Drum Vs. Disc

[1972RedNeck]

It seems to be very common for people to swap drum brakes to disc brakes. Why?

What is the advantage of disc brakes? I would swap from disc to drum before I swapped drum to disc (although all of my vehicles are 4 wheel drive).

IMHO, drum brakes take WAY less pressure to stop. The only time I would rather have discs, is when the time comes for a brake job.

[69sixpackbee]

Wait 'till you get 'em wet...then you'll know why

[long69]

i won't be swapping to disc's until i need performance brakes. my drums a plenty good enough- i don't drive canyons, steep grades , in down-pours or heavy duty stop and go driving and those are the conditions where disc would be nice to have. as they are my power drums will stop on a dime with change to boot, just don't try to break a dollar. meaning that you only get so many crisp stops before they fade.

[1972RedNeck]

Originally Posted by 69 1/2 Six Pack Bee

Wait 'till you get 'em wet...then you'll know why

When ever I cross a creek (pronounced crick), I just ride 'em for a few feet.

If your booster ever goes bad, drums are way easier to stop with (from my observations on similar vehicles, drums always take less pedal pressure).

[treveiger]

I know a guy with a 71 nova with a healthy 454 with a pro charger bolted to it an as of right now he has around 450whp he "thinks" an once tuned he's hoping to have 700 an he has all drum breaks so must not be to hard to stop
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[ProStreet68SB]

Less heat, more reliability. Stops faster. Less parts to fail.

[ed2552]

Discs have better clamping power and less fade under hard stopping, plus they're much easier to work on.

[69sixpackbee]

Originally Posted by treveiger

I know a guy with a 71 nova with a healthy 454 with a pro charger bolted to it an as of right now he has around 450whp he "thinks" an once tuned he's hoping to have 700 an he has all drum breaks so must not be to hard to stop
Posted via Mobile Device

Yeah, Novas weigh what? about a hundred-pounds too.

[trkfrk]

Before you can appreciate the difference between drum and disc brakes, you have to understand the common principles that both systems use when stopping a car: friction and heat. By applying resistance, or friction, to a turning wheel, a vehicle's brakes cause the wheel to slow down and eventually stop, creating heat as a byproduct. The rate at which a wheel can be slowed depends on several factors including vehicle weight, braking force and total braking surface area. It also depends heavily on how well a brake system converts wheel movement into heat (by way of friction) and, subsequently, how quickly this heat is removed from the brake components. This is where the difference between drum brakes and disc brakes becomes pronounced.

[406 Q-ship]

Drum brake fade...bad. I went through an intersection in a 69 GTO cause all the pedal pressure in the world was not gonna stop that thing in the distance. How often does a vacuum booster fail, brakes get hot alot more than booster failure. Disc brakes is the first modification on any drum brake vehicle, car or truck. Once you have been in a bad place with drums fading, you'll dump them soooooooo fast.

[Monty]

i friggin' HATE front drums. seems like they always dive left or right on a hard stop.

i'm ok with rear drums. my suburban build is getting front disc (GM dana 60) rear drums (13"x 3.5", 14 bolt) pumped up by a Hydroboost.

[Jeffs70]

every time I Have had drum breaks on these trucks and going down a steep inclined road and then have to stop at a stop sign well guess what a few weeks later the drums are shot and have to get them turned again. this even happens when trying to stop even at slow speeds. even the pads get a slick coat on them that causes it harder to stop after time.

while with disc brakes i have never had this problem. seems the heat is just a bit different from one to the other. disc brakes are just way better all around IMO.

[Daddy Brim]

Originally Posted by treveiger

I know a guy with a 71 nova with a healthy 454 with a pro charger bolted to it an as of right now he has around 450whp he "thinks" an once tuned he's hoping to have 700 an he has all drum breaks so must not be to hard to stop
Posted via Mobile Device

My 68 Nova had drum brakes and a very healthy 396. You could not stop it if you had to, disk are the only way to go.

[fastwillie 696969]

Originally Posted by ed2552

Discs have better clamping power and less fade under hard stopping, plus they're much easier to work on.

i like working on drums brakes myself, slapping pads on the front disc even a cave man do that

[ProStreet68SB]

Originally Posted by fastwillie 696969

i like working on drums brakes myself, slapping pads on the front disc even a cave man do that

Drums arent exactly rocket science, so dont pat yourself on the back to much.

[Hubscrub]

if thats what you like then it's fine by me, my dads 67 is still running all drums/they drove them for years that way

[fastwillie 696969]

Originally Posted by ProStreet68SB

Drums arent exactly rocket science, so dont pat yourself on the back to much.

i been certified by gm and ford rocket program for over 20 yrs LOL

[truckster]

In mountain country brake fade is a big deal. It doesn't take long for drum brakes to get hot enough that stopping with them gets scary. My 70 had drums and my 72 has disks. There's a world of difference between them.

[Longhorn Man]

drums have advantages, but they are far and few between.
I'm getting ready to convert my one ton to disks in the front.

[mrein3]

I look at it this way. In this world of lawyers and sue happy public, what are ALL the car manufacturers putting on the front and in lots of cases the back of new cars?

If drums were that great, wouldn't they still be putting them on new cars?

My 72 Chevelle was factory manual drums when I bought it. You get one hard stop then you're done for the day. I swapped in a set of disk brakes out of a Monte and now can stop when I want/need to.

If I drove in an area with hills and bought an old truck with drums, the first thing I'd do is put in disk brakes. If I pulled anything and ended up with a truck or car with front drums I'd make it disk brakes quick. If not for you and your loved ones in your cab with you, think of the poor sap in the Volkswagon that stopped short in front of you.

[ChevLoRay]

I knew a guy before I joined the USAF, back in '66-7. He bought a '63 Dodge Dart 2-dr sedan from the guy who had built it...with a Chrysler 383. Still had the stock rear end and brakes all the way around. Rear ends lasted a couple of weeks. Brakes were usually gone in three weeks. 8-inch drum brakes with that kind of horsepower is dumb thing to do. But, what a ride!

I hate adjusting drum brakes. When you build a set, and you have access to some tools in a shop, it may be easier to get the arced, and then after measuring the ID of the drum, adjusting the shoes to fit. When the drum is on the vehicle and has been for a while, the adjusters get funky with brake dust and rust, and don't want to turn very easily. If you have it on a rack, that's one thing. But, if you're on a creeper and it is on a set of stands, it's not much fun. I don't recall ever having to adjust my disc brakes.

[jtp67-72]

^^^^^ x2

[69heavychevy]

thats like saying carbs are better than fuel injection...
theres a reason why engineers started designing vehicles with disk brakes, if your happy with all drums and really believe they're that much better then bless your heart

[N2TRUX]

What I want to know is why we have to have threads like this every so often. Seriously, does the advantage of modern technology need to be explained?

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

What I want to know is why we have to have threads like this every so often. Seriously, does the advantage of modern technology need to be explained?

I couldn't agree more.