Meritor has announced an expansion of its wheel-end portfolio to include Opti-Lite brake drums that offer cost-conscious aftermarket consumers a new lightweight drum option. The Opti-Lite drum is designed for linehaul and weight-sensitive applications such as tanker/trailer and freight.
“Developed on the same platform as our established STEELite X30 brake drums, the Opti-Lite drum maintains the high quality associated with its genuine product heritage and offers similar weight and fuel savings,” said David Reid, senior product manager, Aftermarket for Meritor. “The lower price of the Opti-Lite will appeal to customers in search of an economical drum option produced in the United States.”
Opti-Lite drums are offered in the popular wheel-end configurations for steer, drive and trailer axle applications. Fleets and vehicle operators will benefit from a reduction in vehicle weight by more than 200 pounds in a tandem axle tractor/trailer combination when compared to full-cast drums, according to the company.
“Opti-Lite drums do not require welded-on weights and offer an optimized balance spec for smoother performance on the road,” said Reid.
Meritor says the Opti-Lite brake drums will carry the same base nomenclature as the genuine STEELite X30 offering with the number 50 included as a prefix for product clarification for ease of identification and ordering. The prefix 50 is associated with all Opti-Lite series part numbers.
