The Ford Racing Brake Drum is a component used among drum brakes, in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads pressed against the inner surface of the rotating drum, which is in turn connected to a rotating wheel. The drum brakes allow simple incorporation of parking brakes. They are often applied to the rear wheels since most of the stopping happens in front of the vehicle and therefore the heat generated in the rear is significantly less. Drum brakes are also occasionally fitted as parking and emergency brakes even when the rear wheels employ disc brakes as the main brakes.

In this situation, a small drum is usually fitted within or as part of the brake disc. The regular drum brakes work on the same principle as disc brakes: shoes pressed against a spinning surface. And in this system, that surface is called the drum. Many vehicles today have drum brakes on the rear wheels and disc brakes on the front.

Drum brakes have more parts than disc brakes and are harder to service, but the parts are less expensive to manufacture and they easily incorporate an emergency brake mechanism. Like the disc brake, the drum brake has two brake shoes and a piston. But the Ford Racing Drum Brake has an adjuster mechanism, an emergency brake mechanism and lots of springs. By having all of these components, this is sure to work at performance level. And for any drum brake system, you will need the brake drum, and the Ford Racing Brake Drum will give you the braking performance that you need. The most common issue that you will encounter with regards to the drum brakes is the need to change the brake shoes. Some drum brakes will provide an inspection hole on the back side where you can see how much material is left on the shoe. Brake shoes should be replaced when friction materials have worn down to within 1/32 inch of the rivets.