Brake friction material supplier, Lumag, has revealed the results of its latest benchmarking exercise, where Lumag’s own brand BRECK brake pads and discs out performed leading OES and aftermarket brands.

Testing the advanced LU 704 brake material in comparative dyno tests with other friction material from different reputable manufacturers, including an OES supplier, two core areas were investigated including brake efficiency (according to SAE J2522), and wear (of friction material and brake disc - according to SAE J2707).

The first test, AK Master, concerned friction coefficient and drop in braking performance in 1st and 2nd fading. Brake snubs were also tested, including braking distances and times from various speeds.

Lumags says that placed against five competitor parts, the LU 704 material showed much better braking performance efficiency than all the other compared friction materials. The only exception was the first fading, when the coefficient of friction dropped to values lower than those of the OE manufacturer parts but remained higher than the remaining competition. In all other parts of the test, Breck material performed best.

An additional wear test was also undertaken imitating different driving conditions such as urban, motorway, suburban and mountain. After each cycle the thickness and weight of the brake pads and the disc were measured. The LU 704 saw average wear to the pad of just 0.36mm, beating the next closest competitor, the OES economy line by 0.05mm.  When looking at the results of the wear test the BRECK LU 704 discs consistently performed positively, with the average wear of competitor friction material showing higher values of wear within the region of by 25% - 55%.

Colin Smit, said: “An efficient braking system is paramount to the safety of any vehicle. I hope that this latest benchmarking exercise will continue the conversation around what really matters when it comes to braking. Such exercises are incredibly important, and we shall continue to undertake them  and share the results with the market – in an attempt to better educate both our factor and mechanic customers.”