McHenry, IL — January 29, 2009 - Affinia Global Brake & Chassis officially announced the re-branding of its Spicer® Chassis parts under the Raybestos™ name during an unveiling event at partner Joe Gibbs Racing. Raybestos Chassis features redesigned packaging, continued superior coverage of aftermarket SKUs and a bolstering of its already industry-leading warranty to include coverage of labor costs on callbacks.

“Raybestos is one of the most recognized and respected names in racing and the automotive aftermarket,” said Josh Russell, Vice President of Marketing for Affinia’s Global Brake & Chassis Group, whose operations  manufacture Raybestos brand chassis parts and Raybestos® brand brakes. “Our chassis parts have been a longtime leader in state-of-the-art design and performance and these critical components, now available under the Raybestos brand name, will continue to provide unparalleled stability for vehicles on and off the track.”
Raybestos Chassis parts not only provide superior performance under some of the most rigorous racing demands, but tie rod ends, ball joints, idler arms and alignment products for both domestic and foreign name plate vehicles also run circles around the aftermarket competition. Affinia’s Global Brake & Chassis Group offers more than 7,500 chassis SKUs, about 2,000 more SKUs than its largest competitor, and has more than 550 exclusive parts for some of the most popular vehicle models on the road today, including chassis parts for the 2005-2007 Ford Mustang, 2007-2009 Toyota Camry and the 2004-2009 Chevy Malibu.
Affinia’s Global Brake & Chassis Group is so confident in the performance of its Raybestos Chassis parts that it offers the industry’s only guarantee on parts and installation costs associated with callbacks.

Raybestos Chassis ball joints and tie rods are designed and engineered with Advanced Technology® materials, featuring friction-reducing synthetic composites that help reduce instances of metal-on-metal contact and, as a result, require less maintenance.
“Without proper lubrication, joints exhibit the effects of wear much faster and can negatively affect a vehicle’s performance,” said Terry Heffelfinger, Director, Product Engineering, Research & Development and Quality for Affinia Global Brake and Chassis. “Our Advanced Technology Chassis parts have smooth finishes that slide easier and provide a longer product life with less maintenance than competing parts while continuing to provide superior performance and reliability.”
The low-friction chassis part designs that meet NASCAR teams’ rigorous demands for superior performance on the track have carried over to the aftermarket.
“We’ve taken the same technology, engineering and knowledge we have gained from countless hours of testing under strenuous racing conditions and applied that to our parts that keep countless vehicles on the road each day,” said Jeff Repaal, Director of Steering/Suspension and Product Development for Affinia Global Brake & Chassis Group. “If we can take a Raybestos brand ball joint and run it under race conditions for 2,000 miles with no end play, you can imagine what that strength and durability will mean for the performance of these parts off the track under normal, everyday driving conditions.”
 
Raybestos™ brand Chassis parts are produced by member companies in the Affinia Global Brake & Chassis Group, the leading manufacturer of chassis parts for the transportation industry. Including everything from ball joints to tie rods, idler arms and sway bar links, Raybestos Chassis parts are the choice of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing, and are used in competition on every JGR race car. For more information on Raybestos Chassis, visit www.RaybestosChassis.com.  

Affinia Group Inc. is a global leader in the on and off-highway replacement products and service industry. In North America the Affinia family of brands includes Wix® filters, Raybestos®, AIMCO® and BrakePro® brake products, and McQuay-Norris® and Raybestos™ Chassis parts. South American and European brands include Nakata®, Filtron®, Urba® and Quinton Hazell®. For more information, visit www.AffiniaGroup.com.

Contact:          

John Mader

(704) 926-1316

jmader@wrayward.com