In Brief

A very well engineered kit that adapts Samurai front disc brakes to be used on the rear axle.

Installation

Spidertrax' installation instructions are clear and very detailed. Installation is easy for any back-yard mechanic with average skills. You will have to supply your own Samurai front rotors and calipers and standard Samurai front brake lines (assuming you're going to use Spidertrax' Brake Line Kit). You should also make plans for an E-Brake as the existing ones will be removed with the drums. Spidertrax also make an E-brake Kit for just this purpose.

Warning: Whether you fab your own lines or use those available from Spidertrax, you must install a proportioning valve and set it properly. Failure to do so may imperil your life and the lives of others. The stock proportioning valve is not sufficient for this conversion. If you have any doubt about this portion of the installation, consult a professional brake shop.

I would recommend that you also have on hand a complete set of rear bearings, retainers and seals, as you may well find they are totally shot when you disassemble them (as I did). If you do have to replace the rear bearings, you'll likely also need access to a machine shop, as the bearings are very difficult to remove without the proper tools.

The most difficult part of the installation will be either removing your old wheel bearings or removing the backing plates if your bearings are in good shape. If you will not be removing axle bearings, the backing plates will need to be cut free; a time-consuming operation.

Further details on installation and additional pics are in the Tech section.

Impressions

Fit and finish are right at the top end of the range of aftermarket products for the Samurai. Spidertrax' use of CAD/CAM for design and production is evident in the precision fit of their parts. What's a nice addition is that they've paid close attention to finish as well, with plated or coated parts used wherever corrosion could be a problem. The correct grade of fasteners is provided for the different requirements of various portions of installation.

The first thing you'll notice after you've got the brakes properly bled is that there's less pedal travel, and that the brakes feel much firmer. The next thing you'll notice is that there's less rolling resistance while driving. Weak (and one broken) return springs in my rear drums had been allowing them to always drag a little, something I noticed by its absence after installing the discs.

The biggest difference you'll notice (carefully, please!) is that you're stopping much more evenly and quickly, with less nose dive. I tried a series of "panic stops" at increasing speeds (up to about 35-40 mph) on pavement in a safe area, and I was never able to get any wheel to lock up. Suzushi simply stopped. Quickly.

The 'real' test came the following week at the Moab Easter Zukfari. With no time to trail test Suzushi before departing for Moab, Pritchett Canyon provided the first trail use of the new brakes. What was immediately apparent is that I had far better braking control than had been present with the old drums. You can apply the brakes and control your speed down an obstacle with truly amazing precision, right down to the stall point of the engine. Since it was truly difficult to ever lock the wheels, even at very low speeds, it was rare to ever have my truck start to slip.

A downpour while on the trail tested the new brakes' holding ability while wet and a deep mud-hole tested them after being thoroughly covered in mud. I noticed no fade, slip or other loss of braking ability, unlike what I had experienced in the past with drums. There was also no more of the tendency to "grab and release" that I had experienced in the past.

What provided the 'acid test' was running Moab Rim Trail the following day. A steep trail with many obstacles requiring good braking control on the return leg, Moab Rim was a snap with discs on all four wheels. I often found myself riding the brakes hard coming down Moab Rim's many tricky steps. With drums, this sort of driving results in lots of stalls. Since the wheels typically won't lock up now, stalling is nearly eliminated. You can hear the engine starting to complain well before the stall point is reached. This allowed me to have full vehicle control at very low speeds in the low range of the gears--a must on this particular trail. You just set up your line, ease out the clutch, and then feather in the brakes as you step down. Nothing to it!

I'd highly recommend this kit to anyone wanting much improved braking control and much lower maintenance. Spidertrax Disc Brake Kits are available through Spidertrax distributors for US$195.00.

--Scott Gomez