It has been a little while since I posted, however, my JLUR recently underwent some fairly major upgrades including a set of UD60s, EVO long arms/bolt-on coilovers, and PSC steering, just to name a few. Maybe this thread could serve as a resource to those looking to upgrade to a set of UD60s or even those who already have them. I ended up going with 5.38s to spin our 40” tires and e-Lockers to keep the traction going. One thing I ended up doing with the UD60s was utilizing Z-Automotive’s locker harnesses which allowed me to still utilize the stock Rubicon switch and even still shows on the display/Off-Road Pages when the axles are locked. So far I am very impressed with the harnesses and they were literally plug and play.
One minor issue we ran into was the coilover kit interfacing with the rear brake calipers (which are massive!) as when the Jeep is articulating, the caliper just barely clips the coil. Nothing major that impedes the function of the suspension, but just something to be aware of. Another minor thing I did not realize is that the front UD60 shock mounts are raised compared to the factory Dana 44, whereas the rear are not. This of course resulted in the front end sitting a decent bit higher than the rear, but this was an easy fix and just required adjusting the rear coilovers to raise them a bit higher and lowering the front. Overall I am very happy thus far with the UD60s, I ran 40s on the factory 44s for about a year prior with no real issues, but the UD60s definitely give me peace of mind because they are pure beef. Beyond that, the braking power is much improved and the Jeep just feels much stronger and more rigid overall which greatly enhanced my sense of confidence (hopefully not to my detriment LOL).
Which brings me to my actual question. This past weekend we were able to take the Jeep on its first shakedown run since the upgrades. The Jeep performed awesome with no major issues, which is great considering how much was changed. However an interesting point was brought up by a local club member here with a JK on UD60s. He asked me if I had the tubes welded yet on my UD60s, which of course I have not since that had never crossed my mind on a brand new set of crate axles. Evidently, there were some issues with at least the JK UD60s spinning axle tubes. Does anyone know if this is still an issue with the JL/JT UD60s? Should I be looking for a truss or to have the tubes welded? Thanks for any input!
One minor issue we ran into was the coilover kit interfacing with the rear brake calipers (which are massive!) as when the Jeep is articulating, the caliper just barely clips the coil. Nothing major that impedes the function of the suspension, but just something to be aware of. Another minor thing I did not realize is that the front UD60 shock mounts are raised compared to the factory Dana 44, whereas the rear are not. This of course resulted in the front end sitting a decent bit higher than the rear, but this was an easy fix and just required adjusting the rear coilovers to raise them a bit higher and lowering the front. Overall I am very happy thus far with the UD60s, I ran 40s on the factory 44s for about a year prior with no real issues, but the UD60s definitely give me peace of mind because they are pure beef. Beyond that, the braking power is much improved and the Jeep just feels much stronger and more rigid overall which greatly enhanced my sense of confidence (hopefully not to my detriment LOL).
Which brings me to my actual question. This past weekend we were able to take the Jeep on its first shakedown run since the upgrades. The Jeep performed awesome with no major issues, which is great considering how much was changed. However an interesting point was brought up by a local club member here with a JK on UD60s. He asked me if I had the tubes welded yet on my UD60s, which of course I have not since that had never crossed my mind on a brand new set of crate axles. Evidently, there were some issues with at least the JK UD60s spinning axle tubes. Does anyone know if this is still an issue with the JL/JT UD60s? Should I be looking for a truss or to have the tubes welded? Thanks for any input!