Why are drum brakes better than disc brakes?

There is a strong opinion among drivers that drum brakes are inefficient and inferior to disc mechanisms. Portal "AutoVzglyad" explains what is the advantage of "drums".

Now, on many modern cars, especially budget ones, they put disc brakes in the front, but drum mechanisms are used in the back. This was the reason for speculation that, they say, this is how manufacturers save on buyers. Indeed, drum brakes are cheaper than disc brakes, but installing them on the rear axle is not about trying to save a budget. Drums have a number of advantages.

Reliability

The design of drum brakes proved to be so simple and well thought out that they have not changed over the past century. Well, simplicity, as you know, is the key to reliability.

Durability

The thickness of the working part of the drum exceeds the disk, and the pads wear out slowly. Therefore, such mechanisms will last much longer.

Efficiency

The closed design due to the increase in the diameter and width of the drum makes it possible to make the friction area large. That is, such mechanisms can develop even more braking force than disk ones. That allows you to effectively upset heavy vehicles, such as pickups, trucks or buses.

Dirt protection

"Drums" are better protected from getting on the working surface of the brakes of water and dirt. Yes, and the components of the mechanism, such as hydraulic cylinders, springs, brake shoes and spacer bars are placed inside. And this means that they also do not fly dirt. This makes drum brakes ideal for heavy duty applications. After all, on the roads on the rear wheels always more dirt flies.

Simplicity of construction

Drum brakes have a simple combination with the parking brake mechanism, which greatly facilitates the repair and maintenance of the car. But to put disc brakes on the rear axle, engineers have to rack their brains. The result is intricate and highly complex brake designs that are expensive to maintain and short-lived.