Aren't disc brakes easier to maintain? I am no mechanic and I can easily take my front wheels off and change pads and rotors, I wouldn't dare try it with the rear drums (93 civic) - I would much rather have 4 wheel disc brakes personally, just for the DIY factor.
2007 Silverado's have rear drum brakes standard
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They are easier to maintain. Removing a rusted on drum is not fun.
JHZR2
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I honestly think that most people with drum brakes, not talking BITOG people here, don't realize that their rear brakes don't work, because I think that the rear drums on most cars after a time do very little, and most people would "have them fixed" if they thought that their was a problem. It's fairly common for me to drive someone elses car and say to them, "Your brakes suck, the rears are doing nothing", and they'll say, "They seem fine to me".
This maight be the case, actually. Out of our 9 cars, only one (the plymouth breeze) has rear drums. However, all of the cars have th ebraking force proportioned to the front pretty significantly, which apparently is SOP in the auto world.
My saab 9-3 has a hhigher rear bias for the disc brakes in the back, and man oh man, not that any of the cars/trucks are poor brakers, but having that extra force at the back, I suppose, makes this car stop like nothing ve ever driven before. IIRC, the 70-0 stoping distance per C&D or a similar mag was 107 or 109 ft... not shabby.
So, despite having plenty of driving experience with well-working disc systems, all in all, I think youre onto something with respect to having hard-working rear brakes of any kind, and how they imporve the overall braking of a vehicle.
JMH
This brings up an observation I've made: Most people who have an automatic transmission NEVER use the parking/emergency brake.
Why is this?
Lazyness
Yep Lazy. The footbreak on the newer Toyota's has mad it so much easier. It is especially helpfull to use when parking on a slanted driveway with an auto. I think it's a good habit to be in.
If one doesn't use the e-brake regularly in the salt it will quit working pretty quickly on most makes. I insist on daily use of the e-brake on all of our vehicle, and this is something car maintenance related that my wife actually adopted!! She tells me that she'll check her oil and tire pressure when I start doing my laundry. So I check her oil and tire pressure!
Lazyness? How hard is it to to pull a lever? Wow.
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I've had numerous cars, trucks, ans suv's with rear drum brakes and some with front drum brakes as well and don't recall them ever getting out of adjustment and not working.
I've drive vehicles where the front or rear brakes were out. Its so obvious that I don't see how anybody can fail to tell the difference if the front or rear brakes go out.
I've drive vehicles where the front or rear brakes were out. Its so obvious that I don't see how anybody can fail to tell the difference if the front or rear brakes go out.
All of my friends and relatives that drive domestic vechiles never use their E-Brake because they always freeze up here in the salt belt. My parents,wife and I all use the e-brake on all of our Toyota's and have never had a cable issue. Most TOyota's with drum brakes will go 100,000-300,000 miles on the same rear shows as long as you keep your brakes adjusted. I try to adjust mine at least 1 time a year by hand. On my Camry you do not need to get under the car to adjust the rear drums. They put a plug in the face of the drum that you remove to use a screw driver to adjust them. Depending on what type of wheel the car has and how itiwas put on sometimes you do not need to even remove the wheel.
Maybe their e-brakes always freeze up because they never use them except that one time when they accidentally use it and it jams up from lack of use.
One must either use the e-brake every day or never touch it in the salt belt, no in between.
If rear brake shoes are lasting 100-300k they aren't doing much!!
If rear brake shoes are lasting 100-300k they aren't doing much!!
With regard to auto trans drivers not using the parking brake, most people, myself included, view it as a something to be used only when you're on an incline. With an auto trans, the parking pawl will hold the car in place just fine most of the time. Some people also worry that they'll forget to release it and cause problems when they drive the car again. It's not lazyness. It's lack of necessity.
yes might be ture but dont you want to take some stress off that park thing in your auto transmission? I know dodge ram has a reacall that their truck can slip out of park and in to gear while running. this is why I always set my parking brake when the engine is running or not running. you jsut never know when its going to go.
I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota QC and just replaced my rear rotors and pads at 77k. I was getting a squeal and noises from the rear brakes especially after using the e-brake.The rotors were pretty rusty,especially the outside edges. The e-brake shoes came out in pieces
totally shot. Nobody had any e-brake shoes in stock,having them put in Tuesday.
I have Powerslot rotors and Hawk HPS pads up front with no issues. Replaced the rears with the same set up but they squeal
Will tell mechanic when he puts in the e-brake shoes,maybe he can do something. Any suggestions?
I spray the back of the pads with anti-squeal spray, keeps 'em nice and quiet. Some people use grease or silicone lubricant, I prefer the spray as it's less messy.
someone with a dakota on another board said his rears squealed. he said he (this is dangerous) jacked the back up and with the tires off. took a sanding wheel and took the smoothness off the rotor. he said after that it never squealed again.
I only have 45k miles on mine and my rear squeals a lil. nothing that bothers me none. I just lift off the brakes and reaply. then they dont do it . just something our trucks do for some reason. have read alot fo people comment on this.
I only have 45k miles on mine and my rear squeals a lil. nothing that bothers me none. I just lift off the brakes and reaply. then they dont do it . just something our trucks do for some reason. have read alot fo people comment on this.
In this state the parking brake is checked every year for proper operation, so it's probably a good idea to use even if you think it's not required simply to keep it in good working order for that safety inspection.
I'm told that in Michigan, if you can stick plates on it and it runs you can drive it
Not that way here.
I'm told that in Michigan, if you can stick plates on it and it runs you can drive it
Dark Jedi I think that was what Graphite did to cure the groan you got when backing. I had that too,it went away on its own,it didn`t bother me to begin with. This squealing does,it`s quite shrill, but hope my mechanic can do something besides change pads to Quite Stops or something.
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