Brake Drum/disk Resurfacing

[NRX]

My car's rear left side drum has few uneven wear marks that was probably caused by sand getting inside the drum. The mechanic suggests resurfacing the drum and replacing the brake shoes,

After resurfacing a drum a thin layer of metal is removed, right ?, won't it cause the brake power to be lower ? and to mismatch with the other drum?

[The Don]

My car's rear left side drum has few uneven wear marks that was probably caused by sand getting inside the drum. The mechanic suggests resurfacing the drum and replacing the brake shoes,

After resurfacing a drum a thin layer of metal is removed, right ?, won't it cause the brake power to be lower ? and to mismatch with the other drum?

Well a small amount of resurfacing should not cause issues with break power or brake balance. Modern cars have self adjusting brake shoes at the back so they will adjust to suite the newly resurfaced drum. If you don't resurface the chances are your new brake shoes will wear a lot faster and you might have uneven braking. But resurfacing should be done with car and within tolerances. Take off too much and you will have the problems you mentioned as the auto adjust mechanism only works within certain tolerances (if the surface of the drum is too far away as a result of wear or excessive resurfacing it can't adjust to ensure good braking).

[varunatech]

Well a small amount of resurfacing should not cause issues with break power or brake balance. Modern cars have self adjusting brake shoes at the back so they will adjust to suite the newly resurfaced drum. If you don't resurface the chances are your new brake shoes will wear a lot faster and you might have uneven braking. But resurfacing should be done with car and within tolerances. Take off too much and you will have the problems you mentioned as the auto adjust mechanism only works within certain tolerances (if the surface of the drum is too far away as a result of wear or excessive resurfacing it can't adjust to ensure good braking).

Don is spot on, also inside the drum there is a notation indicating the maximum allowable diameter. So you can get a clue how much you have left with. Use a quality measuring tape to measure and also get this done from a reputed place.

[NRX]

Don is spot on, also inside the drum there is a notation indicating the maximum allowable diameter. So you can get a clue how much you have left with. Use a quality measuring tape to measure and also get this done from a reputed place.

Well a small amount of resurfacing should not cause issues with break power or brake balance. Modern cars have self adjusting brake shoes at the back so they will adjust to suite the newly resurfaced drum. If you don't resurface the chances are your new brake shoes will wear a lot faster and you might have uneven braking. But resurfacing should be done with car and within tolerances. Take off too much and you will have the problems you mentioned as the auto adjust mechanism only works within certain tolerances (if the surface of the drum is too far away as a result of wear or excessive resurfacing it can't adjust to ensure good braking).

Thanks Mr Don and Varunatech

SO resurfacing only one drum won't affect the brake balance right? great! BTW, What are the generally accepted high quality brake shoes/pads makes ? is FBL a good brand ?

BTW, can I get these type of resurfacing done at a normal lathe shop ?

Edited January 19, 2012 by NRX

[The Don]

Thanks Mr Don and Varunatech

SO resurfacing only one drum won't affect the brake balance right? great! BTW, What are the generally accepted high quality brake shoes/pads makes ? is FBL a good brand ?

BTW, can I get these type of resurfacing done at a normal lathe shop ?

I think the brand is FBK isn't it? If you find genuine goods then that is a good brand. You can get it done at a normal lathe shop. Resurfacing does not require sophisticated equipment but it does require care and attention to detail!

[NRX]

Yeah, FBK is a well known brand, I recently got to know that FBL is a japanese high quality brand

[fonfe]

you will have no problems with brake imbalance providing the shoes are adjusted correctly on both sides when the drum is put back on

for the sake of it, as your putting new shoes on both sides you may aswell have both drums skimmed as it will take the lip off the non scored drum.

if you were having discs done then BOTH discs must always be done. not such a big deal with drums if they are on the rear of your car and provide very little braking force but it is good workshop practice to have them both done.

[NRX]

you will have no problems with brake imbalance providing the shoes are adjusted correctly on both sides when the drum is put back on

for the sake of it, as your putting new shoes on both sides you may aswell have both drums skimmed as it will take the lip off the non scored drum.

if you were having discs done then BOTH discs must always be done. not such a big deal with drums if they are on the rear of your car and provide very little braking force but it is good workshop practice to have them both done.

Thanks machan, BTW my car tends to have lower hand brake power when it's parked the rear end facing downhill, but has adequate power when the car front is facing downhill, any explanation for this issue ?