Meritor WABCO, a joint venture between ArvinMeritor and WABCO Vehicle Control Systems, says its RSSplus independent stability enhancement system is now available as a retrofit kit for trailers with either spring or air suspensions.

It’s part of the SmartTrac family of stability control products such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), and Automatic Traction Control (ATC) offering advanced functions to enhance vehicle stability.
The retrofit kits are backed by a comprehensive warranty of one year/100,000 miles, parts and labor.

A key point here is that the kits were designed for North America, not Europe, so there’s no need for a power inverter to convert from 48 volts.

Given that mechanical springs are the predominant suspension in several market segments, interest from such fleets in rollover mitigation can now be satisfied in a cost-effective way, the company says — even if the trailer doesn’t have ABS.

RSSplus is an advanced two-modulator stability system that integrates with the trailer’s antilock braking system (ABS). It continually calculates the trailer’s roll stability threshold based on lateral acceleration (side-to-side movements) and individual wheel speeds. When conditions indicate that a rollover may occur, the system will apply the trailer axle brakes to slow the vehicle and assist the driver in maintaining control of the vehicle.

Different retrofit kits accommodate a wide range of braking system configurations, including 2-sensor/1-modulator (2S/1M); 2-sensor/2-modulator; 4-sensor/2-modulator (4S/2M); trailers equipped with Meritor WABCO ABS; or trailers with non-Meritor WABCO ABS or no ABS at all.

Installation involves replacing the ABS ECU/valve assembly with the RSSplus ECU valve assembly and mounting an electronic sensor to measure the deflection of the suspension springs. If the trailer is equipped with Meritor WABCO ABS, existing wheel-speed sensors and cables can be reused to reduce the installation expense.

A typical retrofit installation of RSSplus for mechanical suspensions takes approximately four to six hours. Meritor WABCO’s field service team is available to train and qualify technicians who will perform the installations.
RSSplus for mechanical suspensions functions precisely the same as the version for air suspensions, providing consistency and familiarity for drivers and technicians.

Pricing is in the US$1200 range, higher if the trailer doesn’t already have ABS.