Are you familiar with the iwis brand? This manufacturer is known for its top-quality timing chains in the OE market. Find out all about the iwis brand, its production and our offer in this blog!

Who is iwis?

In fact, this German brand needs no introduction, as many know this OE supplier of distribution chains. The brand supplies worldwide for a countless number of well-known automotive brands, such as BMW and GM. With these products, quality is vital. iwis manufactures its own products and supplements missing components with OE parts. The parts are individually sealed in the packaging and come with a 5-year / 100,000 km warranty.

Currently, iwis specialises mainly in European applications, consisting of 500 various kits! This supplier sets itself apart from the rest of the aftermarket by using only parts from OE manufacturers. Products are tested in-house by the company, using 70 types of test benches and 20 engineers to ensure this quality. In addition, an advantage of this OE supplier is that complete kits come with all parts, so where necessary it includes an oil pump or a gear, which is not the case with some aftermarket suppliers. Basic kits with fewer parts are also available for various applications to offer various suitable options for a project.

In the future, iwis will offer chain kits for many more applications, including Asian and American ones. The range is expected to be around 1,000 distribution chain sets by 2028.

Passed the test!

Manufacturing chains is something iwis can do like no other. The company has been manufacturing these products since the year 1937, giving it the ultimate knowledge and experience to make them to OE quality. Daily production is 38,500,000 components per day, which makes 55,000 metres of automotive chain.

Production follows a detailed process and step-by-step plan. First, the concept phase is started, in which research into the distribution set is done and a 2D layout is created. After this, the concept is compared and evaluated.

The next step is the detailed phase, in which a dynamic calculation is made with a 3D design. An analysis into the sensitivity of the chain is also done.

Then it is time for the testing phase, where it is the turn of functional testing, component testing and prototyping. The company has various techniques and machines to test its products, including the examples below:

• Testing to measure timing chain tension.
  
• A cylinder head test bench for dynamic inspection of prototypes.
  
• Wear test bench to investigate how parts perform in various situations when it comes to lubrication.
  
• CT scanner, which safely measures components.
  
• In the laboratory, special analyses are conducted around material and product wear.
  

Finally, the set enters the approval process. Here, engine tests are done and the components are analysed for the last time.

The company regularly tests the performance and quality of its own parts against similar or cheaper copies in the aftermarket. For instance, an example of a test with a chain tensioner shows that an aftermarket version looks the same at first glance, but a part is missing on the inside. During operation, this will cause the chain tensioner to unnecessarily pass oil, losing the power of the part and resulting in less performance.

TRITAN: an innovative coating technology

During one of the tests to measure the wear on the links of the chain, it became clear that the pin takes the most wear and removes a thin layer of the surface. This is also the reason a timing chain 'stretches' and the tension decreases.

As a solution, iwis applied its own innovative coating technology called TRITAN in part of its distribution chains. This coating is applied to the pins of the chain and provides high resistance and is maintenance-free. The coating is a Physical Vapout Deposition (PVD) coating, which means there are layers on the coating that stop aggressive oil and fuel. Tests of chains with and without coating show that the chains with coating last much longer.

An example of such a chain set is the WG2293989, a distribution chain for the Mercedes-Benz OM651.

Offer Wilmink Engine Parts

At Wilmink Engine Parts, you can order a lot of iwis distribution chains from stock. Sets come in several types, depending on the application and requirements. For example, we have timing chain sets, but also oil pump sets. Depending on what you need, we offer different sets of parts. Besides the chain, kits can also include tensioners, bolts, sprockets and more.

In addition, we also want to highlight some kits in this blog that are definitely worth mentioning:

• Popular products
  Such as the WG2293806 (BMW / MINI 1.6 engines), WG2293904 (VAG 3.0 TDI) and the WG2293878 (Mercedes-Benz OM651) are all available at a competitive price.
  
• Oil pump sets
  For example, the WG2293838 for various BMW engines.
  
• Sets for Porsche applications.
  Including the 911 (964), WG2293964, and 2.7 / 2.9 / 3.4 Boxster, WG2293817.
  
• TRITAN coating
  The previously mentioned chain set with TRITAN coating for the Mercedes-Benz OM651, WG2293989
  

More applications and all iwis products can be found in our webshop!

Click here for the complete iwis range

Until the 2nd of June, take advantage of ‘seal the iwis deal’! When you buy a distribution set from iwis, you will receive a free tube of Dirko HT.