BPI REVEALS NEW TECHNOLOGY AND NEW BRAKE PAD AT AAPEX

Brake Parts Inc, the makers of Raybestos brand brakes, launched the world’s first enhanced hybrid brake pad with Enhanced Hybrid Technology (EHT™) at the Automotive Aftermarket Parts Expo in Las Vegas.

Terry Heffelfinger, Vice President, Product Development, R&D, and Quality, Brake Parts Inc said, “Our new EHT formulations are a unique, proprietary blend of BPI premium friction compounds that deliver the best attributes of ceramic and semi-metallic formulations in a single brake pad. The result is an unparalleled braking experience. You will feel the difference in unprecedented braking control and stopping power”

With this innovative friction technology, Element3™ brake pads with EHT offer the best noise and dust reducing qualities of a ceramic pad, while providing the exceptional performance and durability of a semi-metallic pad, especially in severe use and high-heat environments.

Heffelfinger said there were several reasons for developing EHT. Ceramic formulations offer many advantages, but are being overused on certain platforms. This can compromise overall stopping power; especially in severe use environments. Also, some OE ceramic applications are prone to rust jacking on the inboard rotor surface; causing pedal pulsation and uneven wear.

Legislation in California and Washington now mandates that brake manufacturers limit their use of copper and heavy metals in friction formulations. The entire product offering of Element3 brake pads with EHT meets the new 2021 legislation for the elimination of hazardous materials and copper reduction. This law limits copper in brake pads to less than 5% by weight, and manufacturers must comply by January 1, 2021.

An industry wide self-certification program has been developed through the Brake Manufacturers Council to comply with this new legislation. All brake friction supplier formulations or materials will need to be tested and, if found compliant, will be given a special edge code per SAE J866 specifications.  In addition to the edge code marking, product packaging will be labeled with a “LeafMark”  to show its level of environmental regulatory compliance with the 2021 legislation.

In addition to the copper compliance testing, an extensive range of independent dyno validation tests and over the road testing were conducted on passenger car, light truck and SUV platforms; including fleets, police and municipality vehicles. The results of this testing validated the superiority of EHT in terms of stopping distance, wear and noise reduction.

“Element3 brake pads with EHT have undergone more than one million miles of testing with no issues on any platform. They were extensively tested on vehicles with specific problematic tendencies,” said Heffelfinger. “Testing for noise, wear and overall braking performance took place over a wide range of different braking parameters on a wide array of vehicle platforms and through it all, Element3 exceeded our expectations.”

In addition to Enhanced Hybrid Technology, Element3 brake pads are enhanced with exclusive Quiet Steel® shims for additional noise damping and quiet operation. This provides added performance in a wide variety of temperature ranges, vehicle characteristics and platforms. Also, most Element3 brake pads include premium brake hardware to enable a complete repair, and electronic wear sensors are included where applicable.

Element3 coverage will concentrate on passenger cars, light trucks and SUVs 10 years old and newer, and includes front and rear applications. New, first to market coverage will be available on late model platforms for both foreign and domestic applications.