IMI has introduced Equal Flexx, a wheel balancing product the company says removes 10 to 15 percent of vibration from a wheel end, increases tire mileage by up to 45 percent and delivers a 2.5 percent improvement in fuel economy.
“Equal Flexx reduces fuel and tire costs by removing vibration from the wheel-end. This optimizes the efficiency of the entire rotating assembly,” says Bob Fogal, CEO of IMI. “The benefits of all wheel position balancing have been validated by fleets across the country.”
IMI says wheel-end vibration is wasted energy, causing wasted fuel. By eliminating wheel-end vibration, Equal Flex significantly reduces tire-related rolling resistance when compared to no balancing method and other balancing methods. By reducing wheel-end vibration and solidifying a tire’s footprint, Equal Flexx also can significantly increase tire take off mileage. This reduces irregular tire wear and creates less wear on the tire, the truck/trailer, and the driver, the company says.
“IMI realized other balancing methods all have a hardness factor that prevents vibration reduction,” says Steve Ludwig, senior product development Engineer at IMI. “After testing over 50 materials, we found the best solution in a combination of soft materials, with the ability to eliminate twice the amount of vibration compared to Equal.”
Like Equal, the new Equal Flexx is installed by dropping a pouch into a tire during the mounting process. IMI says the pouch breaks open, allowing the balancing compound to disperse and continuously adjust to changes including tire wear, vehicle load, and road conditions.
IMI says Equal Flexx is patent pending and will be available in April.
