Dynatrac vs. Spyntech

[Kvic]

Ok I've got 126k on my 03 and am looking to upgrade to a free spin kit, my question is which one? Are there pros and cons to each brand? Dealer quoted me $1100 for stock units, don't want to do that. I know Dynatrac has been around for years, and that Spyntech is kind of the new guy. Any advice is welcome, but not looking to start a brand war.



Thanks



Kris

 

[rscurtis]

I have the DT on my signature truck, installed it almost 4 years ago. No question about it, it's made very nicely. I have only seen pictures of the Spyntec, so I can't comment on its quality. EMS is also an option, but I believe they are re-drilled Ford spindles. Which ever way you go, it's a worthwhile upgrade.



45K miles and I haven't even had to adjust the bearings.

 

[ETavernier]

Kvic,

You've got the right man! My 98. 5 spun the pass front bearing in2005 at about 120,000 miles. I did the Dynatrac kit at that time. HIGH quality, Timkin bearings, tight tolerances. No problems, MM hubs at that time. The only drawback was that there was no provision for the ABS tone ring. Completely satisfied otherwise.

Flash forward to 2009 my 2004. 5 driverside hub started to whine. I called the same distributer that I had bought the previous kit and he had none in stock, but did have the new Spyntec kit. He stated they were equivalent in quality, and that the Spyntec also pressed in the bearing races into the hub. Also there was the correct tone ring for the ABS... (now present in the Dynatrac kits also). Also the Spyntec kit was a bit less expensive.

And they had it in stock...

I would have to say that the quality of the Spyntec equaled that of the Dynatrac kit. Both kits used the MM hubs... (Dynatrac now uses their own). Not having to run the hubs down to my local shop to press in the bearing races was a help.

I would recommend either kit without hesitation.

Now with the recent kit I chose to also change the Ball joints... . two days of hammering on the drivers side and 2 hours in the passenger side... I would not wish that job on anyone. If you have the proper tools and a good torch I am sure it would have been easier... .

Eddie

 

[Quilbilly brian]

I installed the Dynatrac kit last June and have put over 5K on it with no complaints. Great product and customer support. They dont stick out as much as the Spintec kit but if you dont care and want to save some $$$$ then go with Spyntec as they are good quality. I also did my ball joints when I installed the hub kit. Not as hard for me as ET's. The steering is different but not in a bad way.

 

[BMHenry]

I just installed a Spyntec kit 4 weeks ago. . It is a very well made kit and easy to install. . No complaints here. I looked at all the other kits as well. I believe it is really going to come down to: What team u are on & how much u want to spend. .

 

[EDankievitch]

Can't go wrong with ether kit. I've installed both, both work and seem to hold up very well. I do like the ability of talking with a real live Tec at Dynatraxx when if ever needed. And I'll add that their Bal joints are first class top quality and the price on the whole set is a bargan.

 

[NavyDood]

Dynatrac here. This coming June will be 2yrs. I have 38,000 miles on them right now. Two winters of locking and unlocking the hubs. Have ran 2lo four times spotting 5vr's. Haven't had a single issue.

Like others have said, who's bandwagon you want to jump on?

 

[Shadrach]

As far as I can tell if you have a single wheeled truck the the Dyna trac don't stick out as far. For Dually trucks either seems to work. Check other threads for pics. I hope to get Dynatrac hubs and BJs this spring. Shadrach

 

[jjdiesel]

I just did the Dynatrac's free spin with their pro-steer ball joints... so far, so good.

 

[Kvic]

Thanks Guys for all of the input. I'm thinking Dynatrac, will let you all know.



Kris

 

[RVTRKN]

Kvic,

You've got the right man! My 98. 5 spun the pass front bearing in2005 at about 120,000 miles. I did the Dynatrac kit at that time. HIGH quality, Timkin bearings, tight tolerances. No problems, MM hubs at that time. The only drawback was that there was no provision for the ABS tone ring. Completely satisfied otherwise.

Flash forward to 2009 my 2004. 5 driverside hub started to whine. I called the same distributer that I had bought the previous kit and he had none in stock, but did have the new Spyntec kit. He stated they were equivalent in quality, and that the Spyntec also pressed in the bearing races into the hub. Also there was the correct tone ring for the ABS... (now present in the Dynatrac kits also). Also the Spyntec kit was a bit less expensive.

And they had it in stock...

I would have to say that the quality of the Spyntec equaled that of the Dynatrac kit. Both kits used the MM hubs... (Dynatrac now uses their own). Not having to run the hubs down to my local shop to press in the bearing races was a help.

I would recommend either kit without hesitation.

Now with the recent kit I chose to also change the Ball joints... . two days of hammering on the drivers side and 2 hours in the passenger side... I would not wish that job on anyone. If you have the proper tools and a good torch I am sure it would have been easier... .

Eddie

Is there any myth to the axles not spinning, causing issues, per the need to lock them from time to time to relubricate the pumpkin and internals?

 

[ETavernier]

RVTRKN,

I can't say. I'm on the beach several times a month and have 4 wheel engaged...

Eddie

 

[rscurtis]

No need to engage the hubs if you're worried about that. Just drive it a short distance with the transfer case engaged- from a stop, or course.

 

[steved]

Is there any myth to the axles not spinning, causing issues, per the need to lock them from time to time to relubricate the pumpkin and internals?

Believe it or not, there is still enough "drag" even with lockouts to very slowly spin the axleshafts. I know this to be true as I put plenty of miles on my truck and have seen evidence the driveshaft had been spinning, even though I had the hubs unlocked and in 2wd. I can unlock the hubs and spin the axleshafts by hand... so everything is operating normally.

I have the DT kit... the EMS and Spintechs were not even being made yet, so the choice was pretty straight forward. The issues I've encountered could be had with any of the hub kits. I currently have a bad spindle bearing... probably will need to replace the stub shaft as a seal failed, causing the stub and bearing to rust (from non-use and poor choice of grease). I can't stress enough to use the best grease you can afford... Pennzoil 707L and Schaeffers seem to work very well for me. I also found the lockouts didn't seat tightly to the hub, causing the grease to get slung/washed out... the passenger side outer bearing is golden brown from getting hot... but its still going.

I remember installing them at 72k, and currently sit at 242k. Make sure you pull them apart, and at least inspect them for bad seals at the recommended 50k.

 

[brods]

Ok I've got 126k on my 03 and am looking to upgrade to a free spin kit, my question is which one? Are there pros and cons to each brand? Dealer quoted me $1100 for stock units, don't want to do that. I know Dynatrac has been around for years, and that Spyntech is kind of the new guy. Any advice is welcome, but not looking to start a brand war.



Thanks



Kris

Take a hard look at the SpynTec units. If minimum stick out is important to you look at Dynatrac with the Dyna Loc lockouts. It looks like EMS has a custom spindle now rather than the re-drilled ford crap they used to hide in their ads. Someone recently posted on TDR a Yukon kit install which was not on the Yukon website at the time. There is also Ballistic fab if you have some dana 60 parts laying around, otherwise you have to buy most all the options (still a competitive price): Dodge Unit Bearing Conversion Kit



If you routinely drive through water deeper than the axle then you might want to think twice about hub kits. As Steved has mentioned water will get in the hubs and you must regrease them or you will be replacing parts. I have never been in water anywhere near that deep yet water still got in the EMS kit. Where the stub shaft goes into the spindle is the weak spot to let water in.



RVTRKN, on older 4x4s with locking front hubs they recommended locking the hubs for 10 miles a month so the front axle got properly lubricated. I never did that back then and never had an axle problem. With the Dodge the hubs are locked on and off during the winter and it gets put into 4wd hi a few times over the rest of the year just to stir things up.

 

[RVTRKN]

At the first sign of bearing issues, they will be replaced with the best price and opinions of the two. When I'm ready, but with the economy in the dumps, my work truck has turned into my vacation truck, and it goes nowhere. I think I've put 5K miles on it in the last year.

 

[haulboat]

I have 28k commercial towing miles on the spyntech- no problems, they are very high quality.

 

[CUMMINZ]

Which of the free spin hubs stick out the least amount from the wheel?

 

[Quilbilly brian]

The Dynatrac hubs stick out the least of all the kits. UNLESS you get deep rims and or put spacers behind the rims then its a mute points

 

[Shadrach]

It depend on if you have a dually or SRW and if you get the optional Warn hubs or the standard Dynatrac ones. Then there is the Spyntec ones. Lots of variables. Shadrach