Frequently Asked Questions
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Brake Effectiveness Evaluation Procedure
BEEP® FAQs:
- What are the steps manufacturers must meet in order to achieve BEEP® certification?
- What does it mean to be ISO/QS certified?
- Are manufacturers recertified after a period of time?
- How many friction manufacturers are BEEP® certified and who are they?
- Is the BEEP® Program available to anyone? YES.
- Who owns BEEP® ?
- What is NHTSA's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 135?
- Who can participate in the BEEP® Program?
- What requirements must an "accredited" testing laboratory meet?
- Can a manufacturer conduct their own testing?
- Does the BEEP® Program benefit installers in any way?
- Is the BEEP® certification available to Canadian brake manufacturers?
- How long has it taken the aftermarket to develop the program?
- How does BEEP® compare to D3EA?
- Is the development of BEEP® a direct consequence of longer lasting vehicles?
- Do all participants in the program share results of all J2430 tests?
- Is BMC satisfied with the level of promotion for BEEP® industry ads?
- Can you formulate a product, test to a platform, then certify the product to other platforms because it contains the same formula?
To achieve BEEP® certification manufacturers must:
- Be QS9000, ISO9001 or ISO/TS 16949 certified
- Manufacture a broad range of friction products
- Prove performance in tests conducted by an accredited test laboratory authorized by BMC.
ISO9001 is a set of supplier standards for quality management systems that is accepted around the world. When you purchase a product, e.g., a brake pad or a service
from an organization that is registered to the appropriate ISO9001 standard, you have confidence that the quality of that customers' needs are met. Developed by
Diamler-Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, QS9000 is a quality management system for suppliers of production parts, materials and services to the automotive
industry.
Annual recertification including tests by an accredited test laboratory.
- ISO/QS recertification annually by an independent auditor.
- Show conformance to new platforms each year.
Because competitive issues, BMC is not at liberty to identify manufacturers who have passed the BEEP® program requirements and are permitted to advertise
conforming products. Our contractual responsibility is to keep this confidential. Manufacturers are at liberty to set the timing for announcing and promoting their
BEEP® certification.
- The foundation for BEEP® is the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practice, "test procedure," now known as SAE J2430 "Dynamometer
Effectiveness Characterization Test for Passenger Car and Light Truck Brake Friction Products." Anyone can purchase this online at www.sae.org.
- Program the dynamometer as instructed in J2430 to run the tests.
- Plug in the vehicle attributes (the input parameters) identified in J2430.
- Run the dynamometer and record the test results.
- Apply for BEEP®.
The Brake Manufacturers Council (BMC) owns BEEP®, which in its basic element consists of the following:
- The SAE J2430 operating/test procedure [available from SAE]
- A database of vehicle input parameters such as vehicle weights, inertia splits, pedal pressures, cooling curves, etc. [Some data is available in libraries and some
data comes from measuring a sample vehicle.]
- A quality control software that detects test anomalies [a good operator or test engineer would review the results line by line for anomalies.]
- An evaluation and print program that compares the test results to performance requirements of FMVSS and graphically displays the results. [The full text of
FMVSS is available from the Government Printing Office as 49CFR Part 571.135.]
This standard specifies equipment and performance requirements for service brakes and for parking brake systems. The purpose of this standard is to ensure safe
braking performance under normal and emergency driving conditions. This applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a
GVWR of 3,500 kg (7,716 lb) or less.
Participation by friction manufacturers and independent test laboratories in the BEEP® Program includes contractual agreements on product and process quality
control including periodic audits. Membership in the BMC is not a requirement for participation.
- Must be ISO17025 and/or ISO9001 certified by an independent certification authority.
- Maintain accurate and current records of all test equipment (calibration and maintenance).
- Maintain test equipment and procedures in accordance with industry accepted practices.
- Be in compliance with the BMC License Agreement and all its provisions.
BMC, as a courtesy to its members, has limited licenses available to evaluate their products in-house on their dynamometers. The limited license covers the
installation and use of the software and any vehicle parameters from the database. See also "Is the BEEP® Program available to anyone?"
Assures installers are using quality products that meet key original equipment braking requirements.
Yes, it's open to Canadian manufacturers subject to their meeting the eligibility criteria.
The industry worked on this program for over ten years to assure that it is meaningful, repeatable, affordable, and generally available. A major breakthrough to the
success of this program was the correlation of vehicle test results with dynamometer test results.
BEEP® uses a single-ended dynamometer to validate the performance of the replacement brakes (front axle or rear axle) to the requirements for new vehicles. BEEP®
recognizes that most brake jobs do not involve both front and rear brake replacement at the same time.
D3EA is conducted on a dual-ended dynamometer where the front and rear replacement linings are tested at the same time.
The development of SAE J2430/BEEP® was not related to longer lasting vehicles, but was more directed at a meaningful test, short of vehicle testing, that would
enable a manufacturer to better assess the effectiveness of one's product against certain OE requirements.
Results from the J2430 testing are not shared by competitors until the manufacturer elects to publish the results. At that time all results are presented in a useable and
consistent format.
BMC is working to expand the level of promotion for SAE J2430 and BEEP® and we are sure that as more manufacturers complete their requirements to display the
seal, that will happen. It is still fairly early and a number of manufacturers are working to get certified.
NO. Brake performance is based on a number of factors, in addition to the formula and composition of friction materials such as inertial weight, hydraulic pressue and
cooling to name a few. A manufacturer may use the same material and process over much of his product offerings, however, only those applications (platforms) tested
and certified may display the BEEP® seal.