With the launch of Equal Flexx, IMI recently hosted a Ride and Drive event. Guests were asked to put our new product to the test and decide for themselves if they could feel the difference between a truck with unbalanced wheels and a truck with Equal Flexx. The goal was to provide visitors the opportunity to understand the science behind how wheel vibrations are dampened and demonstrate the significance IMI places on scientifically testing our innovative products.
In order to set up the demonstration, Steve Ludwig, senior product development engineer, IMI, secured two trucks from a local Penske facility to be used in the Ride and Drive event. The two trucks were similar in mileage, with one having 196,000 miles and the second having 164,000 miles. Each truck had relatively new steers and similar tires all around, with the steer tires being confirmed as match-mounted assemblies.
Prior to the Ride and Drive event, the IMI team took advantage of our new location and ran the trucks along the exact same routes. After testing the similarity and consistency of the two trucks, one truck was chosen to have Equal Flexx placed in all wheel positions, while the second would be driven without an internal balancing compound – and would thus provide the perfect comparison challenge for participants of the event.
To begin, visitors rode in the cab of Truck No. 1, which was received with no internal balancing compound within its tires. The participants rode 30-miles roundtrip in Truck No. 1 to experience a “baseline,” providing a distinct contrast between the ride difference in the two trucks. After the initial trip, visitors then immediately transferred to Truck No. 2, outfitted with Equal Flexx in all wheel positions. Truck No. 2 was taken the exact same route to provide a direct comparison with Truck No. 1.
Did participants feel a difference between an unbalanced truck and one balanced with Equal Flexx? Just ask Don Long, veteran truck driver of 41 years with 5 million miles safe driving: “For this event, I experimented driving the two different trucks on various road surfaces and, for me, switching between lanes was about as smooth as can be. If I were still driving my truck today, there is no way I would run it without putting Equal Flexx in the tires.”
Information provided by: IMI
