Source: Auto Service World
LAS VEGAS – NRS Brakes, the Toronto-based manufacturer of brake components, says using galvanized metal solves a problem which needlessly shortens the life of brake pads throughout North America.
“The biggest problem we see on the road is that brake pads deteriorate before they wear out,” says NRS Brakes CEO Montu Khokhar. “The friction never gets a chance to run out to the last millimetre of its life, because the backing plate falls apart.
He said galvanization is the surest way of making pads last as long as possible.
“With galvanization, the steel will last longer than the friction material,” he said. “All the OEs are moving in that direction. And the aftermarket really needs to follow suit.”
NRS Brakes displayed its own galvanized brake pads, sold under the NRS brand name, for the first time at this year’s AAPEX show.
At a press conference, Khokhar gave North American automotive journalists a chance to see the difference between galvanized and non-galvanized brake pads. Many of the non-galvanized pads, collected in states and provinces across North America, were destroyed by corrosion and rust. The galvanized parts, driven the same number of miles, appeared undamaged.
In fact, Khokhar said the company found that on about 95% of the non-galvanized pads that had been collected, the steel backing had given out before the friction material.
“It is clear to us that the only thing that should be put on the road is galvanized brake pads,” he said.
“There are some great formulations out there, but nothing gets a chance to fully run its course.
People are changing their brake pads more often because without galvanization, the back plate starts to deteriorate,” he said. “Where you have breaks, or cracks, or hairline lifts, you get noise and vibration.”
He said galvanization protects the brake pad during the entire course of its functional life.
“We guarantee the friction will last to the last millimeter of wear.”