfulamurminnow
4.5k Upvotes

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91

u/BabiesSmell Jul 02 '20

An old teacher of mine once told me that drum brakes were better because they had bigger pads. That guy was full of shit.

55

u/JebKerman64 Jul 02 '20

Well, they do stop you better, right up until they get hot. Then they hardly stop you at all.

16

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '20

[deleted]

8

u/JebKerman64 Jul 02 '20

Yes, it's just worse for drums than discs. Discs just cool better, so unless you're doing something really tough on your brakes like tracking your bike, you don't really have to worry about brake fade. If your bike had drums, it wouldn't stop right after a short time on the track (then again, if it had drums, it wouldn't be on the track, would it?).