Meritor has announced that it has added a new light-weight option called Opti-Lite brake drums to its aftermarket wheel-end portfolio. Hence, price sensitive aftermarket consumers now have a new option when it comes to lightweight drums. The Opti-Lite drum can be used in commercial vehicles and is specifically designed for linehaul and weight-sensitive applications like freight trucks and tanker/trailers.
David Reid, the Meritor’s senior product manager said that the Opti-Lite drum has been developed using the same platform as the highly popular STEELite X30 brake drums. Just like STEELite X30, the high quality Opti-Lite brake drum will offer users weight and fuel savings due to their low weight. It is also offered at a reasonable price that will be attractive to customers looking for an economical option.
The Opti-Lite drums are offered in the most popular wheel-end configurations for steer, drive and trailer axle applications. When compared to full-cast drums, fleets and vehicle operators who use Opti-Lite will benefit from a reduction in vehicle weight by more than 200 pounds in a tandem axle tractor/trailer combination, as they do not need welded-on weights and offer an optimized balance spec for better performance on the road.
To make it easier for customers to identify and order the components, the Opti-Lite brake drums will have the same nomenclature as the STEELite X30 products with the number 50 included as a prefix. The prefix 50 will be used for all Opti-Lite series part numbers. Meritor will offer its standard aftermarket warranty for the Opti-Lite brake drums range.
