Trouble with rear brake drums (can't get drum back on after changing brake shoes)

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Originally Posted by Cobrajet

Raybestos shoes fit fine when I did mine, other than the hole for the parking brake lever being a few thousandths too small.

https://i.imgur.com/Aa0ZCIM.jpg

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I had difficulty with Raybestos pads for the front discs brakes that I bought from Rock Auto - they didn't fit and I had to modify them also. I ordered the Bosch shoes from Rock Auto. For some reason Rock Auto isn't listing the Raybestos shoes in their results any longer. They are available there when searching for them by part number.

Yeah, I noticed that you used the Raybestos shoes, Cobrajet. I should have ordered those. I did get my money back from Rock Auto for the Bosch shoes though after the first time I tried to install them did not go well - I didn't have to send them back. I also ordered the Wagner shoes which I didn't even try to install. The lining thickness was uneven from the front to the back on each shoe so I sent them back to Rock Auto for a refund. Quality from Chinese suppliers is hit or miss. The Chinese manufacturers license the name brand so that they can sell them in the U.S.

Hello thx1138guy and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your findings on brakes.

Also I hope you find the forum helpful. You'll have to tell us how you got your Mirage.

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Originally Posted by Eggman

Hello thx1138guy and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your findings on brakes.

Also I hope you find the forum helpful. You'll have to tell us how you got your Mirage.

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Hi Eggman,

I have been lurking on the forum for a few years. It has been very helpful when I need specific knowledge. The how to post by Cobrajet was my starting point for working on the rear brakes for the 2014/2015. I have done drum brakes on many cars - the Mirage is weird and unique - wheel bearing inside the drum???? Dumb!!!! Other than the ill fitting aftermarket shoes, disassembly/reassembly was easy. I owned all of the tools I required already. There was probably 10K miles of life left on the forward facing shoes. But considering what Cobrajet went through with his rear brakes, the parts cost to replace the shoes was minimal (other than the aggravation). There are not many cars you can get brake parts for less than $30 shipped. So better to do the replacement sooner than later.

I bought the 2015 Mirage DE CVT from Hertz Car Sales on Black Friday 2016. They had a great sale. Hertz had purchased many 2015 Mirages which they sold off in 2016. The one I bought was 20 months old with 24K miles on it. It now has 65K miles. It's my daughter's car which I bought for her when she was a high school senior. I paid $7000 cash for it out the door as I recall maybe a little less. Other than basic maintenance it has been a great car - it has never stranded her. Easy to work on because it's so small and light. I do most of the repairs on the cars I've owned the past 40 years. The Mirage replaced a 2005 Prius that had 256K miles on it that she had been driving. I unloaded the Prius because I didn't want to put a new or rebuilt HV battery pack in it. The Mirage was the right move.

OEM brake shoes for a Mirage are a little pricey but they aren't completely crazy for being Mitsubishi parts.

These prices are from the Mitsubishi Parts Warehouse.

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Indeed Top Fuel, I shopped for the OEM Mitsubishi shoes before buying the aftermarket ones. The total cost with shipping for the OEM shoes was about $55. I could have bought the Raybestos shoes from Amazon for $14.46 with Prime shipping. I make a game of buying parts at the lowest price. I have found that this is not the best strategy with Mirage brake pads and shoes though. I also make an effort to avoid buying everything at Amazon. Jeff Bezos is rich enough already.

I find the raybestos element brake pads pretty hit and miss as far as fitment goes. I tried 2 sets of pads, same part number but the boxes had a different design. One fit great the other not so much. It's like the dies(or whatever they use) at the factoria are ward out or out of whack by a blonde one.

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Originally Posted by Fummins

I find the raybestos element brake pads pretty hit and miss as far as fitment goes.

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I will spend the extra $30 for OEM brake shoes when I need them. The few dollars I save will be long forgotten if I have to bust out a grinder to make them fit.

I went thru hell at my brake shop getting completely new rear drums and shoes. The owner ended up having to go to a Mitsubishi dealership and measure them out because the first 2 aftermarket they tried didnt fit. They quoted me $350 for the job and honorable stuck by that price even after having to spend $700 on OEM replacements. I dont know what kind of driving the original owner of my car was doing to warrant myself having to replace both rear drums systems at only 50k miles?!? Rest assured, this will be the last time I replace the full drums and not just the shoes, as the owner told me they're good for 80 to 100k miles depending on braking style and that the front pads do the fast majority of the braking.

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Originally Posted by Fummins

out of whack by a blonde one.

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It took me a moment or three to figure this out. In the military we called this a BCH or if it was
really thin a RCH. Don't ask me what these abbreviations are as there are undoubtedly
many women on this forum I don't want to offend.

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Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler

...I don't know what kind of driving the original owner of my car was doing to warrant having to replace both rear drums at only 50k miles?!?

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Lots of city driving, stop-n-go, deliveries, etc.

Just pull your drums off every 20K miles and take a look at the brake shoes. If you replace the shoes before they wear down to nothing, the drums may last the life of the car.

If you wait until grinding noises are coming from the rear brakes, you are asking for trouble. :D