Spidertrax has been hard at work for several years designing a bolt-on panhard bar kit for the Suzuki Samurai and their diligence has finally paid off. Being the stuff of dreams for many hardcore off-roaders, the panhard linkage can now be enjoyed by even strictly street-driven Samurais. But what is a panhard bar? Is it nothing more than an exotic gimmick reserved for show trucks, or is it something you can really use on your Samurai?

A panhard bar controls the lateral stability of the front axle. Although a live front axle is great for ground clearance and suspension travel, leaf springs are limited in how much lateral control they can provide. Any Samurai owner who upgrades from a stock suspension setup to longer shackles or a spring-over-axle conversion will immediately noticed the changes in handling characteristics. These include mushy handling, decreased turning radius, poor steering control off-road and sway, wander and wobble at high speeds. Many of the modifications we do to make our vehicles more capable off road--such as taller springs, Missing Link shackles, softer bushings and oversize tires--compound the problem and wind up really impacting the controllability and safety of the vehicle.

Are you unsure of how much axle slop your Samurai has? Park your truck parallel to a curb with one of the front tires pressed right up against the curb. Take note of the vertical positioning of the shackles and then have somebody crank the steering wheel. The shackles will lean over to quite a degree as the steering system's drag link pushes the frame to the side. This same movement happens both on the trail and on the street, causing all of the problems listed above and while a more off-road-oriented vehicle will typically have a worse case of axle slop, even a mildly built Samurai will have a very pronounced lack of lateral axle stability.

The sole purpose of a panhard bar is to solidly locate the axle in such a way as to completely eliminate any lateral movement and to avoid any interference with vertical movement. While the concept is simple, the execution is very complicated because the geometry of the system must be exactly right or else the panhard bar will cause more problems than it cures.

The panhard bar must naturally follow the arc of the suspension and steering as the axle articulates up and down. Nowhere in the suspension's travel may the panhard bar work against the springs or the drag link; otherwise binding, bump steer and breakage will occur. The panhard bar must mount to the same frame rail as the steering box, must be set to the proper length and should be as close to horizontal as possible. Designing a panhard bar kit for one vehicle is difficult enough; designing one for a range of different lift heights complicates the design even further.

It is no wonder why the Spidertrax Panhard Kit spent so much time in the design and testing stages. The end result is a truly bolt-on, fully adjustable kit that is of the same top quality as the company's other products.

The kit consists of three main parts: the frame mount, the panhard bar and the spring mount. Also included in the kit are a backing plate to reinforce the frame, a matching driver's side u-bolt plate and all necessary hardware to complete the installation.

1. Park the vehicle on level ground and chock the rear wheels. Jack the front axle and support it with jack stands to allow for the front wheels to be removed.
2. Disconnect the driver's side front brake caliper's hose from the hard brake line, being sure to plug the end of the brake line to prevent fluid loss.
3. Cut the driver's side front brake line mount from the frame and grind flush to provide a flat surface for the Upper Link Mount. This is the most difficult part of the installation and the only permanent modification to the vehicle that the kit requires to be made.
4. Bend the bottom of the wheel-well skirt up from the top of the frame rail to provide sufficient clearance for the Square U-Bolts to slide through.
5. Paint the exposed metal to prevent rust from forming.

6. Remove the passenger's side front u-bolt plate and replace it with the new Passenger U-bolt Plate. Take note that the U-bolt Plate is provided with three spring centering pin clearance holes. A typical SPOA will use the middle hole, but a setup in which the front axle has been moved forward or backward may use either of the other holes (¾" offset front or rear) as long as the spring perches have been drilled to accommodate an identical ¾" offset.
7. Remove the driver's side front u-bolt plate and replace it with the new Driver U-bolt Plate, aligning it in the same manner as in Step 6.
8. Position the Upper Panhard Mount on the frame rail such that a 1/16" to 1/8" gap is left between the Mount and the stock bump stop mount.
9. Place the Backing Plate on the opposite side of the frame rail and install the two Square U-bolts with the supplied nuts and washers.
10. Assemble one end of the Panhard Bar using the Rod End and the supplied hardware. Mount it to the Passenger U-bolt Plate, but do not tighten it yet.
11. Measure the vertical distance between the top of the U-bolt Plate and the bottom of the frame rail to determine which of the two holes in the Upper Panhard Mount to use. This panhard kit is designed for lifts ranging from approximately five to twelve inches, so selecting the right height is crucial for optimal geometry of the panhard bar. Shorter lifts (5-8 inches from frame rail to spring plate) use the top hole, while taller lifts (8-12 inches from frame rail to spring plate) use the bottom hole.
12. Assemble the other end of the Panhard Bar using the Rod End and supplied hardware to mount it to the Upper Panhard Mount, adjusting the thread depth to allow easy installation to the Mount, but do not tighten it yet.
13. Turn the Panhard Bar so that the exposed thread on both Rod Ends is equal and then tighten the Jam Nut on each Rod End.
14. Reconnect the driver's side front brake caliper hose to the hard line using the brake tab that is built into the Upper Panhard Mount, reusing the stock spring clip. Bleed the brake line and ensure that the caliper hose does not interfere with the movement of the Panhard Bar.
15. Inspect all the hardware and reinstall the wheels for a test-drive.

Even before installing the Panhard Kit, the quality of the components was immediately evident. The bracketry is made from up to ¼" steel, while the panhard bar itself is the definition of the term "beefy." The three-piece chromoly rod ends are rated at 40,000 lb. radial loads. The u-bolt plates have integrated bump stop mounts. Every component is either powder coated or zinc plated to prevent corrosion and the supplied hardware is all Grade 8.

Before the first test drive, we used the lift at Mild to Wild Suzuki's to test the axle, steering and panhard travel for any binding. Although the bump stop mounts on the u-bolt plates look like they are too far forward at a normal parked position, they move rearward as the spring compresses and align themselves perfectly underneath the bump stops. Satisfied that the geometry was properly set up, we backed the truck out of the shop and immediately noticed a change in the steering.

Front steering geometry with no Panhard
Front Steering geometry with Panhard installed

Driving on the road, the difference in handling is literally like night and day. Steering input is more accurate than even a stock Samurai, despite eight inches of lift and Missing Link shackles. The steering has the accuracy of a truck with independent front suspension! There remains a little bit of slop in the handling from the tall sidewalls of the 33" tires, but this is as close to a sports car as a lifted Samurai is going to feel.

On rough city streets, driving over broken pavement no longer requires constant steering corrections. Crowned roads don't affect the direction of travel as the bushings settle to one side as they do without a panhard bar. Highway cruising sees much less wander, requiring less steering input to turn the same degree. But by far the greatest improvement is on winding two-lane highways, where S-curves and bumpy, sweeping turns require nothing but one finger on the steering wheel to precisely guide the truck. High-speed confidence is dramatically improved.

We were expecting a big improvement in Project Buster's steering feel from this panhard kit, but the extent to which Spidertrax' kit made a difference was beyond even our expectations. This upgrade works equally as well on the street as it does on the trail and we can say with confidence that every Samurai should be equipped with this panhard kit. Additionally, the integrated bump stop mounts are engineered to work perfectly with Spidertrax' own Bump Stop Kit, which is extremely helpful in dialing in the suspension travel for the perfect setup.

Will it work with every Samurai? Unfortunately not. The kit requires a SPOA conversion and 2" wide springs. It is also not compatible with inboard-mounted springs or SJ-410s, but for the majority of lifted Samurais this kit is a must-have item.

For only US$299 from your choice of Spidertrax product distributors, getting your own panhard kit is easy and affordable.