With over 100 years’ experience, TRW is one of the world’s leading brands in automotive braking and safety solutions.
As a brand of ZF Aftermarket, TRW designs braking systems for over half the world’s vehicles, building much of the original equipment they are fitted with when they roll out of the factory.
It is also one of the leading replacement brands, providing its OE-standard brake parts to the independent aftermarket.
The TRW brake program – available from ZF in Oceania – includes over 9,000 part numbers covering brake pads, discs, drums, shoes, electric park brake (EPB), master and wheel cylinders, hoses, boosters and calipers.
Consumable products like brake fluid, grease and cleaner are also available.
Safety is at the forefront for ZF, conducting rigorous testing of all items, giving vehicle manufacturers, aftermarket suppliers, workshops, and ultimately consumers, the confidence to trust the wide array of products available from its brands.
Research, development and innovation
The success of the TRW range has largely grown thanks to the focus on ongoing research and development programs, which are carried out with extensive input from vehicle manufacturers globally.
In recent times ZF’s Aftermarket Division has focused on developing products specifically for the e-Drivetrain market, which has resulted in many new innovations, including the TRW Electric Blue brake pad for electric and hybrid vehicles, which limits noise and vibration while reducing brake dust.
Products such as TRW Electric Blue are the result of ongoing consultation with vehicle manufacturers on future product lines, with recent trends seeing development centre on regenerative braking systems, vehicle motion control surrounding automated/autonomous driving, reducing CO2 emissions, as well as digitalisation.
TRW brake pads
Another instance of innovative technology in play is the advanced COTEC coating applied to the friction material of all TRW brake pads as standard.
Produced from natural occurring silicates, the treatment allows for improvements of up to 7m in stopping distance when fitted new.
TRW DTEC brake pads take the COTEC coating to the next level, with a ceramic formulation that reduces rim surface dust by up to 45 per cent, all while making less noise.
Green credentials are also at the heart of the design and production of the braking range.
TRW brake pads are produced using Powder Adhesive Technology, which bonds the pad to the carrier plate without the use of solvent-based adhesives.
By using powder, a total of 150 tonnes of solvents are eliminated from the manufacturing process each year, a process which was honoured with a Partslife Environmental Award.
This manufacturing takes place in fully automated factories, which feature the latest in cutting edge systems, such as scientific manufacturing employing statistical quality control methodology, which works hand-in-hand with the environmental production aims.
These practices have led to ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001 certification.
Ultimately, the high level of precision in the manufacturing process produces final products that conform to exact tolerances, which in the workshop, provides hassle-free fitment.
TRW brake discs
ZF also produces over 12 million TRW brake discs worldwide every year, both for original equipment and the independent aftermarket.
TRW’s High Carbon brake discs were developed as a means of reducing weight, while also improving braking performance and NVH properties via optimal thermal conductivity.
The newly-released TRW semi-compound disc rotors are designed to enhance safety and performance, and extend endurance levels in heavier, more powerful vehicles.
TRW brake fluids
Also available from ZF in Oceania is the TRW brake fluid range, which caters for a wide range of vehicles, including those with drum brakes through to high-performance vehicles with ABS and ESPs.
Driven by safety, all TRW brake fluids are tested to the extreme and exceed international DOT specifications. The range incorporates the latest technology to make vehicles safer, with a blend of advanced lubricants, stabilisers, anti-oxidants and corrosion inhibitors to help minimise wear and maximise performance.
TRW DOT 3 is designed for vehicles with front and rear drum brakes, as well as hydraulic clutch systems. Some Japanese car manufacturers recommend DOT 3 for their vehicles with ABS and ESP.
TRW DOT 4 is recommended for vehicles with disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on the rear. It is also suited for vehicles with disc brakes all round, and those fitted with ABS.
The DOT 4 ESP is suited for vehicles fitted with ABS and ESP, while the DOT 4 GT is for high-performance vehicles.
TRW DOT 5.1 is designed to complement the very latest ESP and is ideal for heavy, high performance car with its low viscosity.
TRW: true braking experts
The TRW brand is also a leader in the fields of Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS), Electric Park Brakes (EPB), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Integrated Brake Control Systems (IBC), vacuum boosters, brake callipers, as well as new-generation drum brake systems.
ZF Oceania also offers a broad range of TRW steering and suspension components, all built to the highest original equipment standards, and are corrosion resistant and lightweight
For more information on the local TRW braking range, visit:
www.trwbraking.com.au.
