Are the new Mopar 60s any good?

[Totenkopf]

Are any of you guys running these? How do they compare to a RockJock HP, Solid, Dynatrac, etc? THX

http://www.quadratec.com/products/52446_103_T.htm

[JeepinJon]

Are any of you guys running these? How do they compare to a RockJock HP, Solid, Dynatrac, etc? THX

http://www.quadratec.com/products/52446_103_T.htm

I am still trying to find this out too. I like the price, but I think the big question is the wall thickness of the axle tubes.

[AEV Jim]

I am still trying to find this out too. I like the price, but I think the big question is the wall thickness of the axle tubes.

Comparing them to aftermarket axles isn't all that useful when you consider that the aftermarket axles are grossly overbuilt as a precaution against warranty and often a lack of engineering resources, while the factory application is fully optimized and durability tested for a specific purpose. In this case it was the J8 military derivative of the JK - which has a higher payload requirement. The fact that there even IS a factory D60 means it has plenty of capacity...if the D44HD had been enough they wouldn't have done the D60 at all - guaranteed. So without even knowing the tube thicknesses, I can assure you that the Mopar/J8 D60 is overkill in the weight-bearing arena for 99.9% of the JK drivers out there...and I can also be sure that it's wall thickness is well under that of a typical aftermarket '60....and about 200 lbs. lighter in the bargain...

Jim

[JeepinJon]

I want to do the Hemi down the road once my 3.8 starts to wear some and I know AEV started doing the 60. My biggest concern is, is it really necessary to upgrade to a 60, or is it just better to upgrade the internals of the 44?

I am planning on running a 37" tire, and was going to upgrade the axle shafts to a 35 spline allow, and ARB locker so the main difference I see in the 60 is the larger ring and pinion gear, and heavier duty bearings.

Also I know that many people are havign issues with the C bending on the front axle causing them to have to run an offset ball joint once moving up to 37" tires. What has AEV's experience been on this issue, or what recomendations do they have? Would this axle issue be caused by running the wrond backspacing wheel and putting extra stress on the C, therfore as long as I am running an AEV wheel this should not happen?

[Totenkopf]

Comparing them to aftermarket axles isn't all that useful when you consider that the aftermarket axles are grossly overbuilt as a precaution against warranty and often a lack of engineering resources, while the factory application is fully optimized and durability tested for a specific purpose. In this case it was the J8 military derivative of the JK - which has a higher payload requirement. The fact that there even IS a factory D60 means it has plenty of capacity...if the D44HD had been enough they wouldn't have done the D60 at all - guaranteed. So without even knowing the tube thicknesses, I can assure you that the Mopar/J8 D60 is overkill in the weight-bearing arena for 99.9% of the JK drivers out there...and I can also be sure that it's wall thickness is well under that of a typical aftermarket '60....and about 200 lbs. lighter in the bargain...

Jim
Great info Jim! What 60 is AEV going to be putting out back in JKs? I'm thinking about putting one under my 2dr JK and switching from 35s to 37s. I might just do the RockJock instead...just a little more money and little more weight (.25" wall tubes).

[JeepinJon]

Great info Jim! What 60 is AEV going to be putting out back in JKs? I'm thinking about putting one under my 2dr JK and switching from 35s to 37s. I might just do the RockJock instead...just a little more money and little more weight (.25" wall tubes).

They are using the Dynatrac Dana 60 at the moment.

[AEV Jim]

I want to do the Hemi down the road once my 3.8 starts to wear some and I know AEV started doing the 60. My biggest concern is, is it really necessary to upgrade to a 60, or is it just better to upgrade the internals of the 44?

I am planning on running a 37" tire, and was going to upgrade the axle shafts to a 35 spline allow, and ARB locker so the main difference I see in the 60 is the larger ring and pinion gear, and heavier duty bearings.

Also I know that many people are havign issues with the C bending on the front axle causing them to have to run an offset ball joint once moving up to 37" tires. What has AEV's experience been on this issue, or what recomendations do they have? Would this axle issue be caused by running the wrond backspacing wheel and putting extra stress on the C, therfore as long as I am running an AEV wheel this should not happen?

While 37's were definitely pushing it for TJ Rubicon Axles, the JK axles are upgraded enough that 37's are okay and 40's are the new 'pushing it' limit IMO. Just like always if you're heavy-right-footed then you need to back off on those sizes and/or change your ways. I get away with 37's on TJ axles with Superior shafts and normal 760x joints, but I take care not to pop them. On a JK, I wouldn't feel the need to be as careful until I was running 40's.
This comes from the fact that JK 44's are NOT related to TJ 44's...they're actually totally different every dimension except front spline count (still 30) and ring gear diameter (still 8.5"). The rears are 32 spline, the pinion shafts are fatter with with larger heads (i.e. bigger teeth), bigger bearings spread farther apart, and so are the carrier bearings. The front u-joints are nearly Dana60 size (but smaller cap dia.), and the rear axle tubes and casting are both much stronger.
The bending problem with the front axle is real, but for some reason everybody (like TJ) seems to think it's the inner C's. From our testing (Dave and I have both done this), the front axle bends in the middle if you get it airborne - the tube diameter+wall thickness is still at TJ levels, but now wider and under a heavier rig...surprising that they missed this in durability testing, but then again they run a narrower track as you noted and I know Jeep's durability testing and it doesn't include going airborne. There isn't an easy solution to this off-the-shelf that I know of, but we're pondering solving it ourselves (don't ask what or when...it's only a 'should we?' thought thus far). The AEV JK wheels increase scrub radius by 34mm/side, so there's defintely some added loading even with our wheels, but again we've not had an issue with several 4-dr. JK's running 37's and getting all manner of usage until they go airborne.
For the rear, we do use the Trail Series D60 from Dynatrac (low-pinion and not as overweight as the ProRock60), but to my knowledge we've never put one in a JK yet. All of our JK Hemi's in-house and delivered to customers thus far have retained the original Dana44HD in the rear and have reported no problems...and we've definitely not been babying our test cars!

Don't get me wrong - the Mopar60 is cool, and sized right for the next level up in JK usage - I'd lust over one too if I planned to do hard core rockcrawling with a JK and/or planned an overloaded 3-month expedition across Africa...which is closer to what it was designed to survive...

Jim