What Are the Differences Between Disc Brake and Drum Brake?

Brakes play a crucial role in the safety of passengers when they ride a vehicle. There are generally two types of service brakes, disc brakes and drum brakes. Although used for similar purposes, they are significantly different from each other in their construction and functioning.

Nonetheless, it’s imperative to get a clear idea of what disc and drum brakes are before moving to disc brake vs drum brake.

What Is Disc Brake?

As soon as a driver presses the brakes, a brake booster is engaged to amplify the pressure. The master cylinder, converts this pressure into hydraulic pressure. This pressure travels via brake oil to, in turn, exert pressure on pistons of brake calipers. There are separate brake pads in these calipers that contain friction lining. On receiving pressure, they transfer the same to disc rotors to stop the vehicle.

Disc brakes are resistant to brake fade as well as water fade. These are generally of two types and are most suitable for passenger cars. A disc brake consists of numerous components that aid it immensely in stopping the car without much delay. They comprise brake calipers, brake shoes, disc plate, caliper bracket, piston brake, and piston seal.

What Is Drum Brake?

In case of drum brakes, on applying the vehicle's brakes, there is a servo system that acts as a brake booster to amplify power. There is a master cylinder that converts this amplified power to oil pressure, which is also known as hydraulic pressure. This pressure is exerted on the pistons of respective wheels. The piston acts on brake plate to force them to stop the wheel. Ultimately the vehicle decelerates and finally stops.

Drum brakes consist of a wheel cylinder, back plate, shoe hold spring, return spring, trailing shoe, and adjust lever. There are generally three types of drum brakes, servo type, leading or trailing shoe type, and twin leading shoe type. Leading shoe type is the primary shoe moving in a rotation direction.

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Difference Between Disc Brake And Drum Brake

Disc vs drum brakes can be summed under the following points:

Parameter	Disc Brake	Drum Brake
Brake unit	A disc-shaped rotor is put to use	A cylindrical drum is put to use
Heat dissipation	Effective dissipation of heat takes place	Slower dissipation of heat takes place
Stopping time	They can stop the vehicle instantly	They take time to stop the vehicle
Ease of inspection	Inspection is easy	Inspection is difficult
Vehicles	Present in two-wheelers like scooters and motor	Present in old motorcycles and heavy vehicles
Mode of operation	Mechanically operated but can be aided by ABS systems	Completely mechanically operated
Maintenance	Maintenance is costlier	Maintenance is cheaper
Age	Comparatively modern brakes system	Traditional brake system
Self-locking	Do not have a self-locking system	Have self-locking system
Performance	Performance is better than drum brakes	Performance is average
Ease of changing friction pads	Changing friction pad is comparatively easier	Changing friction pad is difficult
Design	Simple design	Complex design
Water retention	Water is efficiently expelled from the rotor	Water gets collected in the drum
Torque transmitting capacity	High torque transmitting capacity	Low torque transmitting capacity
Price	These brakes are somewhat expensive	They are comparatively cheaper
Mode of working	Uses calipers to hold brake pads in position	Uses hydraulic cylinders to press friction pads
Ventilation	Better ventilation	Lower ventilation
Performance at high temperature	Optimal performance at temperature	Lower performance at a higher temperature
Weight	Their weight is comparatively lower	They are comparatively heavier
Friction wearing	Wear of frictional force is uniform	Wear of frictional force is usually not uniform
Fading	Have greater protection against fading	Have lower protection against fading

Now you must have a clear idea about disc brake vs drum brake. Disc brakes have significant advantages over drum brakes. However, due to lower maintenance costs and longer functioning, drum brakes are still a popular choice.It is a must to service or repair the brakes of your vehicle at regular intervals to avoid any sort of accidents.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How does the disc brake resist itself from brake fade and water fade?

The parts of a disc brake are exposed to the atmosphere. Thus, whenever heat is generated due to friction, it gets diffused quickly into the atmosphere. This minimizes the effect of heat on the brakes and maintains their performance.

The rotors present in disc brakes rotate at high speed to expel water significantly from them. Thus, the disc brakes become resistant to water fade and keep their performance at optimum.

What are the three types of disc Brake?

The three types of disc brakes are “Fixed type disc brake”, “Floating type disc brake”, and “sliding type disc brake”.

Why are disc brakes more suitable for passenger cars?

Disc brakes are brake fade and water fade resistant. Additionally, they offer stable performance when the vehicle is operating at high speed. Hence, disc brakes are a popular choice for passenger vehicles.

What is the function of the caliper bracket?

The caliper brackets attach the calipers to the brake, ensuring that these calipers do not move from their place. Thus these caliper brackets are essential for disc brakes.

Why do disc brakes have high maintenance costs?

Disc brakes use a tube filled with brake fluid which can dry up or lose its viscosity with time. Hence, it needs to be refilled at regular intervals.