- Developed with Hitachi Astemo
- Claimed to improve cooling and is lighter
- No word about the launch timeline
Hitachi Astemo, the parent company to Showa and Nissin has launched an interesting new tech- an integrated front fork and brake caliper system with significant claimed benefits.
Traditionally, calipers are mounted radially with two mounts from the bottom of the fork leg. Then some bolts run down the caliper, holding the system to the mounts. This system has been going unquestioned for many years, until now.
The new integrated system from Showa and Nissin has the bottom of the fork and the caliper machined from a single billet. The claimed benefit from this design is an increase in rigidity and a larger connection between the fork and caliper as well as improved cooling. The design is such that the heat dissipation would be much more free-flowing than a traditionally mounted system.
The innovation is claimed to have a five per cent reduction in caliper heat, thanks to the one-piece design, which is also said to improve rigidity. Finally, the new design is also said to be 200 grams lighter than a traditional radially-mounted system. That said, it is still not clear how the integrated caliper system will be to maintain and change pads.
Showa and Nissin are yet to reveal the launch timeline and are likely working on the production version as you read this!
