WABCO, a supplier of technologies and services designed to improve safety, efficiency and connectivity in commercial vehicles, recently released a whole new generation of high-performance MAXX single-piston air disc brakes for trucks, buses and trailers.
The company said the new line accelerates the industry’s conversion from conventional drum brakes to air disc brakes (ADBs).
The fifth-generation range of single-piston ADB technology is suitable for all types of light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, WABCO said. MAXX’s new lighter-weight, high-performance and low drag-torque design boosts fuel efficiency and enables increased transport payloads.
“Powerfully demonstrating WABCO‘s global single-piston ADB leadership, this cutting-edge MAXX ADB range offers clear technology advantages and differentiating value over both drum brakes and dual-piston ADB technology, which is reflected in the significant volume of advance orders being received from original equipment manufacturers world-wide,” said Jorge Solis, president of WABCO’s truck, bus and car OEM division.
“WABCO’s mastery of single-piston ADB technology has been refined over more than two decades and is fully trusted by our customers across the globe. Its world-class quality has been clearly demonstrated in more than six million wheel-ends, including for the most demanding heavy-duty truck applications. Exceeding the performance standards of other ADB systems on the market, WABCO’s pioneering single-piston MAXX technology is the definitive industry benchmark that others are now seeking to emulate.”
With 20% fewer parts than the current design, and more than 40% fewer parts compared to other ADB brands, the new MAXX platform offers superior reliability and an excellent weight-performance ratio, the company said. Delivering enhanced fuel efficiency, the compact design offers an average weight of 35 kilograms per ADB in a six-by-two wheel truck application – 12 kilograms less per truck than other manufacturers’ European heavy-duty ADB systems.
Further demonstrating the advantages of WABCO’s single-piston ADB technology over other ADB systems available on the market, MAXX intelligently manages taper wear compensation with a superior patented design suitable for all truck and trailer applications, including the most demanding heavy-duty truck requirements, helping extend brake pad life.
Available in 2019, WABCO’s new MAXX modular platform is simultaneously available in 17.5-inch to 22.5-inch rim sizes. The portfolio spans from the MAXX 17 and MAXX 19 light- and medium-duty brakes to MAXX 22 heavy-duty brakes, including MAXX 22L, the industry’s lightest rear-axle brake of its kind, according to WABCO.
It also includes the MAXXUSTM heavy-duty truck ADB, specifically tailored for the North American market.
“With many of the world’s leading global OEMs increasingly converting to WABCO’s MAXX ADB technology, including for 30,000 Nm heavy-duty applications, we see generally that the significant safety and cost benefits offered by WABCO’s single-piston platform are helping to accelerate the industry’s migration from dual-piston ADB and conventional drum brakes,” Solis said.