Definitely nice build 👍👍👍 i just ordered Curries Extreme 60s high pinion front and back axles for my 23 392 extreme recon, just waiting for them to come 😊😊. Like you I did my due diligence in selecting what company to go with, and curries has been building axles a long time and raising hell with them, racing Baja etc, so it was a no brainer. Thanks for your great content 👍👍
Wow that’s a well thought out and well executed axle upgrade. I never thought about going wider in fear of losing turning radius but looks like you solved that concern.
Looks great with 40s! Can't wait for the wheeling/driving impressions. I would love to do a ton+ axle swap for mine eventually, but for now runnin what I brung and the stock upgraded axles will have to make do. 🤑
I put the exact same axles under my JKU mostly because I running an LT1 6.2. The only problem I had so far is I cracked the aluminum passenger side knuckles and Dynatrac did replace with a new set of steel knuckles. Takes awhile to brake in the ball joints though. Other then that love the look and drive ability very strong
I love this Jeep. Can't see getting rid of it. It has definitely been in the background as I wanted to get some miles on it before I did the review. Thank you.
I'd really like to see a comparison video of a Gladiator with 1ton axles vs a 3/4 ton like a Powerwagon or F250 built for offroad. A proper 3/4 has only around 12" longer wheelbase but you get 1ton axles out of the box, a much higher payload and tow rating, larger roomier interior, more powerful powertrain options to drive those larger tires, and all at a what will undoubtably be a lower cost than a 1ton swapped Gladiator.
The big difference here is weight and the size of the body. I built a 2000 F-250 Crew Cab short bed in 2008. It had ARB Air Lockers, a modest, but good off-road suspension, bumpers, custom sliders, and an assortment of misc upgrades to make it work better off-road. I wheeled it out west (Moab, SoCal, Pismo Dunes) and took it on multiple cross-country adventures. It was great having so much room and it cost me less to build than a Jeep 4-door Jeep Wrangler at the time. Ultimately, I just didn't enjoy it off-road. It was very big and heavy. Visibility was OK, but the size of the truck made it a pain to navigate normal Jeep trails. If you live out west, I can see it maybe being an option. But, now that I live back in North Carolina, there's no way I want to deal with something that big on the trail again. The Gladiator just feels like a long Wrangler. I love it.
I went from a Ram 1500 on 37s to my current JT on 39s. Night and day difference on the trails as far as size. It would be pretty hard taking a Power Wagon on some of the trails I do in Cali.
Thanks for explaining why you went with the wider axles. I’m not a fan of the wheels and tires poked far from the fenders. I will be doing something similar with my gladiator which is currently on 37’s. I’ve rehearsed to 5:13 and put an EVO truss on the front 44. Also have Dana chromoly shafts for the rear and RCV one piece axle shafts for the front. Hopefully going to 38’s soon. Not sure I want to risk 40’s on rubicon 44’s even if reinforced
I hope you have sponsor help. This seems crazy expensive. I just found out I bent my rear control arms too and will need adjustable ones now. I wish I could go all out like this. Can’t wait to see the finished JT.
There's no denying that Dynatrac is at the top of the food chain when it comes to aftermarket axles but damn, their pricing has gotten a bit crazy. They want $8k for their new ProFloat 60 which is nothing more than a glorified semi-float. A few years back there were maybe 3 horses in the axle market...Dynatrac, Currie & Spicer, so they could pretty much price tag 'em however much they wanted. But nowadays there's a handful of other contenders like Fusion, Crane, DStrac, ECGS...where you can get a Fabricated 10" axles or Kingpin 60/80 for damn near $4-5k cheaper than a XD60/60 combo. Jim at Dynatrac needs to come back down to earth before he loses his share of the market.
Watching all your upgrades on the JT makes me want all those goodies for my still stock Rubicon! I will have to pace myself... go gradual, don't make the wife angry!
I just lifted my JT diesel 4.5 inch evo on 40s now I want axles. I'm leaning towards Dynatrac and its almost impossible to turn these 40s when its at a complete stop hopefully I won't need a ram assist with my dynatracs
If you go with the wider axles with high backspacing, I think you'll be surprised at how well it works. Here is the link to my follow up video to this one where you can see how easy it is to steer. ruclips.net/video/i-wQFESRKNg/видео.html
Thanks for a Very informative video! One question, how do 40s with dana60s handle in the snow/ice? I have a gladiator with stock tires and stock axles and driving in the snow/ice with an empty bed is very very sketchy… Looking forward to hearing back on how your mods do in the snow/ice! Thanks!
Hi Paul. I live in coastal North Carolina, so there hasn't been any snow/ice for me to test this setup in. Earlier last year I did some snow wheeling out west with my Gladiator when it was still on 37-inch Trail Grapplers and I had a blast. Sorry I can't help you more, we just don't get a lot of snow where I live.
Great build! Very nice evolution of a Gladiator. 👍🏻👍🏻 What gearing did you go with on the Dynatrac's and why? BTW... I also reside in NC, about 30min from the Dickey Bell Trail. 😎
Thank you! Small world. I went with 5.38 gears. I knew the 40's would zap a lot of the power and wanted as much differential gearing that I could get to compensate not only for the tire size, but added weight of the axles, tires, and wheels.
A little less. My Rubicon isn’t super trimmed out (cloth seats, small screen, etc). I also did 90 percent of the work, so not much labor cost. The axles are the biggest expense.
More then a little jealous brother. I’m thinking I’m going to get a 44 from Jim and trust it but not sure what to do with the rear any suggestions? Stay safe all the best to you and the family.
Check out Dynatrac's new ProFloat XD60 rear. It's a semi-float axle, but a new style of flange and shaft that's not supposed to bend. I want to get it for the 392. It's pretty awesome.
I drove a while without hydro-assist, but ultimately ended up upgrading to a PSC kit. It helps to get rid of the dead spot on the road and makes it much easier to turn on the trail.
Nice video! Thinking of getting a 2 pc rear drift shaft as well under my 4.5 lift. Do you have any vibration issues with the 2 pc rear drive shaft? Seems to be something people complain about? Thanks
Thank you. I have found that I get a very slight vibration around 50mph. Ironically, I used to feel that same vibration at that speed with my stock two-piece driveline. So long as you take the time to adjust the pinion angle, you shouldn't have an issue. If you are really going to use your Gladiator on the trail, you will be happy you went with the two-piece shaft. I was wheeling a few weeks ago at Windrock Off-Road park and if I had a one-piece driveline I would have destroyed it on a ledge I was trying to climb up.
I haven’t made a video on that specific subject, but I will actually address this in my next video that will be on the channel at the end of the month. I broke the ELocker in my Gladiator in Moab earlier this year. I ended up having to get a new one from Eaton. Air Lockers are notorious for leaking, but I have never broken one. I can no longer say that for the ELocker. If I had to do it again, I probably would have gone ARB.
@@DrivingLine very cool - I’m looking forward to your video. Sorry to hear about the break. I run arb’s in my land cruiser and have had the burping of gear oil out of my front locker so I was curious on the Eaton e locker. I love your content so please keep posting videos!!
I don’t think you’ll be happy with that gearing with 40. My 5.38s are just about perfect, but there are times on the highway I wish I had a little more power. If you are going to load up the Jeep heavily with serious overlanding gear, weight could also be a factor on that rear semi float axle. I’d maybe look at doing a 38 at the most.
Great video! Was hoping you could give me a quick answer. I have a willys gladiator with 3.73 gears. I am running 35s on the stock 17x7.5 wheels with 2 inch wheel spacers. Is this safe and capable for daily driving and moderate trails? Thanks in advance.
Thank you. You can off-road with that setup for sure. Just know that you'll likely scrape the underside (framerails and T-case skid plate) some depending on what type of trails you are on. These things really benefit from a small lift when it comes to going off-road.
I’m getting ready to order the same axles for my 2020 Gladiator and I had a question about the exhaust clearance issue. Just wondering if you get any drone in the cabin after removing the resonator? Overall how did it change the sound? The resonator is fairly low and tends to get smashed anyway but once it’s cut off it’s hard to go back. Thanks
Inside of the cab, I honestly haven't noticed a difference. No drone or anything like that. My exhaust guy said he could have made it work. So, don't feel as though you have to do the chop if you don't want to. If you are running a Currie rear sway bar, you don't have to worry about it as well. I hated how it hung down, so this was a good excuse to go ahead and ditch it.
We had the axles physically bolted under the Jeep in a few hours. But, I didn't have all of the parts to finish the swap in one day. Essentially, I got the axles bolted in at the shop, then had the Jeep towed to my house so I could finish the rest. Low Range 4x4 does a fair amount of axle upgrades, so they are fairly fast. You're best bet would be to call the shop to see what type of hour/price setup they would do.
There are axle trusses for the front axle, but I'm not sure how much they help. (Not saying they don't, I just don't know.) Adding in better ball joints and swapping to cast iron knuckles up front will help as well. Out back, there are trusses as well, but nothing is going to change the fact that it's a semi-float axle. I think if you drive easy and stay with a 37 with a high amount of backspacing, you can get plenty of life out of the axle set.
I would try to stay at 5 inches or higher if you can. These platforms drive noticeably better with a high numeric backspacing. I had a set of KMC beadlocks with 4.75 inches of backspacing on my JL Rubicon and they weren't bad. However, my AEV beadlocks with 5.72 inches of backspacing is easier on the steering system.
@@DrivingLine I have the sport non max tow so I loose some width already that’s why I was thinking 4.5 but I’ll do some more research to see if the non max tow will acomodate a 37 on 5 inch bs
Great video! I just went with Dynatrac as well, but 68.5". I am interested in knowing what your width is with the 72.5” and 5.5 backspacing. Do you feel like you may be too wide for some trails now?
I'm around 85 1/2-inchs wide if I remember correctly. The width hasn't been an issue at all. With the 5.5 inches of backspacing, it's not much different than if I had gone with the 68.5 and 3.5 inches of backspacing. It feels incredibly stable and the steering is great on-road and off. I'm very happy overall.
Definitely nice build 👍👍👍 i just ordered Curries Extreme 60s high pinion front and back axles for my 23 392 extreme recon, just waiting for them to come 😊😊. Like you I did my due diligence in selecting what company to go with, and curries has been building axles a long time and raising hell with them, racing Baja etc, so it was a no brainer. Thanks for your great content 👍👍
Wow that’s a well thought out and well executed axle upgrade. I never thought about going wider in fear of losing turning radius but looks like you solved that concern.
Thank you.
Looks great with 40s! Can't wait for the wheeling/driving impressions. I would love to do a ton+ axle swap for mine eventually, but for now runnin what I brung and the stock upgraded axles will have to make do. 🤑
Thank you! I'm loving the new look.
Watched every frame and learned more than I expected. Many thanks for the quality share out. Best to you and yours.
Thank you!
I put the exact same axles under my JKU mostly because I running an LT1 6.2. The only problem I had so far is I cracked the aluminum passenger side knuckles and Dynatrac did replace with a new set of steel knuckles. Takes awhile to brake in the ball joints though. Other then that love the look and drive ability very strong
Extremely informative! Looks like I just need to call in my order!! Thanks for sharing! 🔥🇺🇸
Thank you!
Thanks for all the detail, sure answered a lot of questions. Looking forward to next installment.
Thank you!
Sick build and really good explanations about everything.
Thank you.
I honestly thought you got rid of your truck since I hadn’t seen it in a long while. Guess this explains it. Wow, this came out amazing.
I love this Jeep. Can't see getting rid of it. It has definitely been in the background as I wanted to get some miles on it before I did the review. Thank you.
So sick! Not sure if I’ll ever need that much beef for my 2DR Rubicon but maybe someday!
Great job sir! Nice axles! 😎
Thanks Jared!
I'd really like to see a comparison video of a Gladiator with 1ton axles vs a 3/4 ton like a Powerwagon or F250 built for offroad. A proper 3/4 has only around 12" longer wheelbase but you get 1ton axles out of the box, a much higher payload and tow rating, larger roomier interior, more powerful powertrain options to drive those larger tires, and all at a what will undoubtably be a lower cost than a 1ton swapped Gladiator.
The big difference here is weight and the size of the body. I built a 2000 F-250 Crew Cab short bed in 2008. It had ARB Air Lockers, a modest, but good off-road suspension, bumpers, custom sliders, and an assortment of misc upgrades to make it work better off-road. I wheeled it out west (Moab, SoCal, Pismo Dunes) and took it on multiple cross-country adventures. It was great having so much room and it cost me less to build than a Jeep 4-door Jeep Wrangler at the time. Ultimately, I just didn't enjoy it off-road. It was very big and heavy. Visibility was OK, but the size of the truck made it a pain to navigate normal Jeep trails. If you live out west, I can see it maybe being an option. But, now that I live back in North Carolina, there's no way I want to deal with something that big on the trail again. The Gladiator just feels like a long Wrangler. I love it.
@@DrivingLine excellent points!
I went from a Ram 1500 on 37s to my current JT on 39s. Night and day difference on the trails as far as size. It would be pretty hard taking a Power Wagon on some of the trails I do in Cali.
I’ll get there eventually, love the clean look. If you need help disposing of your 37” send em my way😎. It’s easier to explain to my wife that way.
Thanks for explaining why you went with the wider axles. I’m not a fan of the wheels and tires poked far from the fenders. I will be doing something similar with my gladiator which is currently on 37’s. I’ve rehearsed to 5:13 and put an EVO truss on the front 44. Also have Dana chromoly shafts for the rear and RCV one piece axle shafts for the front. Hopefully going to 38’s soon. Not sure I want to risk 40’s on rubicon 44’s even if reinforced
That is the same set up I have on my JK. I'm going to go up to 38's with this set up.
I hope you have sponsor help. This seems crazy expensive. I just found out I bent my rear control arms too and will need adjustable ones now. I wish I could go all out like this. Can’t wait to see the finished JT.
Thank you. And yes. It's a sizable investment, that's for sure.
There's no denying that Dynatrac is at the top of the food chain when it comes to aftermarket axles but damn, their pricing has gotten a bit crazy. They want $8k for their new ProFloat 60 which is nothing more than a glorified semi-float. A few years back there were maybe 3 horses in the axle market...Dynatrac, Currie & Spicer, so they could pretty much price tag 'em however much they wanted. But nowadays there's a handful of other contenders like Fusion, Crane, DStrac, ECGS...where you can get a Fabricated 10" axles or Kingpin 60/80 for damn near $4-5k cheaper than a XD60/60 combo. Jim at Dynatrac needs to come back down to earth before he loses his share of the market.
Talk about doing it right, you knocked it out of the park.
Thank you!
Hemi swap is next. 👍👍👍
I sure wouldn't mind a V-8 under the hood. That's for sure.
Watching all your upgrades on the JT makes me want all those goodies for my still stock Rubicon! I will have to pace myself... go gradual, don't make the wife angry!
Just awesome if only someone could perfect and automatic locking hub that worked
Ali does kick builds. I love his s10.
Thank you!
Great step-by-step educational video🙌🏼
Thank you!
Great choice! I went with the same axles for my JKU.
I'm loving them!
Nice video👍🏼
Thank you.
Great video... again. I love the why, as well as the how. Great looking & performing rig!
Thank you very much!
impressive
Looking pretty sweet on those 40's.
Thanks! I'm loving the new look.
Great video and extremely detailed information. Gladiator looks great!
Thank you.
I just lifted my JT diesel 4.5 inch evo on 40s now I want axles. I'm leaning towards Dynatrac and its almost impossible to turn these 40s when its at a complete stop hopefully I won't need a ram assist with my dynatracs
If you go with the wider axles with high backspacing, I think you'll be surprised at how well it works. Here is the link to my follow up video to this one where you can see how easy it is to steer. ruclips.net/video/i-wQFESRKNg/видео.html
This thing looks amazing! Love the videos
Thank you!
Straight up beastmode!!! I'm guessing around $25k for the upgrade...🤑
Thanks and yes. Right around that will all the parts.
@@DrivingLine Money well spent IMO.. After the wife gets a new house I will either pick up a JT or do the same axles/etc with my JKU
Epic Build!
Thank you.
That’s badass
Thank you.
Looks fantastic!!
Thank you! I'm loving the new look as well.
Thanks for a Very informative video! One question, how do 40s with dana60s handle in the snow/ice? I have a gladiator with stock tires and stock axles and driving in the snow/ice with an empty bed is very very sketchy… Looking forward to hearing back on how your mods do in the snow/ice! Thanks!
Hi Paul. I live in coastal North Carolina, so there hasn't been any snow/ice for me to test this setup in. Earlier last year I did some snow wheeling out west with my Gladiator when it was still on 37-inch Trail Grapplers and I had a blast. Sorry I can't help you more, we just don't get a lot of snow where I live.
@@DrivingLine gotcha! Well, I’ll be looking out for more content with your gladiator! Cheers!
Good stuff…. I have a lot of questions.
Updated rotors? Thanks for this vid - very, very informative.
Dynatrac includes new rotors and calipers. They work awesome! I go into more about that in the next video.
Great build! Very nice evolution of a Gladiator. 👍🏻👍🏻 What gearing did you go with on the Dynatrac's and why? BTW... I also reside in NC, about 30min from the Dickey Bell Trail. 😎
Thank you! Small world. I went with 5.38 gears. I knew the 40's would zap a lot of the power and wanted as much differential gearing that I could get to compensate not only for the tire size, but added weight of the axles, tires, and wheels.
Goals!🤔
Got to be nearing 100k on this build, no? Price of Rubicon JT included, of course.
A little less. My Rubicon isn’t super trimmed out (cloth seats, small screen, etc). I also did 90 percent of the work, so not much labor cost. The axles are the biggest expense.
More then a little jealous brother. I’m thinking I’m going to get a 44 from Jim and trust it but not sure what to do with the rear any suggestions? Stay safe all the best to you and the family.
Check out Dynatrac's new ProFloat XD60 rear. It's a semi-float axle, but a new style of flange and shaft that's not supposed to bend. I want to get it for the 392. It's pretty awesome.
Great info ! My next upgrade will mirror yours. I would like to know if the power assist steering is needed ?
I drove a while without hydro-assist, but ultimately ended up upgrading to a PSC kit. It helps to get rid of the dead spot on the road and makes it much easier to turn on the trail.
Nice video! Thinking of getting a 2 pc rear drift shaft as well under my 4.5 lift. Do you have any vibration issues with the 2 pc rear drive shaft? Seems to be something people complain about?
Thanks
Thank you. I have found that I get a very slight vibration around 50mph. Ironically, I used to feel that same vibration at that speed with my stock two-piece driveline. So long as you take the time to adjust the pinion angle, you shouldn't have an issue. If you are really going to use your Gladiator on the trail, you will be happy you went with the two-piece shaft. I was wheeling a few weeks ago at Windrock Off-Road park and if I had a one-piece driveline I would have destroyed it on a ledge I was trying to climb up.
@@DrivingLine cool, thanks for the reply!
Ali, I would love to hear your thoughts on lockers and types (e-locker vs air). Do you have a video out on that?
I haven’t made a video on that specific subject, but I will actually address this in my next video that will be on the channel at the end of the month. I broke the ELocker in my Gladiator in Moab earlier this year. I ended up having to get a new one from Eaton. Air Lockers are notorious for leaking, but I have never broken one. I can no longer say that for the ELocker. If I had to do it again, I probably would have gone ARB.
@@DrivingLine very cool - I’m looking forward to your video. Sorry to hear about the break. I run arb’s in my land cruiser and have had the burping of gear oil out of my front locker so I was curious on the Eaton e locker. I love your content so please keep posting videos!!
@@DrivingLine and I love your Gladiator build and how well thought out you modify your truck!
Will the stock axles with 513 gearing be fine with 40s for overlanding ? Not much crawling.
I don’t think you’ll be happy with that gearing with 40. My 5.38s are just about perfect, but there are times on the highway I wish I had a little more power. If you are going to load up the Jeep heavily with serious overlanding gear, weight could also be a factor on that rear semi float axle. I’d maybe look at doing a 38 at the most.
I had 37 tires and the stock bearing had to be replaced twice
Great video! Was hoping you could give me a quick answer. I have a willys gladiator with 3.73 gears. I am running 35s on the stock 17x7.5 wheels with 2 inch wheel spacers. Is this safe and capable for daily driving and moderate trails? Thanks in advance.
Thank you. You can off-road with that setup for sure. Just know that you'll likely scrape the underside (framerails and T-case skid plate) some depending on what type of trails you are on. These things really benefit from a small lift when it comes to going off-road.
I’m getting ready to order the same axles for my 2020 Gladiator and I had a question about the exhaust clearance issue. Just wondering if you get any drone in the cabin after removing the resonator? Overall how did it change the sound? The resonator is fairly low and tends to get smashed anyway but once it’s cut off it’s hard to go back. Thanks
Inside of the cab, I honestly haven't noticed a difference. No drone or anything like that. My exhaust guy said he could have made it work. So, don't feel as though you have to do the chop if you don't want to. If you are running a Currie rear sway bar, you don't have to worry about it as well. I hated how it hung down, so this was a good excuse to go ahead and ditch it.
so you are running 40's on a 3.5" lift?
Correct.
what did they charge to install. or how many hours did they take?
We had the axles physically bolted under the Jeep in a few hours. But, I didn't have all of the parts to finish the swap in one day. Essentially, I got the axles bolted in at the shop, then had the Jeep towed to my house so I could finish the rest. Low Range 4x4 does a fair amount of axle upgrades, so they are fairly fast. You're best bet would be to call the shop to see what type of hour/price setup they would do.
@@DrivingLine thanks
What can I do to my stock axles to prevent this break and other possible problems????
There are axle trusses for the front axle, but I'm not sure how much they help. (Not saying they don't, I just don't know.) Adding in better ball joints and swapping to cast iron knuckles up front will help as well. Out back, there are trusses as well, but nothing is going to change the fact that it's a semi-float axle. I think if you drive easy and stay with a 37 with a high amount of backspacing, you can get plenty of life out of the axle set.
@@DrivingLine thank you much appreciated!
@@DrivingLine do you think a 4.5 inch backspace wheel is to aggressive? 0 offset. Or would that be the max you would go
I would try to stay at 5 inches or higher if you can. These platforms drive noticeably better with a high numeric backspacing. I had a set of KMC beadlocks with 4.75 inches of backspacing on my JL Rubicon and they weren't bad. However, my AEV beadlocks with 5.72 inches of backspacing is easier on the steering system.
@@DrivingLine I have the sport non max tow so I loose some width already that’s why I was thinking 4.5 but I’ll do some more research to see if the non max tow will acomodate a 37 on 5 inch bs
Great video! I just went with Dynatrac as well, but 68.5". I am interested in knowing what your width is with the 72.5” and 5.5 backspacing. Do you feel like you may be too wide for some trails now?
I'm around 85 1/2-inchs wide if I remember correctly. The width hasn't been an issue at all. With the 5.5 inches of backspacing, it's not much different than if I had gone with the 68.5 and 3.5 inches of backspacing. It feels incredibly stable and the steering is great on-road and off. I'm very happy overall.
@@DrivingLine Great info. Thank you.
I like the low center of gravity. Do you have instagram or messenger? I had some question I wanted to ask about your Rig.
Thanks. And yes, here's the link instagram.com/ali_mansour_editor/
What was the total cost of the upgrade? I need to prep the wife. 😂
Axles, driveshafts, wheels, and tires, and you'll be around 26K.
Those tires are going to kill your 0-60 time....😉
Now you know why I wanted to get the fastest 392 I could! 😀
@@DrivingLine well done!