Mar 26, 2009 9:33 AM

Webb Wheel Products’ www.webbwheel.com website has been updated to include test and other data demonstrating advantages of the Webb Vortex brake drum. The Vortex drum was designed to meet the demand for a lighter-weight gray iron drum with better performance and a lower cost than other lightweight drums for heavy trucks and trailers.

Advantages of the Vortex drum can be viewed by accessing www.webbwheel.com/vortex/index.html, and they include:

•Thermal advantage—The Vortex drum runs cooler and dissipates heat faster than steel-shelled lightweight brake drums. A side-by-side video shows dynamometer results.

•Weight advantage—12 pounds per wheel end advantage over standard gray iron drums.

•Performance advantage—Vortex drums run cooler than the competition and exceed all FMVS121 requirements for brake torque, brake power, and brake recovery. Every drum is precision-balanced and rated at 23,000 lbs GVW. A slide show displays actual test results.

•Maintenance advantage—Because Vortex runs cooler, brakes are more effective and last longer, resulting in more uptime and less maintenance costs.

•Cost advantage—$200 savings per tandem axle versus steel-shelled drums.