The Original Gabriel (Ride Control, LLC), recently announced the availability of more than 140 Gabriel premium ReadyMount SKUs. According to the company, this makes it one of the broadest pre-assembled strut lines available today, with coverage exceeding 105 million North American vehicles and 2,000 applications. All new ReadyMount designs are precision engineered and extensively tested before being offered to the marketplace to ensure they meet Gabriel high standards and the real-world structural/safety demands placed on pre-assembled struts.
“We’ve released new, premium ReadyMount applications over the past few months which provide customers with terrific coverage, plus the confidence of an extremely well engineered product design that has been extensively tested for durability, performance, fit, and ride,” said Lisa Bahash, president and CEO, Gabriel. “As a structural sub-system of the steering/suspension system of the vehicle, customers have a lot riding on the pre-assembled struts they select. That’s why Gabriel goes to such great lengths in the design and testing of Gabriel ReadyMount assemblies.”
All Gabriel premium ReadyMount designs are now available for order. The full list of ReadyMount parts and applications is included at the Gabriel.com website. The new ReadyMount parts are included in the current part search at Gabriel.com and the Gabriel mobile phone search accessed from any Smart phone at Gabriel.com.
A Premium ReadyMount Product starts with Precision Engineering and High-Quality, Validated Components
Gabriel engineers, located in the Detroit area, precision engineer each new ReadyMount application to strict tolerances based on their unique knowledge and clear understanding of the original equipment part, the vehicle design, and the performance requirements of the assembly. Only components that meet
Gabriel’s high standards are specified and used in the assembly.
Gabriel starts with a MacPherson strut or coil-over shock design, validated to 1,000,000 cycles, with a super-finished chromed piston rod for superior corrosion resistance. Gabriel conducts a structural rigidity test on the strut design to ensure that it meets Gabriel requirements for cornering and braking.
“There’s more that goes into a fully assembled strut design than the strut,” continued Bahash. “All the other components that make up a ReadyMount assembly also need to be durable, specified properly, and of equally high quality, so they work together to meet the specifications of the vehicle.”
Testing of the Assembled New Design is Extensive
Gabriel then adds a premium strut mount, bearing, jounce bumper, dust boot, coil spring and spring isolator(s) before extensively testing each new ReadyMount design and its individual components on a quarter car testing rig to simulate the real-world articulation of the assembly:
• The assembly is tested to full travel to make sure it lives up to the extreme demands of North American roads and weather.
• Side load compensation is also tested to ensure that friction on the strut is minimized.
• Steering is simulated to ensure durability of the bearings.
• Coil springs, which are a key component to the desired ride, are tested to full travel for performance and durability.
• A durometer test checks the rubber isolators load resistance and durability.
• Limit load tests, on the rebound springs (or rebound bumper) and on the jounce bumper, are conducted to extreme loads to simulate deep potholes and high curb strikes.
Once all quarter car rig testing is assessed, engineers do a complete teardown analysis of the design and all of the components are examined to certify there is no excessive wear.
“It’s another way that Gabriel goes the extra mile. We do all this to ensure the components in the final assembly are integrated for fit, form and function, to work as a complete suspension system,” said Bahash.
Testing the Design for the Real World
Then Gabriel takes it a step further by Fit-testing each ReadyMount design on the very vehicle application for which it was designed, verifying first-hand that the design fits properly and can be easily installed. Finally, Gabriel Answerman technicians Ride-test the ReadyMount design on this same vehicle on U.S. roads to make sure it meets real world performance and Gabriel’s standards.
Undertaking all these steps ensures that each ReadyMount design is free from noise, fit and ride issues right out of the box and ensures faster, smoother installations. But if there is a question, the same Gabriel technicians who Fit- and Ride-test the ReadyMount applications are the Answermen that installers and customers speak to when they call the Gabriel Tech Line.
“Few manufacturers go to the lengths Gabriel does to ensure the quality of our ReadyMount designs, and few have the independent, entrepreneurial spirit of the Original Gabriel team. It is what started the industry and what got us here today,” concludes Bahash. “We look forward to introducing many new ReadyMount designs and applications in the coming few months.”
For additional information, visit www.gabriel.com.
