Has anybody tried using all dana 60 parts on the AAM instead of buying the conversion kit? Might not be a big savings unless you find an axle cheap but it's a thought anyway.

 

Hey guys I finally finished my dynatrac install about an hour ago. I did it myself and I'm glad I did because I learned a lot about my truck that will surely come in handy in the years ahead. Took me about 10 hours about 45 minutes of that was the extra needed because I put the brake shields on backwards and had to pull axles out again to put them on right

I started the teardown Saturday evening with plans to put it back together Sunday morning. Well after i got it tore down I discovered dyntrac forgot to put some u-joint shims in there that I needed. So up on jack stands my truck sat until I finished it tonight I called them first thing Monday morning and told the guy (Robert) what was missing from the kit and without going into a lot of detail he knew exactly what I was talking about and pulled a part number up on his computer in no time. They overnighted to me no problem no charge. Just the minor aggravation of it not being there in the first place but really it aint no big deal. UPS delivered my shims about 6 this evening and I was all over it..

Some thoughts on the kit.. It is made really well and all the parts go together perfectly. I have one complaint about the design though. The ABS ring is exposed whereas on the stock unit bearing it is sealed up. I don't do a lot of axle deep mudding but I can see where some of those guys who get crazy into the mud and such where that might present a problem and get some crud up in the sensor and screw it up. for me it won;t but for some it could. I am curious if the EMS kits have that same exposed ABS ring or if it is a better design and enclosed like the stock unit???

I was gonna do a writeup but that turned out to be an aggravation so I just took a couple of the teardown pics and in the morning I'll get some finished job pics and post them up.

 

Chris...

Cool beans... I wish I had the time and know how to have done my kit... As it is I can't lift my truck w/o messing up my driveway as it's so heavy even my floor jack wheels sinks in the blacktop (and jack stands too)... Getting the front end up off the ground is HEAVY!

I thought the truck felt different after the install .... more planted and handled more ... well "different" in a good way. More solid.

I'm looking forward to your pics. Don't feel bad about the brake shields...

I just finished putting a new front O2 sensor in the rear ... on my CA emissions Miata ... Finally got that worked out... would have been easy to do the front (only about 8" away from the "rear" in the manifold).. The "front" is in the same location I put my EGT probe is on my CTD

Unfortunately my super charger is in the way so doing the front is a big job... The CEL cleared once I put it in the right location. LOL.....

Noting like doing a job 2x-3x times!

 

Why you guys want to get out and lock in the hubs I'll never know. Glad to see your happy with your purchase. I must admit the 3mpg gain really surprised me. I'd like to have them for the servicable bearings.

Jed

 

Nobody wants to get out and lock their hubs!

The reason for the kit is to increase mileage and reduce wear. It's ridiculous to have the entire front end turning all the time.

 

amen-jrussel. now it will cost 20.00 bucks to replace a wheel bearing-instead of 300.00 for a new hub assembly! i have picked up a solid 1.5 mpg increase in the last month- since the install! (that is with mostly city driving)

 

For those wondering I measured and the hubs stick out exactly 2 inches beyond the end of the stock hubcap.

 

does anyone have picutres of either kit installed on a drw?

im wondering how the lockouts will be in relation to the centercap? will they be inside it or near flush?

 

How many wheel bearings do you plan on having to replace, or how long do you think you wll own your truck? What I am getting at is: If you pay $300 for a unit bearing, you would have to replace it 6 times for it to pay for teh Dynatrac kit, right? So, on average, the unit bearing lasts 80K miles (some more, some less) so, 6 x 80K = 480K miles you would need to own your truck for it to be worth having the Dynatrac kit.
So, do you plan on owning your truck for 480K miles? If so,you would be in rare company. So, really you can't justify teh kit because of this argument. It just does not pay for itself.

So, we look at fuel mileage. On average it seems guys are picking up 1.5 to 2 MPG. So, we will use 2 MPG as the basis, and an average of 35K miles a year (which is more than most)
We will also use 17 miles to agallon as the average (which we could use any number as long as we add 2 MPG to it)

So, @17 MPG, 35K a year, @$2.85 a gallon is = $5867.65 a year in fuel
So, @19 MPG, 35K a year, @$2.85 a gallon is = $5250.00 a year in fuel
That comes out to a savings of $617.65 a year in fuel.


So, assuming now that we drive 35K miles a year, pay $2.85 a gallon, it would take us 3 years to pay for the dynatrac kit. Also, assuming that we have to replace a unit bearing within that time frame at the cost of $300, the bearing is now free, since the Dynatrac saved money in fuel cost.

So, THAT theory is more likely the reason you would buy a dynatrac kit than keep a stock unit bearing. But,do most people keep there trucks 80K miles? Because if we add in teh fact that say a unit bearing goes out at 80K miles, and you decide to put in the Dynatrac kit. Are you going to keep your truck until 160K miles? That is another point of view to look at.


All I am saying is, ifyou are already at "X" miles, ho long are you going o keep it? It may just be worth dropping down teh $300 for a stock unit bearing so when you sell off your truck a year down the road, you are not out big money.

I myself am shooting for 500K miles and 15 years of ownership on my truck, so it is worth it to me to have a Dynatrak kit under my truck

 

When looking at the cost for the unit bearings, I think you need to include the cost of labor as well. From reading stories on this forum about the difficulties of removing them, it looks like you'll either be paying around $500 for a dealership to do it, or you'll be giving up the better part of your weekend if you do it yourself.

And the Dynatrac website makes a decent argument about the reliability issue. If factory hubs fail, you have the issue of being able to locate a dodge factory hub, as well as a decent mechanic that can do the work. With Dynatrac, the replacement parts are easier to come across, and less work to have them installed. That could make a huge difference for someone who uses their truck to make a living.

And finally, most people seem to agree that with the kit installed, steering becomes easier because less axle parts are moving when you turn. So you'll be extending the life of your tie-rod ends, steering box, etc. And plus you'll be extending the life of your front axle u-joints & front drive shaft joints. So the savings can really add up.

By the way, I just re-read the part of your post where you said you'd need to replace your unit bearing 6 times to make up for the cost of the Dynatrac. If I was doing that calculation, my assumption is that you'd be replacing BOTH unit bearings every 80k miles, not just one per 80k miles. So it would only take 240k miles, vs 480k, to recoup the cost...right? And of course that's assuming you do all the labor yourself.

 

Now THAT you got me on. Yep, I only calculated for one side
And you did bring up very interesting points about the labor (but if you paid someone to do the stock unit bearing, you are going to pay someone to do the Dynatrack, even though obviously not as often with the Dynatrack)

I brought this up, just to point out more info than what has been shared, and in doing so, brought out your facts which have been very insightful as well.

 

For me its a no brainer because I wouldn't be doing the install myself. And I don't think I'd only replace one side at a time. To me that's like buying one new tire - I just won't do it.

 

It is as long as you plan on keeping your truck for awhile. And in my case, I do.

What's up Pauly?

 

My blood pressure! Work is frustrating me. I hate dealing with whiners.....

 

Sorry to hear about that! I am at home right now, watching my kids. My 5 month old son has diarhea , my 2 1/2year old daughter has learned how to open the front door to the house Don't they know I am trying to play on the internet?