AAM 11.5 question

[CDonaldson]

OK rear end gurus . . have a simple question . .



Are the AAM rear ends plug and play? Meaning, is the basic housing the same, and what makes them different is how they are equipped with either SRW or DRW axles/hubs or carrier setup for gearing, ie: 3. 73, 4. 10, etc?



Can you pull a SRW hub assy/and axle and plug in a DRW hub assy/and axle or the reverse?



Seems to me this is possible. Many who want to switch one way or the other could actually do this as a swap or build rather than exchanging the entire rear housings. Both are 30 spline, the basic housing is the same, the actualy end where the hubs bolt up are the same, the rotors are the same, the spring perches are the same and the shock mounts are the same - am I on the right track with this?







CD

 

[NavyDood]

The axles are the same other than the width, I never remember which one is the wider axle. The axles have different part numbers from SRW (DRQ) to DRW (DRX).

 

[CDonaldson]

Well, I know the DRW (DRX) axle is a total of 4"s longer than the SRW (DRQ)- measured end to end at the face of the hub (where you mount the wheel. That overall length difference is due to the length of the hub assy itself, which is bolted to/through the rotor plate. Ea side is 2"s longer than the SRW hub assy's. Both hubs bolt to the axle using the same bolting point which is the same in both axles, it extends the same distance from the rotor. The difference in axles is all about that 2" perside difference as well.





CD

 

[jelag]

I now have a 05 3500 with the 4. 10 and they make the 3. 73 and a 3. 42 that will fit both the front and rear... . if you move to the 3. 42 you'll need a spacer that the manufacturer will supply... .

Any of you interested in a 4. 10 set in about 60-90 days.....

 

[pwerwagn]

I see where you are going, but I don't get why? Its very quick to swap entire assemblies. By yanking the hubs off, you are loosing oil, have to re-tighten the bearings, etc. By removing the parking brake stuff, 8 nuts on the u bolts, the brake line, the axle vent and the 4 bolts from the yoke, you are good to go. A little more weight to manhandle, but its cleaner and quicker in my opinion.

 

[CDonaldson]

To answer your WHY question. Finding a decent donor rear end is not always out there, the salvage yards have ones that could be questionable, high mileage, or age that is not even close to what your truck is, and they are VERY expensive because they are scarce. You could find a rear end but not the right gearing or maybe the right gearing but not the right hubs. My question really went to ARE THEY PLUG and PLAY are the hubs/axles swappable between DRW and SRW?



I know that I would rather swap in a part or two than trade someone if I wanted to change from SRW or DRW or vice-versa, especially when it comes to a questionably maintained rear end. You know how you have maintained yours, but what about the other guy?? and believe me when I say that some will make claims of maintenance that were not performed. And then some would like to trade their rear ends, but because on is 410 and the other is 3. 73 a trade is not going to happen. So, if it is known that the hubs and axles could just be swapped, that trade could take place.





I have done axle swaps, is easy to do. Takes a couple tow-three hours. I have done rotor resurfacing, removing hubs and the re-installing them, have that same 2-3 hours into that job. I was just wondering about the interchangability of the AAM hubs/axles. I believe they are interchangable, and to me if that is true, it would open up a lot more options for those wanting to go either way.







CD

 

[SRadke]

My question really went to ARE THEY PLUG and PLAY are the hubs/axles swappable between DRW and SRW?

Short answer, no. The distance between the backing plate mounting flanges is narrower on a DRW rear end.

 

[NavyDood]

The axles are the same other than the width, I never remember which one is the wider axle. The axles have different part numbers from SRW (DRQ) to DRW (DRX).

Let me rephrase what I meant. I was actually referring to the axle shafts.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

The housing and axle shafts between a SRW and DRW are completely different lengths.



The calipers, rotors, R&P, bearings,seals etc are the same.

 

[CDonaldson]

The axle shafts are different lengths between the SRW and the DRW because of the HUB being different. The short hub depth of the SRW, is why the length of the SRW axle shaft is shorter. The deeper hub depth of the DRW, is why the DRW axle shaft is longer. Since the bearings, seals, etc are the same, that suggests that the hubs ARE interchangable. So, the housing itself, or the differences in the housing is what might make them different, that would go to a total length assembled. If it is true that the distance between the backing plates is different, then that is the only thing that makes a difference between the two rear ends. The backing plate is what the rotor is up against and where the hub actually bolts up to the housing itself. The bolt holes of that hub bolting up against the backing plate and the bolts are also the same in the two different hubs.





CD

 

[Deleted member 995608]

The axle shafts are different lengths between the SRW and the DRW because of the HUB being different. The short hub depth of the SRW, is why the length of the SRW axle shaft is shorter. The deeper hub depth of the DRW, is why the DRW axle shaft is longer. Since the bearings, seals, etc are the same, that suggests that the hubs ARE interchangable. So, the housing itself, or the differences in the housing is what might make them different, that would go to a total length assembled. If it is true that the distance between the backing plates is different, then that is the only thing that makes a difference between the two rear ends. The backing plate is what the rotor is up against and where the hub actually bolts up to the housing itself. The bolt holes of that hub bolting up against the backing plate and the bolts are also the same in the two different hubs.





CD

Huh?



I did the DRW conversion with a factory axle and you're making me confused, . . . and I actually have a OEM DRW and SRW here on site to take notes from.

 

[CDonaldson]

I spoke with American Axle about this, they told me that all the parts are interchangable, the housings are the same, at least from 2006 and up they are the same. What makes the drw and srw different IS the bolt up of the hub assemblies and their associated parts. Both are 30-spline. You can take a srw, pull the axles and hub and replace that with the drw axle and hub. The bearings, seals, etc all sit on the same places, theose parts are interchangable also. Both bolt up the same at the backing plates. Of course when you are done, they will measure differently, but they are the same in how they assemble. GM is using the same housing on their trucks also.





CD

 

[AH64ID]

AAM did tell me that the DRW has a different inner bearing (90% sure it was inner), that is larger to last with the increased rotational mass and wide tire foot print.



Both are rated the same at 10910 lbs.

 

[NavyDood]

AAM did tell me that the DRW has a different inner bearing (90% sure it was inner), that is larger to last with the increased rotational mass and wide tire foot print.

Both are rated the same at 10910 lbs.

True. The Dodge component is built with stronger parts. Stronger axles, larger tubes, better bearings. Dodge spec'd 3x life bearings and GM spec'd 2x bearings.

GM says if you run a true synthetic then there is no need for a scheduled change interval.

 

[CDonaldson]

When I spoke to AAM, I could not get them to commit to oil change interval timeframes, but the engineer did tell me that using a full synthetic ALL but eliminated the need for the short interval timeframes that Dodge was recommending with their fluids. I also asked him about the weight of the oil 75w90 vrs 75w110 or 75w140. He told me that the 75w90 in a full synthetic was just fine and what the recommended, then came the BUT. It basically went something like BUT if you are in the desert sw and tow really heavy, using the 110 or 140 would be a better choice, again it was all about using a full synthetic. Since he kept going to the full synthetic stuff, I kind of got that the Dodge blend was not so good or that maybe people have used the old dyno stuff, and not a positive thing to do. VERY nice people at AAM, was a pleasure talking to people who actually knew something and wern't afraid to part with info. Sure is WAY better than talking to a local dealership.







CD

 

[AH64ID]

I had the same experiance when talking OCI with AAM, and the same thing on gear lube weights. They told me that unless you regularlly tow at or above GCWR thru death valley you were fine with 75w-90, and thats what they reccommended.



I agree the couple times I talked with AAM they were great.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I spoke with American Axle about this, they told me that all the parts are interchangable, the housings are the same, at least from 2006 and up they are the same. What makes the drw and srw different IS the bolt up of the hub assemblies and their associated parts. Both are 30-spline. You can take a srw, pull the axles and hub and replace that with the drw axle and hub. The bearings, seals, etc all sit on the same places, theose parts are interchangable also. Both bolt up the same at the backing plates. Of course when you are done, they will measure differently, but they are the same in how they assemble. GM is using the same housing on their trucks also.





CD

The DRW housing by itself is narrower than the the SWR so if you bolted up the DRW components to an SWR housing it would be wider than OEM. I just tripled checked so your AAM guy is wrong.



Also, the axles themselves are the same but different lengths as well.



The DRW and SRW axles are the same animal but different lengths.



Tube length between the 4 bolt flange to where the tube is pressed into the pumkin housing-



DRW 18-3/16"

SRW 19-3/16"



Axles-



DRW 40-1/4"

SRW 36-3/4"



Rotor to Rotor (inside)



DRW 61-5/8"

SRW 63-3/4"

 

[AH64ID]

Most, if not all, the parts and pieces are listed in this catalog.



http://www.aam.com/file.php/934/Axle+Catalog++WEB.pdf

 

[Cosmo]

When I spoke to AAM, I could not get them to commit to oil change interval timeframes, but the engineer did tell me that using a full synthetic ALL but eliminated the need for the short interval timeframes that Dodge was recommending with their fluids. I also asked him about the weight of the oil 75w90 vrs 75w110 or 75w140. He told me that the 75w90 in a full synthetic was just fine and what the recommended, then came the BUT. It basically went something like BUT if you are in the desert sw and tow really heavy, using the 110 or 140 would be a better choice, again it was all about using a full synthetic. Since he kept going to the full synthetic stuff, I kind of got that the Dodge blend was not so good or that maybe people have used the old dyno stuff, and not a positive thing to do. VERY nice people at AAM, was a pleasure talking to people who actually knew something and wern't afraid to part with info. Sure is WAY better than talking to a local dealership.



CD

At 15k miles, my magnets had negligible amounts of metal on them and the fluid looked almost as good as the stuff I put back in. Employee cost (for me) at Dodge for whatever 75w90 they use was about $16/qt iirc, whereas I got Valvoline full synthetic from the local auto parts store for $6. 99/qt.

No brainer.

While I don't pull at/near capacity in death valley very often at all, I do pull way over capacity sleds about once a month and I'm not running stock power levels, so I don't mind dumping fluids once a year or so.


Oh, and Subaru does differential services at 90k iirc... 15k for a truck seems a bit excessive for most people.

 

[S.Morris]

Drw inner bearing is bigger as is spindle od.

This I know as seals are different and drw seal is larger id.