Know the Symptoms to Detect Bad Brake Drums & Shoes in Your Car

Brake drums and shoes are more commonly found on older vehicles which don’t have a disc brake system to slow the car down.

Generally, the brake drums serve as the brake disc and the brake shoes serve as the brake pads.

The brake drum looks like a bowl-shaped component and it is attached to each wheel.

When the driver steps on the brake pedal, the brake shoe pushes against the brake drum to cause the friction that slows the spinning wheel down.

Because of regular use, both the brake drums and the shoes wear out and the braking system starts to malfunction.

Here are some of the common symptoms shown by your car when the brake drums and shoes go bad. Weak brakes Brake noises Brake pedal vibrations Loose parking brake

Weak brakes

If you step on the brake pedal and it takes longer for the car to slow down or stop, then you may have a problem with your brake drums and shoes.

Although it is possible that other problems in the braking system may exist, the cause usually revolves around these two components.

On the other hand, if you have a modern car with a disc braking system, then the equivalent of this would be faulty discs and pads.

Brake noises

In addition to weak brakes, you will also experience noisy brakes as you step on the brake pedal and this will happen over time as brake drums are not good at absorbing the heat from braking.

This causes heat to build up and put stress on the braking system and when the brake shoes, push against the drums, there will be annoying scrape noises to follow.

Brake pedal vibrations

When the brake drums get too worn out, you will start to feel the vibrations coming from the brake pedal when you put your foot on it.

You may not think it’s a big deal if there are no other symptoms, but once you start having brake performance issues, then you will have no choice but to get your drums and shoes replaced.

Of course, it is better to take brake pedal vibrations as an early warning sign that you need to have your braking system inspected for problems with your drums and shoes.

Loose parking brake

The parking brake depends on the shoes to squeeze firmly against the drum in order to keep the car parked securely.

But if there is an issue with the shoes or the drums, the parking brake is not going to function properly and this will result in the parking brake feeling too loose when you try to use it.

Bottom line

The brake shoes and the drums are not repairable, as such, they need complete replacement whenever there are any issues associated with them.

Always be attentive towards the brakes and at the slightest hint of problems, check the brake drums and shoes to avoid any fatal accidents.