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How Disc Brakes Work

By: Karim Nice

Emergency Brakes

Disc brake with parking brake

­ ­In cars with disc brakes on all four wheels, an emergency brake has to be actuated by a separate mechanism than the primary brakes in case of a total primary brake failure. Most cars use a cable to actuate the emergency brake.

Some cars with four-wheel disc brakes have a separate drum brake integrated into the hub of the rear wheels. This drum brake is only for the emergency brake system, and it is actuated only by the cable; it has no hydraulics.

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Other cars have a lever that turns a screw, or actuates a cam, which presses the piston of the disc brake.