kind of abstract tj front axle upgrade question

[konastinky1234]

i have been uneasy wondering whether me throwing 35s on 4.88s on my 2.5l will work out as well as i want it to long term so i was wondering what type of front axle swaps are out there for the tj that arent major if there are any. probably will never do this and deal with the setup anyways but was just trying to find out in case i ever pursue it. seems like most common is modifying a d44 from some vehicle or another, also could use a rubi axle i guess.

oh ya and the goal for doing this would be solely to obtain better axle gearing since the d30 is restricted to 4.88 and i want my tj to always be a DD and all around vehicle with good highway capability. ideally for this setup to be stock gearing i would think 5.13 or 5.38 would put you in or over that range.

opinions, thoughts, whatever, lets see what everyone says about this.

[konastinky1234]

actually just looked and is it possible to go deeper in a 30 with the correct carrier if i am reading correctly? thought it was 4.88 was deepest but maybe not?

[bucketokarma]

44 front, aside from that

My buddy has 35"s on his stock d30 with 4:88.... he refuses to go down a tire size, but he can't stand the complete and utter lack of power.

Maybe drop in a diesel, get some d60s, and throw on some 40"s

[bucketokarma]

actually just looked and is it possible to go deeper in a 30 with the correct carrier if i am reading correctly? thought it was 4.88 was deepest but maybe not?

You have to watch how small a toothpick you want to have as a pinion. If you're going to be throwing on larger tires, you really don't want to break your pinion every time you you look at it.

[kracker]

i ran d30 w 4.88s 35's and aussie for 3 yrs w stock shafts and never had problem other than occasional stock short shaft blowing up on climbs where i was hammering down...moral of story: save your money,keep a spare shaft or two and have fun...dont worry if you blow it up, it only takes like 15 minutes to change one out...only costs about 20 bucks which is cheaper than buying whole axle and steering setup...

[CntStpTheStnk06]

44 front, aside from that

My buddy has 35"s on his stock d30 with 4:88.... he refuses to go down a tire size, but he can't stand the complete and utter lack of power.

Maybe drop in a diesel, get some d60s, and throw on some 40"s

jon swap the diesel in it and uncut dana 60s!!

[CntStpTheStnk06]

i ran d30 w 4.88s 35's and aussie for 3 yrs w stock shafts and never had problem other than occasional stock short shaft blowing up on climbs where i was hammering down...moral of story: save your money,keep a spare shaft or two and have fun...dont worry if you blow it up, it only takes like 15 minutes to change one out...only costs about 20 bucks which is cheaper than buying whole axle and steering setup...

sounds like the best economical decision

[customcreationsllc]

RCV D30 is pretty strong. supposed to be equal to a Stock D60 joint.

Well a d44 will let you go deeper in the gears but expensive to find a rubi d44.
anything other than that you will need to weld on suspension mounts.

A d44 is basically the same as a D30 except you get a larger ring and pinion.

So if you are going to do all that work weld on mounts you might as well upgrade to a D60 way stronger. you can buy one complete axle expensive or custom build your axle yourself a lot of work.

You would want a King Pin D60 basically the best OEM front axle you can get.

Sorry but there is nothing between D30/44 and D60 so either small or big.

If you need more specific details let me know.


Another option just get lower rear gears you mostly drive 2wd on the road and that wont matter. Offroad will be OK lower rear gears makes you turn a lot better in 4x4.

If you need 4x4 on the road get a 242 you can us full time 4x4 for the road. then you will just get the average gear ratio.


~Justin

[konastinky1234]

justin,
thanks for the advice. i like the idea of running a deeper ratio in the rear just for the road but i then cannot drive on the road in the snow too well. im not sure if i want to sacrifice that yet seeing as how i want the jeep to be a full time vehicle all year. i will keep that in mind though.

as far as the 60 goes, i know its a great strong axle and its cheap but its just out of my build range. i will never go over 35s i think and with that size of a tire a 60 is overkill in strength and correct me if i am wrong but it really should have bigger tires to get the clearance back.

i am not concerned in the slightest about strength, i know the 30 will be just fine for me. the sole reason was for deeper gearing. do you know if there is any way to gear the 30 deeper than 4.88? even if it were only one ratio lower. i also dont want it to be super weak however. but i guess i would not break it since i go easy (R&P that is) and even if i did i could always make it home in 2wd.

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

Like stated before, careful going with a deeper gear because your pinion becomes the weak link

[cherokee-at-16]

It sounds like a d44 with some nice shafts is exactly what you want. It will get you into the deeper gears without loosing so much pinion strength, compared to the d30.

Just note that they use the same size u-joints and the shafts aren't much stronger.......correct?

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

It sounds like a d44 with some nice shafts is exactly what you want. It will get you into the deeper gears without loosing so much pinion strength, compared to the d30.

Just note that they use the same size u-joints and the shafts aren't much stronger.......correct?

Correct, which is why people say to just go with the 60. The rubi 44's have 30 outers too so if you consider the X joint being the weak point in that axle thats why people dont bother with it.

[konastinky1234]

Like stated before, careful going with a deeper gear because your pinion becomes the weak link

ya, i hear with the pinion getting too weak. that would be my only concern to be honest in terms of strength.

[konastinky1234]

also brian i just bought a sweet hp30 thats all set up and ready to go with 1 ton and 4.88s so i am not gonna go for a 44, even if i didnt just get it the 44 would be a lot of work and coin i anticipate for not much gain.