My recent failure was almost certainly due to mud and water contamination that was preventable. That said I have had problems with the lock washer spinning and races turning in the rotor as well. Those were mostly parts quality problems.
For people that run stock wheels, the bearing setup is fine with routine maintenance and no extended drives with the hubs locked in.
Nobody has come up with a parts combo to use D44 hubs and retain the 5x4.5 bolt pattern yet that I am aware of. I’d be the first to do it if someone figures it out! All of the four ways I know of to get to 5x5.5 D44 hubs requires some machine shop time or permanent modifications. I’m not scared of that but a bolt on deal would be nice for those with limited experience/no junkyard access or no machine shop nearby.
I think a sealed unit bearing setup would be cool too, maybe from an XJ, etc. Figure out how to make that work with the D35 caliper and use AVM hubs. Solves a couple problems. Just dreaming out loud.
