Install Report: Yukon YA-WU-08 Manual Hub Conversion Kit and VANCO 16” Big Brake Kit

It would have been a pleasure having you do the work and I’d have happily paid double for the experience and knowing someone I can trust laying hands on my Jeep, this has been a road I’d have detoured had I been aware of how far off track I’d be replacing so many things.

I probably misquoted them probably he said the inners?

Still, I think when it’s all done I’ll have a ride I love and like every bad investment over time it’ll all seem OK... Jumped on the throttle a couple times on the way back from Dan’s Driveline and wow, flooring it from a stop light moving over 4 lanes to get on the freeway, the front became very lite, (giggles).
Sounds like the work is already done and you don't know for sure that you got alloy inners?
 
I wouldn't use that shop with an initial estimate of 12 hours.
I could probably cancel still, I’m limited here finding the right place to finish things up and I do want to use my Jeep again someday before I’m to old to climb up into it... won’t be the first money I’ve wasted and I do find value in moving on.
Sounds like the work is already done and you don't know for sure that you got alloy inners?
I just ordered things this AM, parts availability was looking a little limited and no slots open until nov 23, anyway with their go to choice for hubs on back order I told them I was ok going with an upgraded kit, it was taking him a while to find something so all the order and schedule was done quickly over the phone. Honestly the locking hubs were an after thought spur of the moment decision my intention was just to finally find someone here in Vegas to finish things off and make me happy in the drivers seat as best as possible, so unfortunately I didn’t have (take time) time to research carefully what I wanted, nor did I expect I was taking to much of a chance based on the reviews an general appearance of the shop. The time estimate did sounded excessive, but the only time I’ve ever dealt with hubs was on my old Chevy blazer and that was in a galaxy far far away... so, I‘m probably paying for the school of not being informed. out 6 or 8 hundred bucks if everything in the end is right isn’t nearly as daunting as getting my skyrocketing blood pressure under control, it’s been a long year and I’m more than ready to move on and go play with my toys, lol.
 
INSTALL REPORT: YUKON YA-WU-08 Manual Hub Conversion Kit and VANCO 16” Big Brake Kit


This is an install report for my new Yukon manual hub conversion and Vanco 16” Big Brake Kit. It isn’t intended to be a “how-to” because the instructions that come with the kits and the relevant sections in the Factory Service Manual explain the procedures better than I can. Besides, I had the luxury of having one of the best gear, axle and brake professionals in the North State region of California do the work so it would seem disingenuous to explain how to do something he did.

Many of you have watched with interest as I addressed the vibration/harmonic that developed in the front end at higher speeds after I re-geared my ’06 LJ Rubicon 4 speed auto from 4.88 to 5.38. Rotating and rebalancing the tires did nothing, a new Tom Wood front driveshaft didn’t cure it, nor did an alignment or adjusting the front pinion angle. However, removing the front driveshaft eliminated the vibration completely so it was almost universally agreed that the sure but expensive fix would be a conversion to manual hubs. See: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...ations-after-re-gear-to-4-88-or-deeper.12218/

I’m an old school guy. Except for the ZJ I once owned and my current LJ, my jeeps have always had manual hubs. What I have never had is the patience to fiddle with front pinion angles for hours on end in the pursuit of some illusory sweet spot that might or might not tone the vibrations down to an acceptable buzz. The decision was clear: Convert my front Dana 44 axle to manual hubs.

In the thread linked at the end of this paragraph the discussion focused on the relative merits of the various manual hub options currently on the market. From that discussion and my own research, I concluded that the two best are the Yukon YA-WU-08 kit which requires changing to the 5x5.5 lug pattern, and the Yukon YA-WU-07 kit which uses the Warn hub design for the Ford Explorer and retains the TJ 5x4.5 lug pattern but widens the track ¾” per side. See: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...ng-a-manual-locking-hub-conversion-kit.16093/

After consultation with @mrblaine at blackmagicbrakes.com regarding the concerns I had about the smaller Explorer hub kit, and being assured that my concerns were largely unfounded, I decided to go with the Yukon YA-WU-07 5x4.5 kit so that I would not need to buy new wheels. Ironically, the very next day I received a camelcamelcamel.com price alert for Amazon’s second lowest price on record for the larger YA-WU-08 5x5.5 manual hub conversion kit. Being a sucker for a good deal, and the price discount being more than the price for five new wheels and a new spare tire, I made a 180 degree change in direction and bought the 5x5.5 kit.

The Yukon YA WU-08 manual hub conversion kit comes with everything you need including 4340 chromoly outer shafts, Timken bearings, 5-760X axle u-joints, modified CJ rotors, premium locking hubs, etc. The instructions included with the kit are comprehensive and well written.

I elected to install 4340 chromoly 30-spline inner axle shafts as part of this project since there would be no additional installation charge when done at the same time as the hub conversion. The rotors and calipers need to be removed as part of the hub conversion so I also elected to replace the stock parts with the Vanco 16” Big Brake Kit from BlackMagicBrakes.com. I needed better braking anyway because the factory brakes are marginal on an LJ as it is, I tow an offroad trailer on occasion, and I want/need as much braking power as I can get to stop that additional weight.

I am pleased to report that the hub conversion has been completed without undue complication and the vibrations that commenced after my re-gear to 5.36 are now completely gone. I can drive 80 mph on the Interstate with one finger on the wheel and the ride is smooth as glass. Well maybe not smooth as glass, but really smooth. How do we know that it was the hubs that “fixed” the vibrations? We don’t. What we know is that the hubs solved the problem because the vibrations cannot be felt when the hubs are disengaged and when the hubs are engaged the vibrations return at the same high speeds with the same character and intensity as before the hubs were installed.

My opinion of the Vanco 16” Big Brake Kit is that it is muy bueno y tal vez incluso excelente. Even during the first cycle of pad break-in the improvement over stock is substantial. If reports are true that braking performance continues to improve through successive break-in cycles these brakes will indeed be something to write home about. However, despite some of the best instructions I have seen, the installation was not quite seamless. The rotors @mrblaine supplied to mate with the Yukon hubs needed some minor additional machining to perfect the fit and after some telephone consultation when the hubs wouldn't play nice with the rotors it was decided that a spacer would be required to deal with the issue created by the Yukon hub. @mrblaine overnighted the additional parts, which are unnecessary if one is installing the big brake kit on a jeep with the factory unit bearings. In the scheme of things these were very minor hiccups and not unexpected considering that mating the Vanco kit to the Yukon hubs is custom work.

All in all, it has been a successful winter project.


Vehicle:

2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Rubicon Edition
4.0L Engine
42RLE 4-Speed Automatic Transmission
NV241OR 4:1 transfer case
Dana 44 Front Axle with Factory Locker
Dana 44 Rear Axle with Factory Locker
5.38 Axle Gear Ratio
315/75R16 Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 “metric 35” tires

Parts and Part numbers:

Yukon # YA-WU-08 manual hub conversion kit
Yukon # YA W39602 4340 Chromoly Right Inner Axle for Jeep TJ Rubicon 30-Spline Dana 44
Yukon # YA39601 4340 Chromoly Left Inner Axle for Jeep TJ Rubicon 30-Spline Dana 44
Vanco 16” Big Brake Kit, blackmagicbrakes.com
Pro Comp # 1069-6885 16x8 polished aluminum wheels with 5x5.5” lug pattern, 4” backspace, 108mm center bore, new extended thread acorn bulge lug nuts.

My BFG MT 35x12.50 spare tire was 7 ½ years old and worn, not worth remounting on a new 5x5.5 wheel, so I took this opportunity to replace it with a Maxxis Bighorn MT-762 LT255/85R16 “semi-pizza cutter” which at 33.3” in diameter and 10.1" in section width is close enough to the 34.5” diameter of my “metric 35” Mickey Thompsons and substantially lighter and less bulky than my old spare.



Work performed by:

Tony Huff
Action Axle, Suspension & Brake, Redding CA


Technical Assistance:

Blaine Johnson, Black Magic Brakes


Promotional Considerations:

None. No discounted or free products and/or services were requested. All products were purchased in bona fide third party arm's length transactions with no promises of publicity or favorable mention.


Photos:

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Are there any significant differences in the way the vehicle drives and handles with the front hubs disconnected? Does the steering feel different.

I've always wanted to hear from someone that did this what their knee-jerk reaction was to the change in the vehicle- if there is any other than eliminating vibes.
 
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Are there any significant differences in the way the vehicle drives and handles with the front hubs disconnected? Does the steering feel different.

I've always wanted to hear from someone that did this what their knee-jerk reaction was to the change in the vehicle- if there is any other than eliminating vibes.
Zero perceptible difference.
 
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Zero perceptible difference.
I've enjoyed the feature so much on the TJ's, when the vacuum Auto locker failed on my F-250, I just manually locked the hubs and forgot about it.... I can't tell you how many times I've been backing my work trailer or trying to ease around the client's property and didn't want to spin a tire and I was so thankful to be able to just reach up and hit the knob.

I never noticed any difference on the f250 either... As far as mileage or run out... As a matter of fact for the most part I forgot I'd done it.

Thanks... I've wondered if the story was the same on the TJ. Shift on the fly is a really handy deal.
 
Are there any significant differences in the way the vehicle drives and handles with the front hubs disconnected? Does the steering feel different.
Zero perceptible difference.

Zero.

Although my rig was noticeably lighter due to less cash in my wallet.


Worth every nickel.
 
Well said. Good one. I know the feeling.
One other plus you probably already know is not listening to an autolocker with the hubs unlocked. If that's the traction device a person has. My Aussie is fairly loud when the hubs are locked. Not a big deal, but nice.
 
A selectable locker is cheaper than an auto locker and a hub kit.
 
Check and make sure you are getting new inners. Do NOT do outer axle tube seals.
Ok I’ve read your past posts on this topic of this contributing to damaging the inner tube seal if the ball joint fails and the axel leverages against the aluminum housing of the outer tube seal, correct? Also, not needed, hides issues and is more likely to trap debris rather than keep them out?
 
Ok I’ve read your past posts on this topic of this contributing to damaging the inner tube seal if the ball joint fails and the axel leverages against the aluminum housing of the outer tube seal, correct? Also, not needed, hides issues and is more likely to trap debris rather than keep them out?
I don't care about the leverage, I really care about hiding a bad inner axle seal.
 
Why not outer tube seals? Just want to understand why not.
I've had that conversation with several owners here when we are swapping on a big brake kit. I tell them that the tube seals hide a bad inner seal that can fill up the long side tube which is not good for the gears. They give me the look you get when someone thinks you're full of shit. Then we pull the long side inner and oil runs out the end of the tube over the lip on the tube seal. After that, they are quite happy when I remove them and toss them in the trash.
 
I'm all for it if vibes are the issue. I don't get the argument for making the auto locker shut up.
You probably weren't referring to my post, since nowhere was I arguing anything about making an auto locker "shut up". I mentioned it being a small plus.
 
You probably weren't referring to my post, since nowhere was I arguing anything about making an auto locker "shut up". I mentioned it being a small plus.

If you have an auto locker and install the hub kit to eliminate vibes, money well spent.

if you have an auto locker and install the hub kit because you don't like the clicking noise, waste of money in my opinion.
 
I don't care about the leverage, I really care about hiding a bad inner axle seal.

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