Bendix has made its advanced commercial vehicle safety technologies available for the first time through a retrofit upgrade program. The company also announced an updated version of its ADB22X air disc brake.

Systems that are currently available for retrofit program include the Bendix Wingman Fusion driver assistance system, Bendix Wingman Advanced collision mitigation technology, Bendix VORAD (Vehicle On-Board Radar) VS-500, AutoVue 4G Lane Departure Warning System by Bendix CVS, the next generation Bendix BlindSpotter Side Object Detection System and SafetyDirect from Bendix CVS.

A slate of additional technologies, including the Bendix Intellipark Electronic Parking Brake, will continue to expand the scope of the program throughout 2019.

The Bendix Retrofit Upgrade Program enables professional installation of Bendix advanced safety technologies to upgrade vehicles that did not come factory-equipped. The program features a comprehensive website that enables vehicle operators to determine retrofit opportunities per vehicle, and an escalating network of Bendix Authorized Retrofit Dealers and Distributors to facilitate the professional installation.

“Keeping a fleet equipped with the latest safety technology can be a never-ending challenge,” said TJ Thomas, Bendix director of marketing and customer solutions – controls. “The Bendix Retrofit Upgrade Program makes it possible to bring vehicles not originally built with selected safety systems up to speed with the latest increasingly essential systems. It helps enhance a fleet’s safety, while also contributing to an improved driver experience vehicle to vehicle.”

Upgraded Air Disc Brake

Bendix has also announced an upgraded version of its ADB22X air disc brake that includes a new adjustment mechanism and improved friction.

The new adjustment mechanism is engineered for increased vibration robustness while improving running clearance between the friction and rotor. The technology improves pad life and reduces residual brake drag for extended service life and was originally implemented with the trailer-specific Bendix ADB22X-LT.

The ADB22X is also now coupled with Bendix’s longest-life air disc brake friction – the Bendix BX276 air disc brake pad. The BX276 model, which includes an additional 2 millimeters of thickness compared with its predecessor, delivers an 8% increase in wearable volume. In developing the BX276, Bendix also reformulated the friction to achieve an improved wear rate, resulting in a pad with up to 40% reduction in wear rate than its predecessor.

A number of North American truck manufacturers have already made the optimized brake available, while the remainder expect to do so by the end of 2019.