For Immediate Release
July 5, 2006
For more information contact:
Bob Bauerle
Sales Manager
(937) 836-7025 ext 206
bbauerle@liteflex.net
Integral Ball Joint and Spring Combination Saves Assembly Time and Costs
Englewood, OH – Integrating a ball joint into a lightweight composite spring simplified assembly by reducing extraneous parts and the labor required to assemble them. In addition to creating greater production efficiencies, reducing the number of vehicle components and labor can positively impact the suspension cost. Liteflex lightweight composite springs with integral ball joints are ideal for automotive, truck, military, RV, and off-road vehicle manufacturers.
“The idea of using the spring to support the suspension is not new” admits Liteflex LLC Managing Direct John Prikkel, “but doing it with a lightweight composite spring is. The weight savings is substantial, as are the labor and assembly savings.”
Liteflex lightweight composite springs weigh 75% less than steel, yet they last 10-times longer. This reduced weight can increase fuel efficiency, payload capacity, and horsepower to weight ration for faster acceleration. Load-deflection testing has shown that the propriety mixture of fiberglass and epoxy, is virtually identical to steel. A fatigue life that is nearly 10-times that of steel eliminates the sagging that is common with steel leaf springs over time. Virtually indestructible Liteflex lightweight composite springs provide life-of-vehicle service.
Changing from steel leaf springs to composites saved Corvette suspension designers 34 pounds per spring, or nearly 81% of the weight. In addition to tangible performance gains, composite springs provide faster responsiveness to changing road conditions than their steel leaf-spring predecessors. The 2006 Corvette model year marks the 25th Anniversary since the performance auto manufacturer switched to Liteflex lightweight composite springs. The Englewood-based international company has supplied lightweight composite springs for every Corvette to come off the assembly line since the start of the 1981 model year.
Hybrid springs can also benefit from composite technology. Suspension designers shaved 55% of the spring weight from a ¾ ton 4x4 pickup when they replaced leaf springs with Liteflex lightweight composite springs. Liteflex® composite springs are ideal for performance vehicles, tractor-trailers, small trucks, military vehicles, or any vehicle where weight reduction and its inherent increase in acceleration and fuel efficiency is important.
Liteflex springs have been in production for over 25 years. They are in use on over 15 million vehicles, including GM, Ford, Range Rover, DaimlerChrysler, Iveco, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner and Navistar, and others. All facilities are ISO/TS 16949:2002 certified. For more information on Liteflex Composite Springs, please visit www.liteflexllc.com, call (937) 836-7025 ext 206, contact them via e-mail at info@liteflex.net, or write to them at Liteflex LLC, 100 Holiday Drive, Englewood, OH 45322.
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