All You Need To Know About Front Disc Brake Conversion
You may have noticed that disc brake conversions have become extremely popular today. Most mechanics, car owners, and automobile enthusiasts openly tout these conversions as one of the best upgrades, and for a good reason. This article introduces you to disc brake conversions and their benefits.
Why Convert From Drum Brakes to Disc Brakes?
If your car has drum brakes, you may be wondering if a conversion is necessary. Consider this: drum brakes have several drawbacks. First, they get wet during the rainy season and are not the best at draining off water. This quality makes them poor performers in wet weather. Furthermore, standard drum brakes contain plain steel. Since steel is primarily made up of iron, it's highly susceptible to rust. And when the rust on your drum brakes aggregates, it eats its way into components like the brake adjuster and brakes pads, which eventually causes a malfunction. Besides, drum brakes are hard to inspect. In fact, during an inspection, you must jack up the car and remove the wheel in context. That is why most car owners avoid checking drum brakes and often only notice they have a problem when they fail. You can bid bye to all these drawbacks by simply converting to disc brakes.
What Are the Benefits of Using Disc Brakes?
Converting to disc brakes offers you numerous benefits, including:
Smoother braking
Disc brakes use calipers that fit onto each respective wheel. Calipers help your vehicle reduce speed or come to a stop by squeezing the fitted brake pads against the rotors. And since calipers tend to self-adjust, they facilitate smoother braking by preventing unequal braking in wheels. Smooth braking is essential, especially in heavy-duty vehicles that are difficult to stop instantly in an urgent situation.
Easier maintenance
A disk braking system has four main parts: calipers, rotors, brake pads, and hardware such as pins. Other alternatives, including the drum braking system, have more parts. Therefore, by converting to disc brakes, maintenance becomes more straightforward. Besides, you can remove the caliper in a disk braking system for cleaning and maintenance without removing the hub or rotor. And if it's the rotors that need maintenance, you can remove them without removing the wheel hubs.
More stopping power in wet weather
Drum brakes can be faulty in wet weather. In this weather, water can be trapped on the drum's inside and eventually get between the brake pads. That, in turn, compromises your vehicle's braking ability. On the other hand, when a disc braking system gets wet, no water is trapped. Instead, it quickly falls off the braking system.
Ready for a Front Disk Brake Conversion?
Front disc brake conversion requires a special kit known as a front disc brake conversion kit. It comes with items like rotors, brake calipers, spindles and spindle nuts, brake discs, and mounting brackets. If you plan to handle the conversion yourself, ensure you buy the correct parts for your car. In addition, look for a vendor with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) auto parts.
