Dana Holding Corporation (NYSE: DAN) today announced a new driveshaft specifically engineered to further support engine downspeeding. Dana’s next-generation driveshaft weighs 30 pounds less than existing products and is tailored to address the specific torque-management strategies of individual commercial-vehicle manufacturers. Engineered with fewer components, this next-generation driveshaft offers a simplified installation process to reduce assembly costs for original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and improve ease of maintenance for truck owners. Performance and vehicle dynamics are improved with reduced noise, vibration, and harshness levels, which can also extend component life. Available now for pre-production evaluation by OEMs, Dana’s latest innovation is designed for severe-duty, long-haul applications on high-efficiency Class 8 trucks. This driveshaft is ready for powertrains of the future that will be engineered for further engine downspeeding – enabling an axle ratio lower than 2.26:1, which is the fastest ratio on the market today. “Engine downspeeding is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each OEM implements this efficiency-boosting strategy in its own way, resulting in very specific torque-handling requirements,” said Mark Wallace, executive vice president of Dana and group president of Dana On-Highway Driveline Technologies. “This next-generation driveshaft is the result of our continuous drive to deliver flexible solutions to meet each customer’s unique needs while further reducing weight and improving efficiency in our products.” Dana was the first to offer a driveline solution for engine downspeeding with the introduction two years ago of the Spicer® AdvanTEK® 40 tandem axle, SPL®350 driveshaft, and SPL® 250 inter-axle shaft. Together, this system can handle 30 percent higher input torque from downsped engines, and it enables increased overall vehicle efficiency of more than 2 percent when compared with competitors’ offerings. Dana is featuring a range of solutions to optimize engine downspeeding in booth 710 at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s 2016 Annual Meeting this week. For more information about Dana’s downspeeding package for commercial vehicles, visit danacv.com/daretocompare-downspeeding.