Multipart’s braking developments for LCV
Among the light commercial vehicle (LCV) components available from Multipart is a range of brake pads, which the firm says has been specially developed to exceed the durability of the OE parts with improved friction material formulations in order to help maintain customers’ competitive advantage.
“The Multipart range of LCV disc brake pads has been developed to suit the increased demands of the modern marketplace and reduce vehicle downtime through increased brake component life,” said the company.
“This has been achieved through both increased pad life, but also reduced disc wear for the best whole life costs, whilst still meeting the cold and hot testing performance requirements to ensure the pads still achieve the necessary brake performance of the originally homologated pads, as indicated by their ECE Reg 90 approval.”
Multipart cites a recent, customer-commissioned independent test in which the performance of its pads was assessed alongside leading aftermarket and original equipment spares pads for the same application.
The test comprised a dynamometer simulation of the Ford Cologne test route which simulates mixed vehicle running across a range of slow city driving, hill ascents/descents and high-speed A-roads. This test simulation has been shown to give an accurate indication of relative durability from a relatively short duration test to establish comparative pad life and disc life, says Multipart.
The thickness of the friction materials and discs were measured before and after the testing. The reduction of material over the dynamometer test mileage for each pad set was then extrapolated to establish the maximum expected mileages had the dynamometer testing been continued until the minimum thickness of the pad and disc had been reached.
The test showed that the Multipart pads achieved nearly 20 per cent more mileage than that of the most durable original equipment option, says the company, but at a considerably lower cost – and over 50 per cent more mileage than the most durable of the leading aftermarket brands tested.
Meanwhile, the mileage achieved by the brake discs, where component costs are appreciably higher than the pads, was, using the same Ford Cologne test measurement criteria, reportedly more than twice that of the leading competitor.
The firm continued: “The increased durability of the Multipart compound not only reduces part costs, but also workshop labour hours, as the vehicles do not require servicing as often. More importantly, the reduction in vehicle downtime helps to keep vehicle availability higher.”
Multipart was launched in 1980 as part of British Leyland to deliver an all-makes range of CV parts. From 2000, the focus shifted to developing van/LCV components.
The brand emphasises its focus on part longevity and durability to help fleet operators boost efficiency, in line with increased expectations of longer-distance and higher-payload operations.
