Improving Drum Brakes

ep · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:11 pm Post subject: Improving Drum Brakes

My CL350K4 has drums front and back. They work OK, but nowhere near what I'm used to with disk systems.

Any tips to improving their stopping abilities?

I've changed the shoes and cleaned the inside surface of the drums--actually made things a little worse!

Any help appreciated--thanks.

hondacustom · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject:

change your forks over to a disc system

drum brakes front and rear , didnt do much for braking ability

archangel · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:47 pm Post subject: Brakes

Less stopping power ! That is expected
The drums are smother when cleaned and new brake shoes take a while to break in
all I can say is to break them in slowly.
if you brake too hard to soon after puting the brakes on they will glaze over
and never will stop very well after that.
You need to avoid stopping to hard for at least a few days to give the pads time to bake in
only other thing you can do is adjust the brakes as best as you can to maximize the mechanics of the brakes or change the leverage of the linkage if that is even possible.

Short of what the above post said , and break down and put on disc brakes in front.
Facts are facts and drum brakes suck! that is why they made disc brakes.
Good luck maximizing.

BlueThunder · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: Re: Improving Drum Brakes

jayel · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:50 am Post subject:

some of the old road racing drum brakes were almost as large as the rim and used multiple shoes, and the linings (race compounds) could be changed to improve braking but without spending a lot of money improving a old design there's not much you can do but change the front fork to disc setup or slow down

ep · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:07 am Post subject:

Hummm...didn't know about the glazing issue. I may have applied too much pressure early on and glazed 'em--not sure.

I worked a bit trying to get better leverage out of the mechanism, but it barely made any difference.

One interesting observation: I rode home in the rain the other day and it felt as if moisture had somehow increased friction in the drums--is that possible?

hondacustom · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:12 am Post subject:

it is possible . water can lock up a braking system by adhesion