11th November 2008 - Raybestos® Brand D3EA® PPSV® Friction is Tested at Police Fleet Event

State-of-the-Art Product-line Passes Tough Test at Michigan International Speedway

A wet and gray Michigan morning gave way to a sunshine-filled afternoon at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) on October 14, 2008, as the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department used the day to train new officers on the intricacies of high pursuit driving.

Deputies tested vehicle dynamics by putting several of the department’s Chevrolet Impala police cruisers through an intense variety of demanding situations.  Meanwhile, Affinia product managers and R&D engineers seized the opportunity to personally test the latest line of Raybestos® brand D3EA PPSV Police Friction by driving the cruisers around the track.

“The opportunity for the Raybestos® product managers and R&D engineers to drive identical vehicles equipped with different pad compounds and rotors back-to-back provides critical feedback,” said Charles Darsey, Test Manager at Affinia’s Research and Development Center in Lexington, Kentucky.  “We use that data to continually provide the absolute best law enforcement brake components available.”

For over a decade, every police cruiser pulling out of Master Mechanic Stephen DeKett’s garage at the Ingham County Sherriff’s Department has been equipped with Raybestos® brand Police Friction. And every year, despite deteriorating highway conditions and increased demands on emergency vehicles, DeKett has never wavered on what friction to install on his fleet.

“It gets bitter cold here in the wintertime and the quality of our roads is absolutely horrendous.  Still, we never notice any reduction in braking ability,” said DeKett.  “Working with the folks at Raybestos® has been a terrific opportunity to provide our officers with superior product.  It gives (the officers) a good feeling when they get in their car and they know they’re equipped with a product that will be there all day.”

This was the 14th year Affinia sent a team of product engineers to Ingham County to witness training and record data.  Over the years, the countless man hours invested into enhancing the Raybestos® Police Friction has produced an always-evolving line of police and emergency vehicle friction unmatched in its field.  In 2009, the Raybestos® brand Police-specific friction system will include rotors, hi-temperature calipers and D3EA PPSV certified pursuit-rated brake pads.

D3EA PPSV (Police and Public Service Vehicle) Certification uses independently administered, state-of-the-art dual-end brake dynamometer testing conducted at Greening Testing Laboratories, Inc. (GTL) in Detroit, Michigan.  As stated in Greening’s D3EA PPSV Test Guidelines, “PPSV certification captures the critical system level performance characteristics of police and other emergency service vehicles and has established performance requirements that may surpass those imposed by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s).”

Raybestos® brand Police Friction also features Quite on Arrival™ (QOA) technology.  Known as a radio call used by officers, “QOA” alerts any officer arriving on the scene that they need to remain quiet when arriving at a crime scene.  With rubber-coated quite clips and Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH) Control Technology, Raybestos brand Police Friction assures officers will arrive quietly time and time again.

Raybestos® brand brakes are produced by Affinia Global Brake & Chassis, the leading manufacturer of braking systems and components for the transportation industry. The line includes everything from brake drums to rotors, pads, shoes and hydraulic parts. Affinia Global Brake & Chassis is at the forefront of research and development in brake technology and operates manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout North America.

Raybestos® brand brakes are the official brakes of NASCAR, and the NASCAR relationship also includes the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Award, which is presented to the top rookie in each of the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck racing series. In addition, Raybestos® is the preferred competition brake friction of the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights at all road and street course races through 2009.

Affinia Group Inc. is a global leader in the on- and off-highway replacement products and service industry. In North America the Affinia family of brands includes WIX® filters, Raybestos®, AIMCO® and BrakePro® brake products, and McQuay-Norris® and SPICER® Chassis parts. South American and European brands include Nakata®, Filtron®, Urba® and Quinton Hazell