Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kit installation

Upgrading my Toyota Prado 120 Series’ brakes with front and rear Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kits fits neatly with my general philosophy on four-wheel driving. I’ve always taken a pragmatic and budget-minded approach to my vehicle and its upgrades, believing you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a rig that will still get you and your family to the best bits Australia has to offer.

The Prado has been a great rig over the years, taking my family on numerous epic trips including the Simpson Desert, the Victorian High Country, Cape York, the Eyre Peninsula and, more recently, Tassie. But when its rotors recently came up for replacement, it made complete sense to investigate some of the latest aftermarket gear and explore what it could offer, and Bendix was only too happy to help.

I’ve long known of Bendix, an Australian brake specialist and manufacturer that can trace its origins back to 1955. These days the company produces brakes and brake components for a wide variety of applications spanning cars and performance vehicles, 4x4s, trucks, and motorcycles (I’ve had good results with Bendix pads on several of my own bikes over the years).

The standard OEM brakes on my Prado have delivered faithful performance but they’re what I’d describe as ‘average’, both for power and feel. That’s no surprise given the extra gear my rig carries. A bullbar, driving lights, off-road suspension, auxiliary battery, cargo barrier, a case in the back crammed with tools, spares, and recovery kit – it all adds up, especially with two adults and two nearly adults thrown into the mix. On long and steep off-road descents, or when pulling our camper trailer, the anchors’ shortcomings were apparent.

Our camper trailer is light (500kg tare) and it’s unbraked, but when loaded up and with a loaded car, sudden stops suddenly aren’t so sudden, if you get my drift. So when it came time to replace the rotors, it was logical to hunt for more performance – an aspect even more important in an older vehicle, I think, that misses out on many of the modern safety systems.

That’s where these Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kits come into the picture. Bendix makes a broad range of these kits to suit a wide range of 4x4s, both new and not-so-new. It also does a Bendix Ultimate 4WD Big Brake Upgrade Kit, complete with monster six-piston monobloc front calipers, but that’s only available for select later models fitted with larger rims (and requires an engineering check and modification plate after fitting). And, for the many dual-cab owners out there, Bendix also does a range of rear brake drum-to-disc conversions too.

Here, I’ve gone for the standard kits front and rear for a 120 Series Prado with a 50mm lift. While prices can vary from outlet to outlet, Bendix quotes an RRP of $1295 for the front kit and $799 for the rear, for an all-up total of $2094, plus fitting.

While I could have replaced my brakes with aftermarket rotors and pads for around $1300, going for OEM gear would have cost closer to $2000, so these kits really aren’t much dearer than swapping like for like. And when you factor in the claimed performance boost, they make even more sense. But what do you get for the money?

For starters, the front kit comes neatly packaged in a 60L Bendix icebox, which is a nice bonus. Inside you’ll find everything you need to upgrade your brakes, including two Bendix Ultimate 4WD brake rotors, two pairs of Bendix Ultimate 4WD ceramic brake pads, Ultimate braided brake hoses, brake fluid, a spray can of brake clean-up fluid, a packet of rotor wipes, and a tube of Ceramasil Brake Part Lubricant. Rear kits comprise the same, minus the icebox.

Without going into too much techo jargon, the rotors are made to OEM specifications but incorporate what Bendix describes as a special ‘4WD metallurgy’ for improved braking. They feature dimples and ‘diamond tip slots’ to better allow heat and gases to escape and ensure consistent performance, but the dimples and slots aren’t drilled all the way through so they don’t trap mud and grit within the disc.

The pads, meanwhile, have been developed specifically to suit the rotors. They feature a specially compounded ceramic material said to offer superior performance even in extreme conditions, while the blue stripe in the middle of each pad is actually a section of titanium material that Bendix says effectively side-steps need for bedding-in – the brakes develop strong power right from the get-go.

Also playing their part is the braided brake hose. Standard rubber brake hoses can expand, especially under repeated hard braking, producing brake fade and a spongy brake pedal. But these Bendix braided lines negate this with a protective outer sleeve, while they’re made to strict SAE J1401 specifications.

Before having the Bendix gear fitted I conducted a series of braking tests from both 60km/h and 80km/h to establish a benchmark for comparison. I’ll revisit the tests after fitting to help gauge the difference the Bendix gear makes.

Usually Bendix customers simply order these kits through their local Bendix stockist and then have them fitted at their local mechanic but, because I was taking over a workshop for photography, I took the Prado to trusted Bendix partner Fulcrum Suspension, and one of its outlets in Pakenham, to Melbourne’s east.

There the friendly and professional Fulcrum team immediately set to work, pulling off the old brakes, unboxing the new, and making sure everything was as it should be. Of course, nothing is stopping nifty home mechanics from fitting the gear themselves, but unless you really know what you’re doing I wouldn’t recommend it. These are your vehicle’s brakes, after all, and I was thankful for having a professional fit and test the brakes before I grabbed the keys.

The process took about four hours all up although it would have been closer to 3.5 had it not been for one particularly pesky old rotor that refused to budge. There’s always one, isn’t there?

Unlike the Big Brake Upgrade with its six-pot calipers, there’s no need for an engineering check and modification plate as the Bendix rotors retain the OEM discs’ size and specifications.

With Fulcrum’s test drive complete, it was time to sample the new Bendix brakes for myself. And as I made my way out of the workshop and back onto the road, the difference was plain to see (or rather, feel!).

While the initial bite is still nice and progressive, the bottom line is there is noticeably more power and a finer sense of feel at the pedal. And there was plenty of power right from the off, no easing in required. I imagine for anyone who goes for the rear drum-to-disc conversion or the Big Brake Upgrade, the difference would be truly stark.

Either way, it's reassuring to know that extra stopping power is there, especially when I’m carting around the family. While any improvement in braking performance around town is a huge plus, I’m particularly looking forward to feeling the difference when 4WDing and when towing the camper trailer – and to seeing what that second set of brake tests will reveal too.

Stay tuned for that follow-up in the not-too-distant future...