All aftermarket drums and shoes = junk?

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If the factory drums aren't out of round, scuff up the friction surface with 100 grit samdpaper. Replace the wheel cylinders, shoes and hardware with new OEM. You'll save yourself lots of profanity. Don't forget to lubricant the backing plate. In the old days a proper drum brake job included arching the shoes to the drums. But if they can't get the drums cut properly on the lathe, you can bet they get that wrong too. Not sure that's even done anymore.
 
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A lot of Matrix/Vibe/Corolla's go to the bone yard wearing their original rear brake components.....My wife's Corolla rear shoes look brand new approaching 150,000 miles.
The "Push Bolt" holes in the drums should be 8x1.25mm, I would wet the center hole with some penetrant, Snug-up the 2 push bolt, & Whack the drum a few times with a rubber mallet.

Rear shoes aren't all that hard, A good Shoe hold down/Spring cap tool is the only special tool I use on Non-Servo brake shoe arrangements. I use a long pair of diagonal cutters to remove & install return springs buy gripping the stem of the spring while using the long body of the cutters to stretch the spring & release the hook.
Sometimes you can't get the head of the diags in where you need it, I use some long needle nose for that.

The Spring Cap tool is Snap-on part# S6118A.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
 
All this talk like there's no control over the situation.

1. Buy local.

2. Bolt them on backwards and stick a dial indicator, or better yet a dial test indicator (lever not plunger) on the inner surface and measure the runout.

3. Return the bad ones until you get good ones.
 
Originally Posted by HangFire
All this talk like there's no control over the situation.

Bolt them on backwards and stick a dial indicator, or better yet a dial test indicator (lever not plunger) on the inner surface and measure the runout.


You can't do that, The center of the hub has a radius & the inside counterbore of the drum is relieved/beveled for that reason. Any shim/spacer BS will skew your readings.
 
Originally Posted by joegreen
I used autozone brake drums and shoes on my ford ranger at least 10 years ago and they are fine. I know its not a japanese vehicle but that is my experience with cheap chinese brake parts.


Ford Ranger of the old type is a Mazda.
 
Originally Posted by Trav

I do turn my own (if it is within spec to be cut without going past the min) but not many people do it anymore, the monkeys at parts stores are all OJT and mostly clueless so the chances of getting a nice true drum are almost nil.

Around here, the chains don't turn rotors. The local parts house does and so does one of the tire shops as a walk-in. But no one maintains their lathes and from my days at the dealership I've seen techs wail on the arbor just to get a rotor or drum on visually true.
 
Originally Posted by clinebarger
A lot of Matrix/Vibe/Corolla's go to the bone yard wearing their original rear brake components.....My wife's Corolla rear shoes look brand new approaching 150,000 miles.
The "Push Bolt" holes in the drums should be 8x1.25mm, I would wet the center hole with some penetrant, Snug-up the 2 push bolt, & Whack the drum a few times with a rubber mallet.

Rear shoes aren't all that hard, A good Shoe hold down/Spring cap tool is the only special tool I use on Non-Servo brake shoe arrangements. I use a long pair of diagonal cutters to remove & install return springs buy gripping the stem of the spring while using the long body of the cutters to stretch the spring & release the hook.
Sometimes you can't get the head of the diags in where you need it, I use some long needle nose for that.

The Spring Cap tool is Snap-on part# S6118A.

Last time I tried to lube and clean the rear shoes on the Prius, I had the wheel cylinder cups jettison themselves across the garage. Honda shoes are even worse.

Now that you tell me, I might be better prepared for the shoes on this Matrix. They seem identical to the Prius ones from the outside.
 
Originally Posted by clinebarger
I don't care for cheap aftermarket parts, They are usually a compromise!

For shoes, I'll only go OEM. There's a bit more leeway with pads and rotors. I've used all OEM Toyota pads/shims/fit kit and Advics rotors on my parent's van and OEM shoes on the back. It brakes just like it did when it was brand new. The Advics rotors are US-made in Indiana and have almost the same markings as OEM.
 
Advics and EBC is good stuff I do use them also on Japanese if I happen to work on one, most of the time I use Zimmerman, EBC, ATE or OE on the cars I normally work on.
Some of the lower end aftermarket I have been satisfied with are Pagid, Brembo (aftermarket) and a couple of others but its a short list. There were many really good brands that had great quality and were OE on many US cars that are nothing more than a bought out name now and scrap metal.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Advics and EBC is good stuff I do use them also on Japanese if I happen to work on one, most of the time I use Zimmerman, EBC, ATE or OE on the cars I normally work on.
Some of the lower end aftermarket I have been satisfied with are Pagid, Brembo (aftermarket) and a couple of others but its a short list. There were many really good brands that had great quality and were OE on many US cars that are nothing more than a bought out name now and scrap metal.


EBC's friction pads have a history of falling off the back plate and is generally seen as low end that pays more to market to the track guys than R&D. Pagids are definitely not low-end (unless they out-source their "cheap" pads like Brembo does with their cheap pads but I don't know if Pagid does that.)
 
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I used all Centric parts when I did rear drums/shoes and all the hardware in my Sienna last year before I got rid of it. They worked ok.

Sometimes the parking brake got a little sticky and one of the rear shoes rub's the drum making a creaking noise until I stop and cycle the parking brake a few times. Usually if the van has been sitting for more than a few weeks. Only "issue" I've had. I suspect it's because one of the replacement levers that pivots out to push the shoe out for the parking brake was a little tight when installing it. I should have modified it to fit more lose. oh well, ex-wife that has it now hasn't complained.
 
Throughout decades of my driving life, at least for the cars I owned and operated, I have not found that the OEM rotors and pads are superior than good after-market brands, albeit there are many not-so-good after-market brands out there. if you don't mind the cost, buy OEM, which is just middle of the road quality.
 
Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by Trav
Advics and EBC is good stuff I do use them also on Japanese if I happen to work on one, most of the time I use Zimmerman, EBC, ATE or OE on the cars I normally work on.
Some of the lower end aftermarket I have been satisfied with are Pagid, Brembo (aftermarket) and a couple of others but its a short list. There were many really good brands that had great quality and were OE on many US cars that are nothing more than a bought out name now and scrap metal.


EBC's friction pads have a history of falling off the back plate and is generally seen as low end that pays more to market to the track guys than R&D. Pagids are definitely not low-end (unless they out-source their "cheap" pads like Brembo does with their cheap pads but I don't know if Pagid does that.)

Pagid are made in China now for a lot of the applications and I never had any problems with EBC rotors.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by Trav
Advics and EBC is good stuff I do use them also on Japanese if I happen to work on one, most of the time I use Zimmerman, EBC, ATE or OE on the cars I normally work on.
Some of the lower end aftermarket I have been satisfied with are Pagid, Brembo (aftermarket) and a couple of others but its a short list. There were many really good brands that had great quality and were OE on many US cars that are nothing more than a bought out name now and scrap metal.


EBC's friction pads have a history of falling off the back plate and is generally seen as low end that pays more to market to the track guys than R&D. Pagids are definitely not low-end (unless they out-source their "cheap" pads like Brembo does with their cheap pads but I don't know if Pagid does that.)

Pagid are made in China now for a lot of the applications and I never had any problems with EBC rotors.


I can see Pagid doing that, and leaving their motorsport pads manufacturing in Europe.
 
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