KYB Corporation has developed a world first direct adaptive steering system in conjunction with Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. KYB will supply the electronic control unit, gear assembly and reaction motor for the new system, which is fitted to the Skyline as the first vehicle in the world to go into production with this new technology on-board.

KYB recently established an Electronics Technology Centre which it says will strengthen it’s electronics technology capability with a new team concentrating on design, evaluation and manufacturing technologies for electronic components.  KYB’s wholly owned subsidiary KYB Trondule Co. Ltd has established a dedicated factory for vehicle-use ECUs.

A new production line has also been established for the assembly of reaction motors and gear assembly. Moving forward, KYB will have an integrated system for electronic components covering product development to the prototype, evaluation and mass production.

Conventional steering links the drivers request to the vehicle’s tyres via mechanical means. The direct adaptive steering system is intuitive to the driver. It feels the force the driver applies to the steering wheel and feeds it into the ECU, which at the same time takes information from the road about what the tyres are doing. The ECU processes all this information and only feeds back to the driver what he needs to know. In real terms this means the steering wheel doesn’t vibrate or jump, it just stays still.

KYB manufactures original equipment power steering pumps for a wide range of vehicle makers. The company has worked closely with Nissan for many years.