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SAF-Holland: New P89 Air Disc Brakes to Cost Little More than Drums


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Heavy Duty Trucking  /  June 9, 2016

SAF-Holland says a new P89 air disc brake for trailers will greatly reduce the price premium compared to drum brakes, and an upgraded P89 Plus will virtually eliminate brake maintenance for seven years.

Company executives said they showed the new series to fleet managers at meetings and trade shows earlier this year. They formally announced the brakes at a press conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., June 9.

“We firmly believe that disc brakes are superior” to drums because of shorter stopping distances and reduced maintenance, said US market head Steffen Schewerda. “We know that discs have had a prohibitively high premium as trailer builders price these products.”

But the P89 base model should cost about $1,500 more than drum brakes now used on trailer tandems, he said. And the P89 Plus, while retaining a more usual $3,500 price premium, will soon pay for itself in superior performance, long life and low maintenance costs.

“SAF-Holland has leveraged their global supplier network to create economies of scale that drive down the cost of technology,” said Jeff Talaga, vice president of sales and strategic development for the Americas. “We are able to pass this cost savings to our North American fleet customers and for the first time put air disc brake technology within reach of fleets large and small."

In addition to reducing the upcharge, the base P89 will be “weight-neutral” compared to drum brakes, said Roger Jensen, product manager for trailer brakes and axles. The P89 Plus is a premium package that includes a beefier, bi-metal rotor that resists heat distortion and comes with a 7-year maintenance-free bearing system. The Plus weighs 30 pounds more per axle than the P89.

At the heart of the P89 is SAF’s SBS 2220 caliper and 430-mm-diameter by 45-mm-thick heavy duty vented rotor. The dual piston SBS 2220 caliper applies a more even pressure pattern across the brake lining and 30% more wear volume than competitive single piston designs, Jensen said. Both feature self-adjustment, quick-change pads and require no greasing, he said.   

Traditional wheel seals, a common source of premature wheel end failure, are completely eliminated. Precision bearing spacers are installed between the inner and outer bearings to precisely control bearing pre-load for maximum life. Extensive product testing and long experience in Europe has shown the P89 Plus bearing system provides four times better bearing life.

Available on the SAF CBX air ride and ULX spring ride suspensions, the P89 Series provides advantages of air disc brake performance to nearly all fleet operations, whether high mileage long-haul or demanding vocational trailer applications, Schewerda said. The disc brakes go into production in July and should be available on new trailers soon after.

SAF-Holland launches value, premium P89 Air Disc Brake Series

Fleet Owner  /  June 10, 2016

Luxembourg-based SAF-Holland has launched its P89 Air Disc Brake Series.

The company says the value and premium-level P89 products are designed with commercial fleets in mind and provide "superior braking performance, extended service intervals, and ease of maintenance."

The P89 Series comes in New P89 and P89 Plus models. The base model New P89 can be customized to suit specific fleet needs at a significantly lower price point — around 40% — than previous generation air disc brake systems. Both models are available now for order, and SAF-Holland expects to begin shipping them in late June/early July.

"SAF-Holland has leveraged their global supplier network to create economies of scale that drive down the cost of technology. We are able to pass this cost savings to our North American fleet customers and for the first time put air disc brake technology within reach of fleets large and small," said Jeff Talaga, vice president of sales and strategic development, Americas for SAF-Holland, Inc.

The P89 Plus is a premium package that includes a 7-year maintenance-free bearing system and premium rotors that the company says will provide a significant reduction in the total cost of ownership. Available on the SAF CBX air ride and ULX spring ride suspensions, the P89 Series "provides advantages of air disc brake performance to nearly all fleet operations, whether high mileage long haul fleets or demanding vocational trailer applications," according to SAF-Holland.

New P89

At the heart of the New P89 air disc brake is the proven SAF SBS 2220 caliper and 430mm diameter heavy duty vented rotor. The dual-piston SBS 2220 caliper applies a more even pressure pattern across the brake lining than competitive single piston designs, the company explains, while the 430mm diameter x 45mm thick rotor provides 30% more wear volume than competitive designs.

The New P89 features a "robust" 3.5-in. diameter parallel spindle or an optional lightweight taper spindle configuration that reduces weight by 10 lbs. per axle and uses industry standard bearings and wheel seals to reduce maintenance costs. Backed by a 5-year warranty, SAF-Holland says the New P89 sets a new industry standard for value in air disc brakes.

P89 Plus

The P89 Plus comes with a 7-year maintenance-free bearing system that uses large 89mm front and rear bearings individually sealed and lubricated with high temperature long life grease.

SAF notes that the design completely eliminates traditional wheel seals, a common source of premature wheel-end failure. Precision bearing spacers are installed between the inner and outer bearings to precisely control bearing pre-load for maximum life — the company says extensive product testing has shown the P89 Plus bearing system provides four times better bearing life.

The unique bi-metallic design of the SAF INTEGRAL rotor included on the P89 Plus allows the rotor to expand and contract in a radial direction that keeps the braking surface flat and eliminates the "umbrella effect" that affects conventional rotors.

Backed by an industry-leading 7-year warranty, the P89 Plus "provides the ultimate in braking performance and ease of maintenance for a low total cost of ownership," SAF-Holland states. "With our commitment to design and develop products that better serve our fleet customers with leading technology, SAF-Holland is pleased to introduce the P89 Series that outperforms the competition in superior braking quality and total cost of ownership," said Talaga.

The P89 was actually launched in 2014. I believe that Haldex produces it for SAF-Holland under contract. I like Haldex a lot, but dislike SAF-Holland.

https://www.haldex.com/en/Europe/products/air-disc-brakes/modul-t/

Now, SAF has cheapened the P89 in an attempt to be the first to pentrate the US market with disc brakes in a big way.

Another heavy truck disc brake manufacturers are Germany’s Knorr-Bremse, which took over America’s Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems in 2002, and has sold Knorr discs under the Bendix name in the US market.

Wabco remains a leader in truck disc brakes, with its MAXX 22 product.

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