Bendix
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems’ North American version air disc brake, the ADB 225, will hit the market in the fourth quarter of this year, and will be 30 pounds lighter per wheel end compared to current European technology.

Bendix reduced the weight primarily by eliminating component mass associated with compounding, a European standard allowing the two separate apply systems for the service brake and the emergency brake. With typical anti-compounding air systems in the United States, Bendix has designed a system specific to North America that eliminates the extra weight.

Performance of the new air disc brake is far superior than the S-Cam drum brake alternative – stopping 26 percent shorter than drum brakes and exceeding the current NHTSA stopping distance requirements by 39 percent on a 6 x 4 tractor, the company said.

Designed for 22.5-inch wheels, ADB 225 already exceeds NHTSA’s 9-step program recommendations for a 30 percent improvement in stopping distance by 2007.