With safety a key factor in the design of a vehicle’s braking components, accidents caused by brake failure are all too common, whether it is due to poor-quality parts, incorrect installation or bad maintenance.
Tim Skelton, a well-known 4×4 expert and owner of SA Adventure, recently fitted Textar, the brake pad brand distributed by Control Instruments-Automotive, to his Land Rover. He tested the pads on an expedition travelling 3 000km through some of the roughest African roads and terrain in Botswana.
This included driving across the Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of northeastern Botswana, and one of the largest salt flats in the world.
The trip meant that the Land Rover had to carry heavy loads, driving off-road for hours at a time.
“The Textar brakes feel more solid both off-road and on-road. There is more feel on the brakes, better control and the Land Rover operated well when fully loaded off-road at and at high speeds on tar roads,” he said.
“Overall, there is a marked difference using the Textar brakes, they are more responsive and feel safer.”
“Safety while driving in these conditions is of utmost importance. It would be a disadvantage having a brake emergency far away from home. With no towing service available, the vehicle braking components need to be reliable and in good working order,” he said.
“Textar uses advanced systems to ensure customer safety. The trend in vehicle engineering and the development of Textar friction products is currently towards increasing both drive comfort and environmental compatibility,” said Richard Berner, divisional head – Brake, Control Instruments-Automotive.
“Brake pads are exposed to the effects of dirt, moisture, high temperatures, mechanical forces and chemical substances such as salt. Because brakes consist of sliding parts, they require regular maintenance,” said Mr Berner.
A lot of research and development (R&D) goes in designing and testing Textar brakepads, also international key standards including ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001are adhered too. These include braking performance and physical testing.
About Control Instruments
The Control Instruments group is primarily focused on the automotive after-market in sub-Saharan Africa through its subsidiary, CI-Automotive. The company was originally established in 1948 and today manufactures and distributes premium-branded automotive parts and associated products to the sub-Saharan Africa automotive after-market.
Brand names owned or exclusively represented by CI-Automotive in sub-Saharan Africa include Gabriel, VDO, Echlin, Autocom, Acsa-Mag, Mag Brakes, Warn, Hi-Lift, Textar, Eurocable, Contitech and Truck-Lite.
CI-Automotive comprises its trading division in Johannesburg and Gabriel manufacturing facility in Cape Town.