Copy of JL Metallurgy Overview
New Jeep JL platform provides design challenges in the automotive aftermarket
The new JL platform from Jeep quickly became one of the significant introductions from carmakers in many years. Like every other Jeep platform, opportunities for aftermarket manufacturers to modify, lift, and design came quickly after the introduction. For aftermarket drivetrain engineers, working on the new Jeep JL platform provided with design challenges when it came to the ring and pinions. The JL launched with a new set of differentials including the D44JL Rear (M220), D44JL Front (M210) & D35JL (M200). Factory Engineers had designed the ring & pinions for higher efficiencies. Whether this had to do with increased mileage requirement or powertrain revisions, differential modifications were required throughout the platform.
From a design perspective, this factory revision denotes a decrease in the hypoid offset from previous JK designs resulting in a smaller pinion head diameter with increased loading on the teeth. Stronger alloys, most notably an increase in the nickel content, are required to handle the increased loads. Most aftermarket manufacturers recognized the design change, that was the easy part. Only Yukon recognized that the design change required improvements to the metallurgyas well.
Recognizing the significant changes in the OE gears for the JL platform, Yukon Engineers examined countless material and heat treatment options to effectively deal with the new hypoid offset. Yukon realized the need to manufacture the JL ring & pinion line with a premium higher strength 4320 material to hold up to the abuse and provide even higher strength than the JK. A year later, after testing Yukon against other aftermarket brands, it appears that Yukon was the only aftermarket company to move to the higher strength material and produce the strongest aftermarket gears associated with Jeep JL line.
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