Might have seen this one popping up in your Facebook feed recently, we have, so we thought we’d take a quick look at the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Upgrade Kit.
Okay, so if you’re a follower of our site (thanks) you’ll have seen our quick look at the Pedders TrakRyder Rear Disc Brake conversion kit. That kit allows you to replace the rear drums on a range of 4×4 utes with disc brakes which is a ripper idea in our opinion.
The Bendix brake upgrade kit, on the other hand, is designed to replace the front discs but leave the rear drums as they are. That said, according to Bendix which has conducted testing before and after, the disc brake swap resulted in a reduced stopping time for the test vehicle of around 5-7 metres less than with the OEM front disc brakes. The kit is priced from $1264 although you may be able to find it a little cheaper if you shop around.
According to Bendix, it’s developed its kit to improve braking performance based on the fact that almost no-one leaves their 4×4 ute stock standard. And that added weight can have an impact on braking performance. Yep, we agree and too many people when it comes to modifying their vehicle completely forget about the brakes.
“Consider the weight of accessories such as a canopy, storage draws, a winch, bullbar, driving lights, a fridge, second spare wheel, larger fuel tank, second battery, roof rack etc., and it is easy to see why the braking system is under greatly increased pressure and safety becomes a real issue,” said Bendix Product Manager, Ian Campbell.
“Then there is an additional factor of the weight of a heavy caravan or outback trailer behind to consider,” he added.
The Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kit includes new discs and rotors as well as braided brake line replacements (as well as optional longer lines for lifted vehicles) and Bendix’s Ultimate 4Wd Brake Pads – these are a ceramic material brake pad for fade resistance and performance when hot. The rotors boast diamond tip slots and a special bi-directional pillar design which, Bendix said, will “quickly and efficiently expel gases, water, dust and grit”.
“With an additional 15 new part numbers recently released, the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kits cover most popular 4WD vehicles and dual cab utes providing additional safety for the driver and their families,” said Ian Campbell.
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