LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Haldex introduced its ModulX Air Disc Brakes, engineered specifically for heavy-duty applications, at the Mid-America Trucking Show.

The new air disc brakes out-perform standard S-cam disc brakes in practically every category, said officials. Less sensitive to speed and temperature variations common in any extreme demanding grade or braking application, air disc brakes cause less brake fade and require less pedal pressure, they explained.

Nor do ModulX air disc brakes suffer from significant hysteresis like traditional S-cam drum brakes, said officials. With ModulX, braking force is applied equally to all wheels, providing greater control and stability. ModulX provides better stability and significantly shorter stops than standard S-cam drum brakes, which can vary by as much as 3 times the amount of braking force from wheel-to-wheel, creating unstable and hard to control stops.

ModulX offers 19.5″ and 22.5″ sizes to meet brake torque, wheel size, disc diameter and other specific vehicle requirements, in addition to a 17.5″ size coming later in 2005 for medium duty applications.

Other advantages of ModulX air disc brakes include:

* A light weight, two-piece caliper with the ability to accommodate different rotor thicknesses by changing one piece, the caliper improves serviceability and flexibility.
* Caliper slides on four stainless steel slide pins, providing a more compact, stable design than the standard two-pin design. The four-pin configuration increases overall stability and resistance to corrosion, resulting in greater resistance to vibration, reduced noise and longer service life. And, slide pin replacement doesn’t require opening the caliper housing.
* The self-lubricating Teflon guide bushings in the caliper produce low friction to optimize caliper sliding for smoother, trouble-free operation.
* Twin tappets equally distribute brake pad clamping to ensure even wear, resulting in longer service and lower maintenance costs. Both tappets can be easily adjusted simultaneously, using a single screw for quick and easy brake pad changes. Each tappet is sealed with rubber bellows to protect against water and contaminants, while an exclusive spring shield provides additional protection against heat radiation, stones and other debris.
* Pad replacement on the ModulX requires 20% of the time required to change S-cam drum brake linings, equating to an 80 per cent time savings over the service and maintenance costs of traditional brake systems.
* Both a Pad Wear Indicator (PWI), warning of a worn out pad; and a Pad Wear Sensor (PWS), minimizing pad inspection time and costs, are options that can be adapted to meet your fleet’s needs.

Operating costs and maintenance

With a compact, modular design, ModulX can be easily fit in nearly any tractor or trailer applications, said company officials. ModulX also weighs less and is more resistant to water and contaminants.

While S-cam drum brakes often require a different brake type, size and design for steer axles, drive axles and trailer axles, one ModulX model* covers the braking needs of every axle on one vehicle, with no need. ModulX brakes are fully interchangeable from left to right.
Overall, the modular design combined with the common parts between different ModulX model sizes requires fewer part numbers, which reduces inventory costs and simplifies maintenance, said officials.

About Haldex

Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems (www.hbsna.com) is a manufacturer and distributor of heavy-duty air brake system and suspension control system components. Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems is a part of Haldex Group.