Tech Tip - Brake Drum Wear

Category: BLOG

Published: Monday, 19 January 2026 20:53

We frequently remove brake drums to find the brake shoes have wear grooves in them like in this image. This is caused by grooves in the metal brake drum friction surface wearing into the brake shoes, mirroring the drum wear pattern. 

This issue causes reduced braking effort as the contact area of the brake shoe lining is reduced and this increases stopping distances as well as causing vibrations and increasing the wear of the brake shoes friction lining. 

We always check the brake drum lining when replacing brake shoes and if the drum has scoring or grooves, we will either skim the brake drum smooth or if the grooving is minimal or replace the drum if the grooves are deep.