35's on Dana 30

[tweakeyjeep]

I just put some new 35's on my Jeep. I'm running a 44 in the rear and the stock Dana 30 (except it's been regeared)

What are the main weak points on the Dana 30 that I should upgrade? I'm not planning on going any bigger than the 35's. I'm set here. I don't want to do an axle swap.

I have a 95 so I have the stronger U-joints in it, but what are some other possibilities?

Is it just the outer axle shafts that I need to worry about or the inners and outers? What else should I beef up?

Would the warn chromaly (spell check) shafts and hub kit be enough to run 35's on it?

Thanks.

 

[RockMonkey]

The u-joints are still the weakest part. You will break them frequently, if you wheel it. When you do break them they will almost always break either the inner, or outer axle shafts too, and frequently both. You could do CTM joints and alloy shafts to beef them up a bit. You also may have a problem keeping the axle straight. It's a pretty light duty axle, and they bend easily, just ask Mbryson. You can add a truss to it to beef that up. 30s also have weak balljoints, and they sometimes break, and your wheel falls off. Not much you can do about that one.

 

[tweakeyjeep]

The u-joints are still the weakest part. You will break them frequently, if you wheel it. When you do break them they will almost always break either the inner, or outer axle shafts too, and frequently both. You could do CTM joints and alloy shafts to beef them up a bit. You also may have a problem keeping the axle straight. It's a pretty light duty axle, and they bend easily, just ask Mbryson. You can add a truss to it to beef that up. 30s also have weak balljoints, and they sometimes break, and your wheel falls off. Not much you can do about that one.

Thanks for the info...

Now that you mentioned it, I should check my ball joints in the morning!

 

[Jay5.9L]

Thanks for the info...

Now that you mentioned it, I should check my ball joints in the morning!

I check my balls every morning on the shower just kidding.

The D30 should be ok if your easy on the stupid pedal and don't hammer it. The warn shafts will help, so will HD u-joints. But you have the weigh the cost. It may be cheaper to do a swap for a D44.

 

[RockMonkey]

I check my balls every morning on the shower just kidding.

The D30 should be ok if your easy on the stupid pedal and don't hammer it. The warn shafts will help, so will HD u-joints. But you have the weigh the cost. It may be cheaper to do a swap for a D44.

But what will a d44 swap gain him? He'll still have to upgrade the shafts and the joints. He's not gonna break his d30 gears. He wouldn't have to worry about bending it, or the ball joints as much, but the weak links are just as weak on a 44 as they are on the 30.

 

[kirk86CJ]

But what will a d44 swap gain him? He'll still have to upgrade the shafts and the joints. He's not gonna break his d30 gears. He wouldn't have to worry about bending it, or the ball joints as much, but the weak links are just as weak on a 44 as they are on the 30.

I wasn't going to say anything cause I know its unpopular but, I have a d30 with 4:88 gears, locked (twinstick) with a 350/700r. I have been on 3 or 4 trips since the engine/tranny swap and haven't broke anything. I take the front out of gear often, I bought superwinch hubs to be my "fuse" and carry the originals as spares. I upgraded to the warn shafts. I also have 35's. I am easy on it.

I think having the automatic takes a lot of the abuse away.

 

[grinch]

Tweaky you should be fine... Jason at jeepers runs the 30 on his blue cj7 with 35's and only seems to spin hubs most the time... Just dont throttle jocky it and consider a manual hub conversion.... Then the usual chrommolly shafts and ctm's and youll be big pimpin it....

 

[Mike_Lib]

Is it locked? That is the deciding factor.

If the 30 is locked and you're on 35's you will most likely break. If it's open it will live.

P.S. Don't polish the 30. Upgrade.

 

[mbryson]

Is it locked? That is the deciding factor.

If the 30 is locked and you're on 35's you will most likely break. If it's open it will live.

P.S. Don't polish the 30. Upgrade.

Upgrade to a D60 (for the reasons Braden mentioned)........I wheel with the ARB mostly off to try and keep stresses to a minimum (however, Wayne Thomas {similar XJ to mine with the 'rollover mod'} has had great luck with his lockright and D30 and wheels VERY similarly to myself and he goes more often). I break shafts and bend housings on the D30. I'm running 760 joints with snap rings and they've lasted over a year with stock TJ shafts. I've been VERY NICE this past year to it and I believe that has helped....{No 30+ mph blasts out of Pritchett} If you're 'stuck' on the D30, the Superior shafts are not bad priced and with a 760 joint you could get a least a good year out of the shafts if not more.....Warns are nice, but I personally wouldn't spend the money as you're into the D30 as much as an 'upgraded' axle and didn't get a d@mn thing out of it. The D30 is a good little piece, but does have it's limitations (I believe them to be at 33" for how I wheel)

 

[ben c]

35 on 30s

i bought the new yukon axles and i run the 30 in my xj w/35/14.50r15 and havent had a problem w/the tj up grade i had to remove the inner roller bearing to put them in and they work just fine i called randys ring & pinion and they told me they werent avaliable yet but bud at skys off road road got me some (somehow)825-8881 and its been great so far so good so call him and see if he can get some more (it was ha he77 of a lot cheaper the warns axles)

 

[mbryson]

i bought the new yukon axles and i run the 30 in my xj w/35/14.50r15 and havent had a problem w/the tj up grade i had to remove the inner roller bearing to put them in and they work just fine i called randys ring & pinion and they told me they werent avaliable yet but bud at skys off road road got me some (somehow)825-8881 and its been great so far so good so call him and see if he can get some more (it was ha he77 of a lot cheaper the warns axles)

You had to remove the inner roller bearing and they work just fine I'm not sure what you're talking about could you expand on that just a little


DUDE........try some punctuation?

 

[tweakeyjeep]

It's not locked (yet) the only after market part I put in it were the 4.10's.

I agree with Braden because the Dana 44 has the same weak points as the Dana 30.

A Dana 60 is gonna run me well over $1K, then I'll probably have to regear it and have to deal with the hassle of swapping another axle.

Ya, I'm not a big throttle freak, I like the middle fat pedal in the middle more than the long skinny pedal...

I want to put in a lockright.

So............. What should the first thing I do? Get some CTM U-joints. Then get some inners or outers?

I appreciate all the advice. I would definetly do the Dana 60 if I didn't have to save up for a mission. Tha'ts the main reason why I don't want to do an axle swap.

Thanks!

 

[mbryson]

It's not locked (yet) the only after market part I put in it were the 4.10's.

I agree with Braden because the Dana 44 has the same weak points as the Dana 30.

A Dana 60 is gonna run me well over $1K, then I'll probably have to regear it and have to deal with the hassle of swapping another axle.

Ya, I'm not a big throttle freak, I like the middle fat pedal in the middle more than the long skinny pedal...

I want to put in a lockright.

So............. What should the first thing I do? Get some CTM U-joints. Then get some inners or outers?

I appreciate all the advice. I would definetly do the Dana 60 if I didn't have to save up for a mission. Tha'ts the main reason why I don't want to do an axle swap.

Thanks!

Just get some spare shafts and see how fast you go through them.

 

[tweakeyjeep]

Just get some spare shafts and see how fast you go through them.

Really that weak huh?

Well... good thing it will be just a pavement pounder on my mission.

My mom has a sports car and so she is only going to drive it in the winter.... It will like the garage for the other seasons though.

 

[pokeyYJ]

I only had two problems with my 30 in the old YJ (and I also had the bigger u-joints) one was constant leaky axle seals and the other was a busted 4.10 gearset. But in all fairness I believe that the gearset broke because it was not reinstalled properly after the dealer replaced a leaky inner axle seal.

Most of the guys that I go with have 30 fronts (mostly TJ's though) they seem to hold up well enough, but then again, most of the guys I go with are so afraid of the skinny pedal that its silly.

 

[mbryson]

Really that weak huh?

Well... good thing it will be just a pavement pounder on my mission.

My mom has a sports car and so she is only going to drive it in the winter.... It will like the garage for the other seasons though.

I wouldn't call it 'weak' but you should come prepared to change axles. I carry a set of ball joints also. The 35" tires put some stress on things, but it'll depend on how you drive.

 

[RockMonkey]

You carry around a whole spare XJ busted down into parts in the back of that thing, don't you?

 

[mbryson]

You carry around a whole spare XJ busted down into parts in the back of that thing, don't you?

Pretty much a front axle..........steering parts, spare shafts and ball joints. Almost everything I've broken before.....There's not that much space in a YJ......I'm going to have to adjust


I've got a spare 4.0L, under the seat, D44 shafts hidden in the headliner and some 'shrooms' growing.........{OH, scratch that}

 

[RockMonkey]

Just build it so you rarely need spare parts. I carry a Heim, and a 30 spline outter.

 

[mbryson]

Just build it so you rarely need spare parts. I carry a Heim, and a 30 spline outter.

Now there's a 'fixit' bag......