How often do you replace your Rear Drum Brakes

[Hecubus]

For those of you who live up North and get to deal with the Snow and Salt like me, how often do you have to replace your rear brake shoes and hardware?

Maybe it just cheap parts, but the brake springs and hardware look like they already need replace. This will be the second set in 3 years.

I'm having to put pads on every year for inspections.

Anyone else have to deal with this? Do you have any solution to try to get the brakes to last longer?

Help!!!

[CumminsRanger]

my truck has 180,xxx miles and have been changed 3-4 times.

[BlueMan]

What kind of miles, type of driving, and brand of parts are you putting on that you need to replace the rear brakes twice in three years, and new pads each year? Snow & salt really doesn't wear out brakes, just makes them a little more rusty looking, but I always put new hardware kits on when doing a brake job as the springs & cables can become corroded over time.

When you do replace the parts, did you put new wheel cylinders on too? If not, then a sticking wheel cylinder might be prematurely wearing out your shoes.

[Hecubus]

Driving atleast 40 miles a day to/from work. I also live on a dirt road which adds to the issue. When I take the drums off I can scrap dirt off all the parts.

The pads get worn progressively more from the bottom to the top. Both wheel cylinders had been replace when one started leaking. All the springs and other hardware were just what advance auto has. The pads are the more expensive ones.

It just seems that the front pads should wear out before the rear ones. I just wondered if there was something else that I should do.

[fishy2k8]

at 116k miles ive only replaced my once.. with disk brakes instead lol

[Kaz]

i only had to replace my drum brakes on my 98 once, and that was at 100k, my 04 still has the stock set up if im not mistaken, and its at 102.

[Hecubus]

Well damn. Why don't mine hold up like that?

[BlueMan]

Typically the front brakes do about 75% of the stopping, but the dirt road might be what's causing your issues with the extra dirt getting in there and acting like an abrasive. Dirt will also hold moisture & road salt, which can also quicken the effects of rust. One solution might be to do the explorer rear end swap which would give your disk brakes out back too; the disks are more open and would be less likely to hold the dirt in there, besides giving you better stopping power.

[Low-Tec]

do the parking brake cables release all the way?

[Wheat]

besides giving you better stopping power.

Drums have as good or even better stopping power than disks if adjusted right, and no worn out componants.

[matt167]

drums also take less effort to energize due to the mechanical advantage... that's the reason for the proportioning valve... drums real only downfall, is the fact they act slower and they heat up quicker...

as far as how often I change Ford rear drum brake components.. I pulled original shoes off the '67 Falcon I had, when I rebuilt the brakes due to a sticky wheel cylinder... they were good enough, I could have reused them. and the car had 100k miles on it