Front and Rear Brakes: Difference, Types, and More

Brakes slow or stop your car on demand. All vehicles have brakes equipped on both their front and rear wheels to achieve the best braking performance. While both types work together to decelerate your ride, front brakes and rear brakes handle different aspects of the braking process.

Read on to better understand the differences between the front and rear brakes and how they complement each other.

Disc Brakes and Drum Brakes

Before going over the difference between front and rear brakes, it’s a good idea to get the lowdown on the two common types of brake systems: the drum brake and the disc brake.

Drum Brake

The drum brake gets its name from the drum that holds all of the brake components. Inside this brake drum, wheel cylinders press brake shoes against the inside of the drum. This slows the wheel’s rotation and stops the vehicle.

Drum brakes are the earlier brake design. Some vehicles still have drum brakes in the rear, but it has been several decades since drum brakes have been used at all four corners.

Disc Brake

Disc brakes are the most common brake type. While they are smaller and weigh less than drum brakes, they deliver better braking performance and are easier to install.

Instead of a bulky drum, a disc brake uses a thin brake rotor, which is also called a brake disc. Stepping on the brake pedal will make the brake calipers press the brake pads against the rotor’s surface. The contact between the brake pads and the smooth surface of the brake rotor produces friction that decelerates the wheel.

Disc brakes have two different types of caliper: the floating caliper and the fixed caliper. They perform the same job.

Most modern vehicle models have disc brakes on all four wheels, though there are some that still have disc brakes for the front wheels and drum brakes for the rear wheels.

Now, on to determining the differences between front brakes and rear brakes.

Front Brakes

All modern vehicles have disc brakes in the front. The front brakes provide the majority of the stopping power (up to 75%) during normal braking. Having this bias in stopping power aids with weight transfer, helping the driver to maintain control of the vehicle.

When compared to the rear brakes, the front brakes typically have:

• Higher hydraulic pressure
• Larger brake friction surface area
• Ventilated brake rotors for more efficient heat dissipation

The position of the front brakes lets the vehicle’s aerodynamic features channel air over them, which can help cool the brakes while engaged.

Check out these tutorial videos in case you need to replace your front brakes:

Rear Brakes

Some vehicles have disc brakes in the rear while others use drums. The rear brakes do not provide as much stopping power as the fronts during normal braking. Still, the rear brakes are important for many reasons, including the fact that they house parts of the emergency brake system (also known as the parking brake system).

When compared to the front brakes, the rear brakes typically have:

• Lower hydraulic pressure that produces enough clamping force to stop the rear wheels without exceeding the force generated by the front brakes
• Reduced friction brake  surface when rotors are used
• Smaller braking components when rotors are used

Here’s a tutorial video in case you need to replace your rear brakes:

Front Brakes vs. Rear Brakes

While both front and rear brakes stop the vehicle, they operate in different conditions and meet different requirements. This doesn’t mean one is more important than the other. After all, they specialize in certain aspects and cover the other brake’s weaknesses.

Distribution of Braking Force

When the brakes are engaged, a car’s center of gravity shifts in the direction it’s going. If it goes forward, it puts more weight and force on the front wheels. This gives more traction to the front tires, so they will need more powerful brakes to stop them. Note that most vehicles have their engines in the front, which makes their front end heavier than their rear.

Depending on the vehicle’s weight distribution, the front brakes can handle as much as 75% of the total force produced while slowing or stopping the vehicle. To meet such a heavy braking force, the front of the vehicle usually has lightweight disc brakes that produce lots of braking power.

Distribution of Heat

Brakes rely on friction between brake shoes/pads and brake drums/rotors/discs to decelerate wheels. The higher the friction, the better the braking force—and the hotter the brakes get.

Because the front brakes handle most of the braking force, they produce more heat than the rear brakes. They can exceed 500°F when you hit the brake pedal hard.

Front brakes need to quickly vent that heat to avoid problems like brake fading, which is a sudden loss of stopping power. Most front brakes use disc brakes, which deliver more braking power and get rid of heat more efficiently.

Stability

In addition to slowing or stopping the wheels, the brakes also keep the vehicle stable and prevent the wheels from locking up.

Rear brakes play a much larger role in stabilizing the vehicle compared to front brakes. They are usually limited to 40% of the braking bias, otherwise, they could lock up.

Parking Brake

The parking brake (also known as the handbrake or emergency brake) keeps your vehicle stationary when parked. The parking brake can also be used to help slow the vehicle in the event that the primary brake system fails.

The Bottom Line

Front brakes and rear brakes are on the same team but handle different jobs. The front brakes focus on slowing the vehicle, while the rear-mounted counterparts keep the machine stable. So if a brake in the front or the rear develops a problem, the other brakes cannot compensate for it.

If you see warning signs of a bad brake on either the front or rear , fix or replace the faulty part immediately. There are many aftermarket front brakes and rear brakes that offer OE-grade stopping performance at competitive prices.

Where to Get New Brake Parts for Your Vehicle

Replacing worn-out or damaged brake parts should always be a priority. Having a set of high-quality brakes is a must for drivers like you, and we have exactly what you need here at CarParts.com.

From discs and drum brakes to calipers and brake pads, we have everything you need to ensure that your vehicle’s braking performance is in tip-top shape. Choose from only the most trusted aftermarket brands today, and enjoy the perks of having precision-engineered brake parts for your ride.

Enter your vehicle’s year, make, and model into our vehicle selector to start browsing our catalog. You can also use the search filters to shop according to your preferred brand, price range, quantity, and more.

Save big on repairs by shopping for parts online. All our products come with a low-price guarantee to help you get the best value for your money.

CarParts.com understands how important it is for you to get your daily driver back on the road. Shop now, and we’ll deliver the part you need straight to your doorstep in as fast as two business days.

Shop now, and take advantage of our unbeatable deals!