Let’s start by declaring from the outset that the braking performance on our Transport Publishing office Amarok ute has always been more than adequate when it comes to stopping power, whether in a solo ute only mode or when towing a car trailer with the much debated publisher’s rally car on board. We say much debated, but generally the debate comes from the publisher’s ‘steering committee, AKA, the wife. Mrs Transport’s protestations about owning a rally car are vociferous and numerous and the heat generated is almost as much as those front brakes on the Amarok when heading downhill witht he trailer hitched up.
Be that as it may the Datsun 1600 on a heavy dual axle car trailer weighing in at a shade over 2000kgs towed weight meant that the chance to upgrade my the Amarok brakes with front and rear Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kits was one that could not be ignored.
While the brakes have always been good on the VW ute the fact was that when we were offered the chance to upgrade the brakes all around with the new Bendix bigger and more efficient “stoppers” we jumped at it.
Bendix is an Aussie company that has a long and proud track record in manufacturing and supplying brakes and brake components here to the industry dating back to around 1955.
The office Amarok doesn’t get a huge amount of use but we push it hard when we do use it and on weekends it is often involved with doing recces for future rally events we help to organise, which involves running around state forests on and off the brakes and sometimes stopping from relatively high speed time after time. That is not forgetting towing that aforementioned rally car which adds considerably to the braking task and while the standard factory brakes have never let us down, it was time to upgrade and deliver a consistent and even more reliable stopping package to our German hauler.
This was where the Bendix Ultimate 4WD Brake Upgrade Kit loomed into contention. Bendix produces a range of these kits to suit a variety of 4x4s, SUVs and Utes, not to forget passenger cars.
As a day to day Bendix customer, most people would normally source and purchase the upgrade kits through a local bake specialist or Bendix stockist and then have them fitted by a mechanic but, with quite a bit of experience changing brake disc pads and rotors over the years, an with a qualified mechanic mate on hand for technical and safety back up, we took on the job ourselves .
Task one was to start pulling off the old front disc rotors. This was a relatively easy task, with the rotors coming off once we had unbolted the callipers, which were suspended without applying any pressure to the brake hoses. Although we had new braided hoses to fit it is better to not stretch the old hoses before replacing them, lest you damage the connections.
The new Bendix rotors retain the original VW disc sizes and specs so there is no need for any extra-engineering approvals or any extra fuss or bother in that regard.
Once the new rotors were attached to the hub, we changed the old pads out and replaced them with the new Bendix pads supplied in the kit which was an easy job, given we had experience in changing the pads once before with the mighty Amarok.
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.
The Bendix Ultimate kit for the front discs comes packed in a really ‘cool’ blue box which once emptied of its brake cargo becomes a 60L icebox.
The kit contains everything you need to install the upgraded brake package with two Bendix Ultimate 4WD brake rotors, two pairs of Bendix Ultimate 4WD ceramic brake pads, along with a set of those previously mentioned braided brake hoses, a bottle of fresh brake fluid, brake clean-up fluid in an aerosol spray can, some rotor wipes, and a tube of Bendix Ceramasil brake 
part lubricant.
So what is different about the Bendix Ultimate disc rotors compared to the original ones fitted to our 4×4 Ute? Well Bendix tells us the rotors are manufactured using what it describes as a special 4WD metallurgy to facilitate better thermodynamics under heavy and constant braking and generally much better and more consistent performance.
To aid in braking performance, the Bendix Ultimate rotors have been designed and engineered with various strategies to aid cooling of the rotor including a series of dimples and ‘diamond tip slots’, none of which are drilled all the way through, like some performance brake discs. What this means is that mud and dirt can’t be trapped in holes through the discs, something that is important if you are taking your charge onto the dirt or for any level of 4WDing.
The dimples and slots do give better thermal efficiency and adds considerably to the braking performance when hot by allowing to the heat and the gases generated by the pad material to escape easily from the rotors while driving.
Bendix also says the new pads in the Ultimate kit have been especially developed and formulated to suit the upgraded rotors. As we mentioned they use a ceramic compound friction. The four pads, two for each calliper, have a blue line across the middle of the friction material, that Bendix tells us is a strip of titanium that means the pads don’t have to bedded in. Although bedding in with most pads is pretty straight forward and relatively easy these days, the titanium stripe does makes things easier and assures top level performance straight out of the box, again with no fuss or bother.
So the other component that is vital are the braded hoses included in the Ultimate kit.
Brake experts including the boffins at Bendix tell us that the normal rubber hoses that usually connect the braking reservoir and lines to the callipers. While these do an adequate job in most situations and are perfectly safe, the braided lines step the system performance up a level.
You may have got the message that heat is the enemy of improved brake performance in vehicles and if you want better performance and more consistent braking, then the rubber hoses won’t deliver like braided ones will.
It turns out the normal standard issue rubber hoses can expand when really put under pressure with lots of continued heavy braking, which can at the extreme, means possible brake fade or perhaps just a ‘soft spongy brake pedal feel.
The difference with the braded lines is the interlinked braided steel outer sleeve acts as a shield against the inner part of the hose expanding under heat and pressure. Bendix says its braided lines are manufactured to the stringent SAE J1401 specs, so they are again not subject to any limitations or extra approvals, they’re hunky dory straight out of the packaging.
So what does all this extra stopping power cost? Well for a start if you are worried about the price then stick to the original equipment and suffer the potential consequences of brakes that do the job but which might just let you down with a soft pedal or total fade when you ost need them.
Installing the Bendix Ultimate kit give you the sort of peace of mind that I don’t believe you can get even from the standard manufacturer supplied components when new. The performance of the replacement brake disc rotors, pads and brake hoses, not to forget the new brake fluid we used after flushing all of the old hydraulic juice out of the system, is a massive step up to the old standard components, both back when we first added the Amarok to the fleet but also after 50,000km since our last pad change.
Its never a cheap thing to do, no corners should ever be cut when investing in replacing brake components, whether that is discs, pads or fluid. Spend a bit more and get the best, you will never be disappointed.
We could have spent around $400 plus fitting replacing the rotors and pads with aftermarket gear of a similar spec to the original front brakes, or a bit over $500 for the genuine VW gear. The reality is we are told the price of the Bendix Ultimate kit for the front of our Amarok would have cost around about the same as the VW genuine standard spec brakes. So reality is the high performance Ultimate kit costs about the same as the often overpriced ‘genuine’ manufacturer’s gear at around $500.
Of course most will have to factor in the cost of fitment at the local mechanic, and we were fortunate to have our mechanic friend watch over us and lend a hand when needed, so we cut that cost out, but it is still worth it and unless you really know what you are doing leave it up to an experienced mechanic. This will add up to around an extra $600 all things being equal and depending on your mechanic, but it is still not a lot to pay for the peace of mind and confidence the Ultimate brake kit instils in a driver.
Next step will be to upgrade the rear drum brakes on the Amarok with a similar kit Bendix does for this separately. We hope to do that one in the next few weeks and report back on the entire upgrade.
