Brake Shoes

A worn or damaged brake shoe is a safety risk to yourself and other road users, and should be replaced every 50,000 miles. The job of the brake shoe is to produce the friction needed to slow and stop the car. It consists of a curved surface of steel covered on one side with an abrasive lining material. Brake shoes are to drum brakes what brake pads are to disc brakes. Disc brake systems can cope with higher temperatures than drum brake systems, but brake shoes are cheaper than brake pads. While brake pads can be bought with a choice of friction materials to suit different driving habits, brake shoes use a generic material and will perish more quickly if you are prone to excessive or hard braking. It’s advisable to replace your brake shoes in sets to ensure even wear.

A brake shoe is the part of a braking system which carries the brake lining in the drum brakes used on vehicles.

Brake shoes are used in drum brake systems, with the lined shoe pressing against the inside of the drum to stop it moving. The drum is attached to the wheel, making it a pretty clever way of getting the car to stop. Brakes are something which can't be neglected - they're by far the least painful way of stopping from speed, so you need to make sure they're kept in good working order. We're here to help make the process of getting replacement parts easy, with a wide choice of brake shoes and drum brakes for a wide selection of car makes and models.

If your car has brake drums (usually older cars have drums at the rear), it will have brake shoes which are situated inside the drum. The brake shoes will press against the inside of the drums when braking, causing friction and eventually slowing the car down.

When the hand brake does not work properly. When there is a squeaking noise coming from a corner of the car (provided that wheel has a drum brake.

When the car pulls to the right or left under braking.
When the car becomes unstable under braking.
When the 'brake warning' light is on.
Service Engine Light.

Over time, the brake shoes can wear out due to the friction that it has to endure each time you brake. Brake shoes can wear to such an extent that the rivets holding the friction plate to the rest of the shoe can get exposed. Each time you brake in this scenario the rivets can potentially score the contact surface inside the drum. Thus, damaging the brake drum as well, which in that case would have to be replaced too to ensure effective braking. Servicing the brake shoes is therefore key to ensure a long lifespan for the brakes. Always service the brakes as and when stipulated in the guidelines set out by your car's manufacturer. In cases that the brake shoes are damaged or have worn out prematurely it is important you have the shoes (and the brake drums) inspected and, if necessary, replaced as soon as possible.

The main difference between the two different types of brake pads and shoes is their position in the vehicle. The brake shoes are designed to fit inside your drum-style brakes, while brake shoes are placed on top of disk brakes, and serve to pressurize these discs when you apply the brakes.

When using drum brakes, you need to have a rear or four-wheel drive if you have front wheel drive cars, then you'll typically need to have brake pads disc than shoes. If you have drum brakes then you can't use brake pads, nor can you use brake shoes with disc brakes.

All the pads I've ever bought are sold in sets four pads or shoes for front or rear. Brake pads are not sold in pairs they are sold in sets of 4 pads enough to do 1 axle. Disc (and drums) are sold per each as it may not be necessary to replace both.

When the brake is applied, the shoe moves and presses the lining against the inside of the drum. The friction between lining and drum provides the braking effort. Energy is dissipated as heat. Modern cars have disc brakes all round, or discs at the front and drums at the rear.

Sometimes, the worst part of getting your car fixed is having to bring it to the garage. We are therefore happy to offer our customers a free collection and delivery service If you prearrange a collection, we will pick your car up from your home or place of work and drive it to our premises, carry out all the necessary work (having consulted you) and deliver it back to you at the end of the day.

We are able to tow, jump start or repair your vehicle if you are experiencing problems or broken down for a small fee. If we can't sadly start your vehicle, we can contact a local recovery firm to collect your vehicle for a very competitive price.

Don't want to waste your day off?
You don't have the time to take your car in for a service or repairs?
Have you got problems with getting to and from the garage?

Here at Car Services in Reading, we believe that we offer a valuable product with our Free Collection and Delivery Service, we can collect either from your place of work or from your home address. If you are unsure about whether the address you are considering having your vehicle collected from is not within our range, then please do contact us.

Car Services in Reading operate a fleet of pool cars with a dedicated driver, so wherever we are collecting from, we need to be able to leave one of our pool vehicles either in your work car park / parking space, or if in a residential area, we would need to be able to leave our car either at your house or on the road with a permit if required. We would be grateful if you could bear this in mind when booking to use our free Collection and delivery service