Frequently Asked Questions about Brake Shoes

Frequently Asked Questions about Brake Shoes

 

1. What are brake shoes?

Brake shoes are the part of a drum brake system that press against the drum to slow or stop the vehicle.

2. How do brake shoes work?

When the driver presses the brake pedal, hydraulic pressure forces the shoe against the drum. The friction between the two surfaces slows or stops the vehicle.

3. How often should I replace my brake shoes?

It is typically recommended to replace your brake shoes every 30,000 miles or when they reach 3/32” of wear.

4. What are the consequences of not replacing my brake shoes?

If you do not replace your brake shoes in a timely manner, you may experience reduced braking performance, increased braking noise, and damage to other brake components.

 

How often are Brake Shoes replaced

Brake shoes are an important part of your car's braking system. They are what actually make contact with the brake drum to stop the car. Over time, they will wear down and will need to be replaced. Depending on how often you use your brakes and what kind of driving you do, they may need to be replaced every 30,000 miles or so. If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving or do a lot of downhill braking, you may need to replace them more frequently.

How to choose Brake Shoes

There are a few things you need to consider when purchasing brake shoes. The first is the type of vehicle you have. Passenger vehicles will typically use a different type of brake shoe than a commercial vehicle. The second thing to consider is the size of the brake shoe. This is important because you need to make sure the brake shoe will fit properly onto your vehicle's brakes. The third thing to keep in mind is the material the brake shoe is made from. Brake shoes can be made from either asbestos or non-asbestos material. Asbestos brake shoes are typically more durable but can be more expensive. Non-asbestos brake shoes are less expensive but may not last as long.

How to Care for Brake Shoes

Brake shoes are an essential part of your car's braking system. Over time, they can become worn down and need to be replaced. Here are some tips on how to care for your brake shoes so that they last longer:

1. Inspect your brake shoes regularly for wear. If you notice any cracks or chips, replace them immediately.

2. When replacing your brake shoes, be sure to use ones that are specifically designed for your car model.

3. When driving, avoid sudden stops whenever possible. This will help reduce wear on your brake shoes.

4. If you must drive in stop-and-go traffic, try to rest your foot on the floor rather than keeping it hovering over the brake pedal. This will help reduce wear on the shoes.

If your car has the above situation, remember to replace it at LOZO

Why does the front brake shoe wear faster than the rear brake shoe?

During driving, if the rear wheels lock up before the front wheels, the vehicle will swing its tail, which is very dangerous. In order to avoid this situation, more braking force is applied to the front wheel, so that the braking force of the rear wheel is less than that of the front wheel; In addition, the front disc brake and the rear drum brake are used to reduce the braking force of the rear wheel, that is, the force of the front brake is greater than that of the rear brake. In this way, the front brake shoe is generally worn before the rear brake shoe.

how long do drum brake shoes last

 

How to judge whether the brake shoe needs to be replaced?

The simplest way is to look at the prompt on the instrument panel. When the brake shoe indicator is always on, it is necessary to replace the brake shoe in time.

 

In addition, the brake shoes on both disc and drum brakes must be replaced when the thickness is less than 2mm. We will take whether the brake warning light on the instrument panel is on as the basis for replacing the brake shoes. However, this is not absolute. In some cars, the warning light will light up when the brake shoes have been completely worn. At this time, the metal base of the brake shoes and the brake discs are in the iron grinding state, which is quite dangerous.

 

In the meantime, only one of the front brake shoes with alarm has this function, and other brake shoes have no alarm function. Therefore, it is necessary to check whether all the brake shoes can be used during each service in the factory, and replace the brake shoes close to the end of their service life in advance, rather than just trust the warning light.

how long do drum brake shoes last

 

There are still errors due to the viewing angle, etc. the inner brake shoe is sometimes difficult to see, so it is best to ask the master to help you during each maintenance. Of course, the wheel hubs of some cars are quite special, and the brake shoes may not be visible, so you need to remove the tires or go to the repair shop for inspection.

 

Besides this, most of the common household vehicles use the engine front and front wheel drive mode, which causes the wear of the front wheel brake shoes to be more serious than that of the rear wheels; In addition, at present, the braking mode of many vehicles is the front disc brake and the rear drum brake. The front disc brake is easier to wear the brake shoes than the rear drum brake. Therefore, it is not recommended to replace all four brake shoes when replacing the brake shoes for such vehicles. Generally, when replacing the front brake twice, replace the rear brake once.

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[special reminder]: due to structural limitations, the drum brake cannot be observed directly. It is better to go to the maintenance shop regularly for inspection. In general, the service life of the brake shoe of drum brake is longer than that of the disc brake, but the brake is related to driving safety, so we must not take it lightly.

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It is not reliable to judge whether the brake shoe needs to be replaced by the feeling of stepping on the brake. When the brake is too soft or the braking force is insufficient, there may also be problems in the brake pipeline, which involves many reasons. So it's better to use what you see, and seeing is believing.

 

What kind of brake shoes are replaced?

Poor quality brake shoes will be too hard or too soft, which will cause abnormal wear of the brake disc and make the braking distance longer; If it is too soft, it will wear very fast and even fall off under high temperature, resulting in brake failure. The qualified brake shoes are of reasonable materials, not too soft or too hard, can balance the braking distance, have a long service life, and are of course much safer. In short, the brake shoes must be the products of regular manufacturers. Poor quality brake shoes will not only affect the braking effect, but also cause damage to the brake disc.

how long do drum brake shoes last

 

The tire should be reset after the brake shoes are installed. There are also several points to check:

1. Check the level of the brake fluid, and if necessary, supplement the unused brake fluid to the maximum scale mark.

2. In order to install the brake shoes correctly, in addition to repeatedly braking the vehicle to see the braking effect, it is also necessary to step on the brake with no effort until it is felt that the brake has returned to the ideal state of steadiness.

Finally, the guys who have just replaced the new brake shoes should also pay attention to that the surface of the new brake shoes is flat and needs to be run in with the brake disc for a period of time to achieve the best braking effect, so they should drive cautiously and intensively during this period of time.

 

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