AP Racing Radi-CALs decade of success

This year, AP Racing celebrated their 10th anniversary of the reform of the Radi-CAL brake technology. Since launching the Radi-CAL technology in 2007, AP Racing has brought the brake system to a new level in motorsport, OEM and high-performance applications.

• What is Radi-CAL?

        Prior to 2007, all brake calipers were designed symmetrically, meaning that the right and left sides of the caliper were exactly the same. When the right and left sides are combined, it becomes a completed caliper. The difference of AP Racing's Radi-CAL patented brake caliper is: This is an asymmetrical design. The right side of the caliper is totally different from the left side. You may ask: Why? The reason is simple; because the benefits of such design can not be ignored. You may also ask: How can we do it? Using computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) for stress analysis, AP Racing can analyze how much pressure is applied to each part of the brake caliper under real conditions and apply the material to places subject to high pressure. Remove the material from places that are under less pressure. Finally, a more effective and more efficient asymmetric brake caliper was created, which is also a more environmentally friendly product due to the more efficient use of materials.

• The history of Radi-CAL

        From 1987 until now, AP Racing is providing the NASCAR team with a braking system. Twenty years later, the first appearance of the Radi-CAL caliper was for Tony Stewart's car of the Joe Gibbs racing team on the Watkins Glen track. Although Tony Stewart was already at the bottom of the game as the car rotated, he later struggled to catch up to the other cars with the new Radi-CAL technical caliper CP5845 and finally won a very exciting victory. Richard Bass, chief engineer of the AP Racing track brake division, said: "Our favorite part is that after the race, the maximum temperature record of the braking system only reaches 121 °C, and the general braking system should be 192 °C. After the game, many teams complained to the NASCAR official that Tony Stewart's Radi-CAL braking system provided him with an unfair advantage.The NASCAR official investigation revealed that after the incident the announcement showed that even the CP5845 Radi-CAL caliper is in line with the competition technology. Specifications are required, but will still be prohibited until all teams are available.

       Since then, AP Racing's Radi-CAL technology has been produced and supplied to NASCAR in large quantities, and has continued to evolve into all racing and formula sports. As of March 2017, AP Racing has about 100 Radi-CAL brake calipers available for motorsports, OEMs and high-performance cars in the aftermarket.

• What are the advantages of Radi-CAL brake calipers?

         The 2007 NASCAR event has proven that the effective and efficient design of the Radi-CAL caliper improves the performance of a car. Due to the effective use of materials, calipers become lighter. We all know that when a car is lighter, it will run faster. Moreover, where the caliper has excess material is removed or stretched, giving the caliper better ventilation and heat dissipation. High-efficiency asymmetric design and forging technology brings a substantial increase in rigidity to the caliper. Compared to symmetrically designed calipers, the asymmetric design gives the caliper a radical appearance. Finally, this wide asymmetrical design allows the caliper to be mounted in a denser hub.

• Latest Radi-CAL message: Pro 5000 R

          The popular preliminary Pro 5000 R of the AP Racing Radi-CAL brake caliper is designed for motorsports and has launched six new 4-piston calipers on the existing Pro 5000 R series: CP9446, CP9447, CP9448, CP9449 , CP9450, CP9451. Because these newer models can accommodate larger brake discs, they can be used with existing front and rear wheel calipers. CP9446, CP9447, and CP9448 are applied to the front wheels, and CP9449, CP9450, and CP9451 are applied to the rear wheels.

        The existing Pro 5000 R product range includes 13 calipers and 16 brake discs that can be fitted. Options include 6 and 4 piston calipers, ventilation discs from 280mm to 390mm in diameter, and 18mm to 36mm in thickness.

• World Radi-CAL Aftermarket High Performance Caliper

        After Radi-CAL's success in racing, AP Racing launched the technology on their street products. In 2014, the World Radi-CAL I's 85 series was created - a brake caliper that is well known and popular in the retrofit world.

In 2017, AP Racing introduced the World Radi-CAL II, the second-generation World Radi-CAL brake caliper. The concept of World Radi-CAL was introduced to the market for the first time as an OE (formerly produced) high-performance brake upgrade for different applications. Compared to the first generation of World Radi-CAL, the second generation of World Radi-CAL is lighter, more rigid and has better heat dissipation. The second-generation design is suitable for a variety of vehicle platforms and applications, but must be a common vehicle.

All new World Radi-CAL II and new Pro 5000 R calipers will be equipped with AP Racing's anti-counterfeiting labels. Customers can download official AP Racing software, scan security labels to register products and check the authenticity of calipers (from July 2016 onwards. Calipers can be used to identify the authenticity of two-dimensional code).