Bendix says it will soon introduce a new three-level aftermarket friction portfolio, expanding its offerings to include friction engineered to meet every customer need for safety, performance, and value.
The three performance levels are Bendix Basic Friction, Bendix Advanced Friction and Bendix OE Friction.
Bendix Basic will be a new line featuring an economy-grade friction designed to meet the market need for a product offering safety and performance at a lower price, and is designed for good wear and consistent performance under normal operating conditions, in low to midrange temperatures.
Bendix Advanced Friction includes the new Bendix Advanced RSD, the industry’s first aftermarket friction certified to maintain compliance with the federal mandate for Reduced Stopping Distance (RSD) and are designed to provide higher torque and perform in higher temperatures with less fade, making it suitable for more demanding applications, higher weights and steeper terrain. Friction at this performance level also demonstrates improved lining and drum wear, lowering the total cost of ownership. Previously, only OE aftermarket friction was certified as RSD compliant.
“We listen carefully to our customers. They made it clear that while they value performance and maintaining RSD compliance, in some cases OE friction can be cost prohibitive,” says BSFB President Eddie Wilkinson. “Two years after the implementation of RSD phase one, many people in the industry are now relining their RSD trucks. Bendix Advanced RSD is a good option for maintaining compliance at a lower cost.”
Bendix OE Friction is the highest performing friction offering, the company says. This series includes solutions designed to exceed the RSD mandate with an extra safety margin and consistently deliver a stopping distance of 225 feet. It is engineered to meet the demands of OE certification and remains the only product certified for trucks above 52,000 lbs. to maintain the RSD compliance performance level.
The new three-level aftermarket friction portfolio and products will be available by the end of the month.
Phase one of the Reduced Stopping Distance mandate took effect in August 2011 for new three-axle tractors with Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings (GVWRs) up to 59,600 lbs. Phase two of the mandate, aimed at tractors with two axles, as well as severe service tractors with GVWRs above 59,600 lbs., took effect Aug. 1, 2013.
The RSD mandate requires most affected tractors to stop within 250 feet. Bendix Advanced RSD performs in the 235-foot range – well within the limit established by the federal mandate.
Bendix Advanced RSD is approved for vehicles with GVWRs up to 52,000 lbs. According to Gary Ganaway, BSFB director of marketing and global customer solutions, approximately 80 percent of RSD-impacted vehicles on the road fall into this weight category.
Ganaway noted the confusion in the market around replacement brake lining performance and RSD compliance, saying that not all replacement friction marketed as acceptable under RSD will actually perform to the standard. For a friction material to be certified RSD compliant, it must not only be dynamometer certified to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 121 standards, it must also pass a more demanding vehicle test.
“Official certification of RSD compliance comes only as part of an OE truck build or approval by a certified third-party vehicle test provider,” he said. “We strongly advise customers to ask for evidence of compliance from their friction supplier when selecting friction for an RSD-equipped vehicle.”
