Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi everyone,

I pulled the drum off one side oft he lux today to clean it up and check if the wheel cylinder was leaking, as the brakes dont seem to be too great on the lux.

When I finally got the drum off, the drum and shoes both have groves in them. Looks as though the person who last changed the shoes just whacked a set of new shoes in because it still has plenty of meat. With the grooving, would it contribute to poor stopping?

Is there any point getting them machined these days or is it just as easy to fit some new ones on?

You should get the drums machined. Doesn't cost much and they are most likely out of round and also you'll know whether they've worn too thin.

What do you mean by grooving anyway?

Do the shoes sit close enough to the drums? May just need adjusting up if the braking performance isnt' great.

Theres groves inside the drum surface where it contacts with the brake shoes. The shoes have the groves worn into them too, so either way Im up for new shoes I guess.

I was just going to replace the drums as well.

Price up a par of new drums, you might find they are cheap enough to make it a no brainer. Otherwise get yours machined as long as yours are not on or over max diameter. This should be stamped on the drum, otherwise you'll have to look it up in a brake catalogue.

But to answer your question, yes grooved shoes/drums will decrease braking efficiency due to a reduced surface area for friction. Basically your shoe material is only really engaging the high sides of the grooves.

If you have plenty of shoe material and the grooves are not too deep, you can always give them a good rub with course emery tape to get them smooth again. Try and use a long piece of emery tape and do it evenly like an old school shoe polisher.