making everyday smoother Increased comfort Better driveability More safety

Transcription

1 Suspension systems making everyday smoother Increased comfort Better driveability More safety

2 Enhanced full air suspension systems on GINAF X2222 trucks Because of nagging problems with the existing air suspension system in GINAF X2222 trucks over the last few years at Le Dakar, the teams realised it was time to find a solution. It wasn t long before one of the teams contacted VB-Airsuspension to see if the Varsseveld-based company could do something about the existing air suspension. VB wouldn t be VB if it wasn t able to find a suitable solution. VB-Airsuspension adapted and enhanced the existing air suspension system especially to cope with the challenges of Le Dakar. For instance, the position of the bellows was changed, a new air filter was added and the VB-ASCU control unit developed by VB-Airsuspension was installed. Thanks to the successful performance of the system during the Silk Way Rally in Russia in August 2012, all GINAF trucks - including those of other teams - are now equipped with the new VB-Airsuspension system. Tested by Le Dakar 2013 Everything is under control with the suspension systems of VB-Airsuspension The air suspension systems developed by VB-Airsuspension have withstood the challenges presented by every stage of Le Dakar without any problems. And all teams are very satisfied with the result! VB-Airsuspension and Le Dakar You are bound to have heard about VB s participation in Le Dakar, the toughest rally in the world. But just in case it passed you by, click on and take a look through this Tested by Le Dakar brochure. By participating in Le Dakar 2013, VB-Airsuspension s main aim was to demonstrate the outstanding quality of VB-Airsuspension s products by showing that they are a match for even the most demanding of environments. And we are delighted to announce that we achieved our aim! Various vehicles at Le Dakar 2013 were equipped with (air) suspension systems supplied by VB-Airsuspension, for instance the GINAF trucks of Mammoet Rallysport, Rally Team Smink, ItalTrans and Racing for Holland, the Volkswagen Amarok and Toyota Land Cruiser of the Dakar Press Team, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter of the HSF Logistics Henstek Rally Team and the Dodge Ram of the Maxxis Dakar Team Powered by SuperB. Martin van den Brink explains: VB-Airsuspension has improved our truck immensely. Comfort is not really important as far as I m concerned: when the truck jumps you want to jump with it. You want to be able to drive fast and have everything stay in one piece - that s all! The work done by the VB guys was excellent, and both our mechanics and I are very pleased with it. None of the components VB is responsible for have broken. The truck drives much more reliably and yes: we are still jumping! Just take a look at the photo.

3 Jos Smink explains: After the Silk Way Rally in Russia, Martin van de Brink came to me with an enthusiastic story about the VB-Airsuspension system. We do a great deal together with Team Mammoet and Team Smink, so I was keen to give it a try. There wasn t much opportunity to test the system out, so we did have some reservations. But now, we re delighted we took the plunge! The truck drives much better, we don t get so tired, and above all: everything stays in one piece. Other years, the bumps and bruises from the suspension kept us tossing and turning every night. Now, we don t suffer at all. They re grand lads one and all, including the VB guys. They really are 100% behind their product. Jan Lammers explains: With my Wuf van Ginkel (Team Manager at Ginaf Service) explains: : After using a standard hydraulic suspension system for many years, the frequent problems being reported by our customers forced us to switch to an alternative system in Air suspension seemed to be the solution. Unfortunately, our own air suspension system came with a number of undesirable side effects. The biggest problems were drift, tilting of the vehicle and collapse whenever we used the tyre deflation system. I was with Martin van de Brink during the Silk Way Rally and was able to observe the VB-Airsuspension system in action from close range. The guys from VB set to work with the test results from Russia and came up with some creative solutions. Much has changed following the Silk Way Rally, even with the fact that the first VB adjustments had already resolved the problems of tilting and collapse. If I am honest, I was not immediately convinced by all the adjustments made for the Dakar, but I have to be honest: it doesn t just work, it works really well! The trucks used by Jan Lammers and Claudio Belina (Ital-Trans) are the ones we hire out. So, we needed to be sure of a return on our investment. Since fitting the VB-Airsuspension system on these trucks, we are experiencing noticeably fewer problems. We are not sure exactly why yet, but that s the reality nonetheless. Every single truck finished the race too, for the first time in many years. Our customers are extremely satisfied, which means that we are too. We are continuing our partnership with VB-Airsuspension. Partners like these will play a very important role in the development of our new Dakar race truck. race and skid school experience, I am probably the best one to talk about suspension. One word will suffice: fantastic! More comfort, improved stability, more accurate steering and, above all, no more drift. And all that with a truck that weighs over 10 tonnes. We all know that when things are going well, you drive faster, and that s when it can all go wrong in the Dakar! So, we had our moments, but the suspension absorbed the impacts excellently. It was somewhat different other years, when you would emerge from the truck a wreck as a result of the impacts. Now, that is more or less a thing of the past. I am delighted with the suspension system and would like to wish the guys from VB every success with the further commercialisation of their products.

4 Enhanced air suspension on the Toyota Land Cruiser The Dakar Press Team s second vehicle which also joined the Dakar convoy was a Toyota Land Cruiser. This vehicle had already been fitted with an air suspension system supplied by a different company, but just as with the GINAF truck teams, this team wasn t happy with their system. Problems kept cropping up with the system. The front axle air bellows regularly snapped or the system leaked. So one Volkswagen Amarok with VB-FullAir 2C Special Dakar Edition thing was for sure - you wouldn t have a stable and comfortable ride. We even considered going back to steel I have to say, I don t understand how it all works! The VB VB-Airsuspension developed a The system is outstanding. We didn t break down in any of the springs, added Leon Jansen. people from Varsseveld install their equipment and do their brand new VB-FullAir 2C system stages despite the very rugged terrain. We didn t even have any thing and then it works, the vehicle drives fantastically and I especially for Le Dakar for the problems with the suspension! And another benefit is that it was Things clearly had to change. VB-Airsuspension made no longer have to tinker around with it. I may be the mechanic Volkswagen Amarok. This set was really comfortable to drive. After driving 10,000 km, I m far less significant adjustments to the Toyota Land Cruiser s existing for the Dakar Press Team, but my main reason for going to Le installed in the VB -blue rally vehicle sponsored by tired than I used to be after Le Dakar! We set off with a lot of air suspension: A VB-ASCU (Air Suspension Control Unit) Dakar is to take amazing photos. So as you can imagine, I m VB-Airsuspension which was used as a press vehicle for the weight, too much in fact, but thanks to this new air suspension, was installed on the vehicle and different bellows were delighted that VB-Airsuspension s Dakar Press Team (DPT). a comfortable, relaxing and stable ride was assured, explained mounted on the front axle. These various changes resulted in products work, explained Dirk Leon Jansen (team captain and also driver of the Volkswagen enhanced comfort, stable driving and NO problems. van der Veen, driver of the Toyota The system was designed such that even the highest dunes and Amarok). Land Cruiser. deepest river beds could be tackled without any problems. After all, DPT takes the same route as competitors at Le Dakar, so it can capture the most stunning shots and videos. And to follow in the tracks of the competitors, the team obviously needed a top quality vehicle. The Dakar Press Team is very satisfied with the vehicle and system!eit.

5 VB-SemiAir system on the service vehicle of the HSF Logistics Henstek Rally Team Extra leaf spring on the service/press vehicle of the Maxxis Dakar Team Powered by SuperB You obviously have to take a large number of tools, spare parts and other equipment with you to Le Dakar. So the service vehicles are often heavily weighed down, you could even say they re weighed down too much! Heavily laden vehicles sag at the back, which in turn affects ride quality and stability, not to mention ground clearance. And another thing to take into consideration is that the roads in South America aren t the same quality as roads in Europe. So it s not unusual for the suspension to drift in potholes and over bumps. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter of the HSF Logistics Henstek Rally Team also had to deal with this problem. So the team had a VB-SemiAir suspension system supplied by VB-Airsuspension installed. Thanks to this system, the vehicle stays nice and upright, it has ground clearance once more, ride quality is hugely improved and comfort is unparalleled. As we ve already said, all Dakar teams have to travel with a large number of tools, spare parts, camera and filming equipment, although they don t really have enough room for it all. This sometimes results in somewhat unusual constructions. Specially built service vehicles are packed to the brim. It s clear to see that they quickly reach their maximum capacity. We have built up a lot of experience The VB-SemiAir system from VB-Airsuspension obviously proved to be a match for even the most demanding of environments during Le Dakar. Once again, confirmation of after ten years at Dakar, explained driver and team captain Henk Knuiman. Because of the significant overhang at the back of our bus and the weight we re dragging along, the back often used to hit the ground, causing us to bounce around as we were driving. It was really uncomfortable and the mechanics found it difficult to sleep in the service bus. And sleep is really important for them to remain fit for the job. Now all I hear is praise and compliments. We don t have to deal with any damage and the mechanics have even admitted they re surprised it was possible for so little money. It s fantastic, we re really pleased! The Dodge Ram entered by the Maxxis Dakar Team Powered by SuperB also had to contend with this problem. As a result of the special design, the vehicle started to sag at the back, even before loading all the equipment. Our vehicle is a rugged truck with high ground clearance, so we initially thought it would be OK. But once we were fully packed up and had carried out a last-minute test drive, we realised things weren t OK and we couldn t set off like this, explained team manager Gerben Vruggink. We were nearly due to set off, so we had to find a solution really quickly for a vehicle that is hardly driven in the Netherlands. I remembered VB-Airsuspension from Le Dakar 2009 and was sure they would understand the urgency of the matter and could help me with my problem, even with such tight timescales. Something clearly had to be done, because the Dodge Ram s existing leaf spring system was not that robust and certainly didn t have sufficient carrying capacity. an outstanding product in VB-Airsuspension s range.

6 VB-Airsuspension, where service is the standard With partners in over 50 countries worldwide, VB-Airsuspension has an extensive network of authorized partners and VB-service points. For installation, service and advice, there is always an expert in your area. Please visit our website to find your nearest expert. Low maintenance All VB-Airsuspension systems are very low-maintenance and offer you many miles of carefree driving enjoyment. Nevertheless, if you encounter a problem, we are always there for you. VB thought outside the box and came up with a solution: VB didn t have a set for our vehicle and there wasn t enough time to develop one. Nevertheless, the VB team understood what we needed and came up with a solution, explained team owner Henk Hellegers. VB-Airsuspension is clearly a specialist in the field of air suspension. By using an extra leaf spring, the vehicle was nice and upright once more and its ride quality was vastly improved. This meant we could again enjoy optimum handling of our vehicle. The flexibility, customer focus and speed with which the people from VB came up with this new product under exceptional conditions are really incredible. VB-Airsuspension the Netherlands VB-Airsuspension Germany VB-Airsuspension France VB-Airsuspension United Kingdom VB-Partner This system also withstood the demanding environments of Le Dakar without any difficulty. It remains to be seen whether it will be mass-produced, but in any event it shows VB-Airsuspension is capable of supplying products across the entire breadth of the suspension range. Once again, these products stand up to expectations and withstand the toughest tests.

7 VB-Airsuspension is producing, as one of the few European manufacturers, a very broad range of different (air)-suspension systems. From reinforced coil springs, semi-air-suspension systems, up to complete full air-suspension systems, we provide solutions for customers with different vehicle types, like ambulances, minibuses, car transporters, motorhomes, etc. Now you can see why more and more commercial vehicle body manufacturers specify VB-Airsuspension on their vehicles.