Elsewhere in this road safety feature, statistics gathered by the United Roadworthy Association show that of all vehicles tested for roadworthiness nationally, 65% fail on brakes. This is quite amazing given the fact that brakes are classified as safety critical items on any vehicle.
At the heart of the brake system are the brake linings - often the least thought of. Brake linings not only perform the important function of stopping the vehicle but also have a direct influence on costs, an important point to take into account given that brake expenses constitute a large part of operating costs. It stands to reason then that the choice of brake linings has to take into consideration costs as well as quality.
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Brakes
are classified as safety critical items... brake
linings fitted are required to stop that rig...
quality is therefore essential. |
One company which has full confidence in the quality of its brake linings is TVS - and it has the right credentials to back that confidence. Manufactured under an ISO 9001 quality management system which is audited in the United Kingdom and Germany, TVS also complies with the German TUV specifications as well as the local SABS 1506 specification. This latter spec is important and TVS has been tested extensively under the harsh South African conditions
As regards the cost component, no trucker needs to be reminded of the huge costs involved in downtime as well as replacing brake drums prematurely - usually the result of poor frictional properties displayed by the brake linings, the specific density of the lining, composition of the mating surface as well as the condition of the foundation brake system.
TVS claims low cents per kilometre because of the high friction level resulting in positive and balanced stopping from the first application, negating the need for any bedding-in procedures. In simple terms, this means these linings are 'kind' to drums thus resulting in low cents per kilometre for the fleet owner. TVS further offers a stable fade-resistance performance over extreme drum temperatures, a factor all fleet owners have to deal with in South Africa.
Hey! This sounds like a big punt for TVS - but it is not intended as such. Brake linings are a safety critical item and given the importance of linings in the overall safety equation, the credentials around the quality factor do lean towards putting them down on your list of choices. It is an item where no compromise on quality should be tolerated.
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