Wh d yu rely n? Expsing the truth abut lw cst brake frictin. TMD Frictin UK Ltd PO Bx 18 Hunswrth Lane Cleckhen West Yrkshire BD19 3UJ England T. 0870 0 1141 is a registered trademark f TMD Frictin designed and prduced by purebrand www.purebrandcreive.cm www.textar.cm
At 56 mph, in driving rain and nse-t-tail traffic, wh d yu rely n? When yur custmers are depending n yu t deliver, yu rely n yur vehicle t perfrm safely and efficiently, mile after mile, even in the harshest f cnditins, mtrway speeds and under the strain f heavy lads. Brake failure is every driver s wrst nightmare and an all t cmmn ccurrence. At best it means cstly dwntime and maintenance. At wrst, lives and livelihds are risk. Despite an awareness th brakes are a safety-critical cmpnent, the difference in perfrmance between quality brands like and lw cst alternives are ften underestimed. The temptin t fit lw cst replacement brake pads, linings and accessries can becme t gre when cmpanies are under pressure t manage rising running csts, which is hardly surprising when manufacturers f lw cst frictin are resrting t dirty tricks campaigns and distrting the truth in rder t pass ff their prducts as cmparable in quality t premium brands. The test results th they chse t publish fcused n res f pad wear. OEC1 merial was shwn t wear a lwer re but, withut seeing wh the cefficient f frictin was during these tests - which, in simple terms, is the frictin level r stpping pwer - their results nly tell half the stry. At TMD Frictin, we invest heavily in research and develpment and g t gre lengths t ensure th ur frictin prducts prvide the ptimum balance f perfrmance, cmfrt and durability fr individual vehicle applicins. We strive fr excellence and, as Eurpe s leading manufacturer f riginal equipment (O.E.) frictin, we ve earned a reputin th we g t equally gre lengths t prtect. Therefre, in rder t demnstre why lw cst frictin isn t just a false-ecnmy, but ptentially a significant safety risk, we ve cnducted sme tests f ur wn. It s time t set the recrd straight. TMD Frictin s Pented cast irn back ple fr imprved frictin merial retentin. It s als hard t believe th a manufacturer f such a safety-critical cmpnent wuld deliberely aim t mislead the market when there s s much stake, but th s exactly wh happened when recently published claims th their OEC1 frictin merials had utperfrmed T3050 during a recent test carried ut n their behalf. And it s nt just reputins th are stake... Serius accidents invlving heavy gds vehicles are unfrtunely a daily ccurrence n the UK s rad netwrk. If the wrst were t happen, and the cause fund t be cmpnent failure directly reled t fitment f a nn-genuine r nn-o.e. part, are yu aware f the cnsequences? New crpre manslaughter legislin passed in 2007 nw makes it pssible fr cmpany directrs r senir management t be prsecuted resulting in stiff fines, r even prisn sentences, if a fality ccurs and it is deemed th they have failed t take adeque steps t prevent it. Liability can als pass dwn thrugh the supply chain, leaving anyne wh supplies inadeque parts equally expsed t criminal prsecutin.
The truth is ut there. Putting ur cmpetitrs claims t the test. At TMD Frictin, as part f ur cmmitment t ur custmers, we believe th they are entitled t fair, hnest and accure infrmin abut ur prducts th will allw them t make an infrmed decisin when it cmes t chsing replacement brake frictin. Th s why, as part f ur investigin int s claims, we were steadfast in the pinin th ur wn tests shuld be bth cmprehensive and fair. We therefre designed a testing prgramme th wuld cmpare and brake pads fr nt nly pad wear, but als perfrmance in terms f cefficient f frictin. Rher than simply cnducting simulins inside a labrry n a dynammeter in the way th did, we als asked a leading UK lgistics cmpany, Ramage Transprt, if they wuld cnduct their wn, independent, test under real-life cnditins. Whilst dyn tests are effective in measuring the characteristics f a frictin merial in very cntrlled cnditins, and can simule actual vehicle lads and braking frce, they cannt represent the effects th weher, salt and vibrin can have n a braking system. Therefre when develping new frictin merials, as well as dyn tests ur cnventinal testing prgramme includes many thusands f kilmetres f n-rad testing befre being apprved fr prductin. In rder t ensure th was given n advantage, we used s heavy-duty, r Alpine frictin merial, OEC2, instead f OEC1. And when it came t the rad tests, Ramage Transprt s Wrkshp Manager was asked t buy bth the and test samples ver the cunter frm their usual distributr t avid any accusins th we culd have tampered with them in advance. We were cnfident th the results wuld cntradict s claims but, as yu can see frm the da verleaf, we culd nt have predicted just hw cnclusive ur tests wuld prve.
Frictin c is belw nrmal running temperure, hwever this graph represents hw the PefrmancePefrmance test cnducted 500 C test cnducted 500 C frictin merial might perfrm when appraching a stp after travelling a cnstant speed fr a significant amunt f time - i.e. when a vehicle leaves a mtrway after a lng jurney, with brake temperures ambient temperures, and needs t decelere quickly r stp fr a junctin. At this temperure, the perfrmance seen merial with the is within nrmal pering levels and wuld prvide sisfactry decelerin withut excessive pedal pressure being required. In cntrast, the lw perfrmance seen with the merial wuld mean a much greer stpping distance and mst likely lead t the driver needing t increase pedal effrt t a degree th culd increase the temperure within the braking system. This culd ptentially cause damage t pistn bts and lead t caliper damage. 300 c is regarded as being in the typical wrking temperure range and again the prduct displays pr perfrmance. It is speed sensitive, which means th the frictin level cntinues t fall as speed increases, s with mre speed the brakes becme prgressively mre inefficient. Again these results demnstre the inferir perfrmance f the merial resulting in high line pressure t achieve a vehicle stp. If the same line pressure were t be applied t bth merials stpping distance with wuld be much greer than the same vehicle fitted with merial. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. Prjected brake pad life expectancy 250 stps frm -10 km/h 200 C During fitting, the wrkshp reprted th the nn-o.e. accessries supplied with the brake pads were unable t be fitted due t inaccure sizing. If an O.E. accessry kit culd nt be quickly and easily surced, many less diligent fleet wrkshps may simply re-use the existing (wrn) accessries, which can lead t an increased chance f failure. Unfrtunely, after nly 68 days and 17,000 miles, the tests were abrted by Ramage Transprt due t cncerns ver the cnditin f the brake pads, which were fund t have deterired t dangerus levels. 0. Brake pads cmmnly reach temperures f 300 c during stps frm mtrway speeds when exiting a mtrway, fr example. The test da shws th vehicles cntinually pering in this way culd expect t see pad wear res ten times higher when using frictin cmpared with. At higher temperures, cmmn fr vehicles pering in extreme r muntainus regins and during emergency braking, the and frictin merials bth wear a similar re. Hwever we cnsider it mre imprtant under these cnditins th ur brake pad merials still ffer gd perfrmance in circumstances where it will certainly be needed. Accumuled Pad wear T70 T70 T70 The perfrmance tests shwed the merial t ffer significantly lwer frictin levels, even lw t medium temperures, with the greest difference being high pering temperure where the cefficient f frictin fr the merial drpped t dangerusly lw levels. Lking the wear test results in islin, again utperfrms up t the higher pering temperure where pad wear res were fund t be similar. Hwever, it is clear frm the perfrmance graphs th the pads will require arund twice the line pressure t achieve the same re f decelerin as the pads. 0. OEC2 OEC1 1.5 1.0 200 c 300 c 0 c Ttal Wear 675 0 525 450 375 300 75 Distrtin and weakening f the tp spring allws mvement f the pad in the caliper and misalignment with disc under braking. As part f this audit prcess we recently ran a vehicle test t evalue the life f O.E. pads versus nn-genuine brake pads. The prducts we tested were T70 versus the OEC2 brand. Running tw identical DAF 95 (6x2) tractr/trailer cmbinins, n similar rutes and lading, we fitted the O.E. pads t the frnt axle f ne vehicle and t the ther. After nly 68 x days (17,000 miles) we abandned the tests because the pads were breaking up and we were cncerned regarding vehicle safety. 0.5 750 150 T3050 0.0 825 safety, are all key cnsiderins when specifying ur vehicle parts. Within ur wrkshp purchases we mnitr brake cmpnent expenditure very clsely. 2.5 2.0 900 225 Perfrmance, cst and 250 stps frm -10 km/h 0 C OEC2 OEC2 Accumuled pad wear results 250 stps frm -10 km/h 300 C The fllwing pictures were taken after remving the brake pads frm the test vehicle. Summary Based n the test results, the prjected life expectancy f OEC2 is 453 days, assuming th the brake pads retain their integrity, where as T70 wuld be expected t last fr 751 days in nrmal use, and will cntinue t give gd, cnsistent and predictable perfrmance thrughut its life and in all cnditins. wear test Brake pad life Pad expectancy Using tw identical DAF 95 truck and trailer cmbinins, ne was fitted with the OEC2 merial t the frnt axle, the ther with T70. 250 stps frm -10 km/h 0 C In rder t see hw ur dyn tests transled int real life, the secnd phase f ur testing prgramme saw a series f tests cnducted by Ramage Transprt, a UK lgistics cmpany. Althugh typical jurney temperures vary, thetest resultspad f this Pad wear wear test test shw th 250 stps frm -10 frm 0 C stps -10 0 C mtrway speeds withkm/h check braking (typical in mdere r heavy traffic situins) the re f wear is significantly n the merial than higher 0. with0.. The frictin level th the merial demnstred is starting t becme very lw these higher temperures and maximum line pressure will be needed t stp the vehicle. Hwever if anything unexpected happens during the vehicle s decelerin, then n additinal line pressure is available t increase the re which the vehicle culd stp. The merial ffers n margin f errr in the driver s part nr will it ffer any additinal stpping pwer in an emergency. 500 c is within the typical temperure range f a laden vehicle pering in regins. extreme r muntainus 0. Frictin Frictin Frictin Frictin 0. OEC1 OEC1 2. cnducted after 3. cnducted after 250 stps 300 c 250 stps 0 c 250 stps frm -10 300 C stpsfrm -10 km/h 300 C T3050 OEC1 T3050 The secnd series f graphs shwn here represent the results f ur wear test, with measurements taken after 250 stps frm -10 kph acrssthe mst cmmn pering temperures. On these graphs, the vertical axis shws pad wear (in millimetres). 1. cnducted after 250 stps 200 c 250 stps frm -10 200 C stpsfrm -10 km/h 200 C Pefrmance test cnducted 500C T3050 3. Braking tests cnducted 500 c PefrmancePefrmance test cnducted 300 C test cnducted 300 C 2. Braking tests cnducted 300 c Frictin Days PefrmancePefrmance test cnducted C test cnducted C Phase tw: Real life tests A maximum 6 bar f pressure was maintained during the tests t replice cnstant pedal effrt and frictin perfrmance measurements were taken c, 300 c and 500 c. On these graphs, the vertical axis shws the cefficient f frictin (frictin level r stpping pwer ) f the frictin merial, whilst the hrizntal axis shws speed. 1. Braking tests cnducted c 250 stps frm -10 km/h 300 C Pefrmance test cnducted 300 C The first phase f ur testing prgramme saw a series f tests cnducted using a dynammeter, which simules braking cntrlled speeds and temperures. Frictin Frictin Frictin Phase ne: Dyn tests 250 stps frm -10 km/h 200 C Pefrmance test cnducted C Severe delaminin due t pr manufacturing prcess and cntrl. Surface cracking and delaminin leading t serius disintegrin f the frictin merial. Rbin Ramage Snr Cmpany Directr
The hard facts Why less certainly isn t mre when it cmes t lw cst frictin. Cmprehensive dyn and vehicle testing cnclusively prves th OEC1 and OEC2 frictin merials fail t live up t the claims made abut them. We wuld questin whether fleet perrs wuld put their trust in them, and ther lw cst brands, if they knew the answers t sme f the mre searching questins we d like t ask: Origin Merial prtfli Accessries Cnclusin TMD Frictin manufactures all its CV brake pads in Germany ste f the art factries. Research and develpment is carried ut TMD Frictin s glbal R&D centres, respnsible fr sme f the greest imprvements in frictin technlgy ver the last fur decades, including TMD Frictin s pented back ple designs which uniquely retain the frictin merial t minimise the risk f merial detachment - ne f the mst cmmn reasns fr cmpnent failure in a brake pad. surces all its prducts frm supplies in China and India with any R&D entirely in their suppliers hands. Fr instance brake pads use n mechanical tachment t secure the frictin merial t the back ple. If their prduct fails, ask yurself wh wns the liability? If their brakes fail t stp, where des the buck stp? As a leading supplier f O.E. frictin, TMD Frictin wrks clsely with the vehicle and brake system manufacturers t engineer a range f frictin merials th are specific t individual vehicles and braking systems, t prvide the ptimum frictin fr different vehicle plfrms and lads. surces merial acrss all applicins n the basis f cst and availability with n input int the frictin develpment. O.E. apprvals TMD Frictin has mre than 50 current CV merial apprvals frm mst f Eurpe s brake system and truck manufacturers, including Arvin Meritr, BPW, DAF, Ivec, Knrr-Bremse, Mercedes-Benz and Vlv. As the use f genuine accessries is s imprtant t crrect fitment, TMD Frictin ensures th CV brake pads are supplied with accessries th cmply with O.E. pents and standards. s nn-o.e. accessries have been prven t be insufficient quality and prne t failure, with ptentially disastrus cnsequences. In the unfrtune event f a brake reled accident, caused by the failure f nn-o.e. cmpnents and accessries, the supplier culd be legally respnsible and liable fr any claim. With half f the trucks, trailers, buses and caches n Eurpe s rads equipped with TMD Frictin brake pads r linings, either Aftermarket r O.E., we believe th we have a respnsibility t cntinually imprve the quality f the frictin prducts th we manufacture and, when it cmes t ensuring the safety f ur custmers, we literally stp nthing. Each year, we make a cnsiderable investment in R&D and imprvements in manufacturing prcesses in rder t achieve this, as well as t ensure th ur prducts ffer exceptinal value. We ve challenged t explain their R&D prcess and list their O.E. apprvals, hwever we re still waiting. r rher their Chinese and Indian suppliers have nne. If yu wuld like further infrmin abut frictin prducts, r abut any f the test da illustred within this brchure, please cntact yur TMD Frictin Area Sales Manager.