Why You Should Retrofit Your Trucks with Air Disc Brakes Instead
Posted on: 4 January 2019
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Every truck owner needs to have an eye on safety at all times, as life on the open road can be very unpredictable. While a long-distance truck may be stretching its legs on a highway for most of the time, the driver is under the most pressure when in heavy traffic, or when he or she is using the brakes a great deal. It's not surprising, therefore, that a lot of attention is paid to brake configurations and if you worry about this area, every reason to consider an upgrade. Why should you think about switching over to air-powered disc brakes instead of the traditional drum assembly?
Disc Versus Drum
Almost every new car on the road today is equipped with disc brakes, as they are much more efficient than the old-fashioned drum. Yet this technology has been slow to migrate across to the trucking industry and this may be something to do with the increased cost of installation. Still, you cannot put too high a price on safety as when a vehicle of this size gets involved in an accident, the repercussions can be severe. You may face a lot of downtime as the truck will be off the road, but you may also face costs associated with injury or damage to a third party and reputational risk.
Retrofit
A relatively small but increasing number of companies across Australia are now choosing to retrofit all of their trucks with air disc brakes instead. They have significantly better stopping performance compared to drums and this will become very apparent when driving in heavy "stop and go" conditions.
Better Performance
In almost every situation, a truck that is equipped with disc brakes will take less distance to come to a complete stop from highway speed than its drum brake counterpart. Also, the driver will get a better "feel" for performance and this could be crucial, if and when they encounter an emergency situation.
Last Longer
Due to their design, the serviceable parts can last much longer. Air can flow over the rotors and pads more efficiently to cool the mechanism and consequently, the material can be expected to last up to twice as long as the components within a drum-based setup.
There's More
You may also notice other benefits. For example, it will take your mechanic less time to change the friction material than it would have otherwise and there are far fewer moving parts to worry about, cutting down on the need for repair.
Is It for You?
Have a word with a Hino truck parts supplier, to see how much it would cost to retrofit your vehicles with disc brakes.