Gears, Axles, Diffs...OH MY!

[Banana]

Alright. Been reading the forums a lot lately, trying to get a grip (no pun intended) on what I need for my Jeep.

Here is the problem....I currently have 3.07's. The Jeep is not by any means a dog, but it could use some help moving the 33x12.50's, even with the I6. With a front D30 and a rear D35, there seems to be plenty of options out there for me to go with.

Factors for me to consider: It is a DD, so driveability needs to be factored in. I drive approximately 12 or so miles to work one way, all stop and go traffic. It may see the occasional highway use, but I would say that the stop and go traffic/highway use ratio is easily 90/10.

So now the question is, where is the balance between building a capable Jeep for some moderate offroading, and still having it be a DD?

I am thinking 4.10's, Super 35 Kit, and some type of lockers (have not decided on which ones yet). Is there anything that I can do to the front D30 besides the lockers and the 4.10's? Am I in "overkill" mode already?

Thanks everyone for your advice and ideas. It is appreciated.

[USMC 0369]

I'll say it first.

A D35 can hold up for a while, but eventually you're going to go with something else for a rear-end.

The advice the folks here at MJR gave me was to invest the $$ you'd spend on a super 35 kit into picking up a Ford 9 inch, or as Erik (NAILER) is testing a kit for his ford 8.8 rear-end.

As for the front, I've been told that the D30 is pretty strong, but if replacing it look for a D44 out of a wagoneer.

I'm no expert, but that's the advice I've received in the past. I hope I got it straight from what everyone has told me.

[Davisrats]

some XJs from the late 80s have dana 44s in the back. 8.8 is a good choice too.

I would not spend the money on the dana 35.

[goodtimes]

The first thing you need to consider is what kind of off road use will the jeep see? If you are not going to be doing anything more difficult than...say...Chiva Falls (or anything else out off of Redington Road), your Dana 35 is just fine....don't let anyone tell you different.

BUT, if you plan on bouncing your jeep off of rocks such as you will find if you head north (Hiway to Hell, Axle Alley, the terminators, etc), then you DEFINATELY want to rid yourself of that axle.

If you are not sure yet, then don't spend any money on it (locker, gears, etc). Spend some time on the trails and see what you like, and what you want your jeep to be able to do. Deciding this before you begin modification can save you thousands and thousands of dollars. Once everyone knows what kind of trails you plan to run, then we will be in a better position to offer advice.

[USMC 0369]

Oh yea...

The first thing you need to consider is what kind of off road use will the jeep see? If you are not going to be doing anything more difficult than...say...Chiva Falls (or anything else out off of Redington Road), your Dana 35 is just fine....don't let anyone tell you different.

BUT, if you plan on bouncing your jeep off of rocks such as you will find if you head north (Hiway to Hell, Axle Alley, the terminators, etc), then you DEFINATELY want to rid yourself of that axle.

If you are not sure yet, then don't spend any money on it (locker, gears, etc). Spend some time on the trails and see what you like, and what you want your jeep to be able to do. Deciding this before you begin modification can save you thousands and thousands of dollars. Once everyone knows what kind of trails you plan to run, then we will be in a better position to offer advice.

I recall everyone telling me this too! And one thing you must do with your D35 is carry spare axle shafts. I learned the hard way at Calico that spare parts when you're out on the trail is a must. I'm picking up a spare set for my D35 this weekend hopefully.

[Banana]

Fair enough. Good advice on the off road part. Do some of it first, and then "buy as needed". Got it.

How about every day driveability? Like I said, not a dog, but wouldnt mind a little more kick in the tail. Would the 4.10's give me what I need, or is this overkill?

I guess that what I am looking for is a balance between daily driver, and a maybe a Chiva Falls + 1.

Aston offered to take me out to Chiva I believe. We will see how that goes, and if I start to crave more.

[TJSUPE]

Are you manual or Auto. I had your same suet up when I got my jeep. It is still a DD. I had 3.07's and went to 4.56 with my 33. I went up to 35's and didnt need to change gears. The 4.56's were still good for them. 4.887'scould be nice, but not worth dumping money on IMO.

I have recently done some mods to the jeep while keeping her a DD. She is able to handle a lot of the trails out there.

What I ended up going with was a rear 44 with Lockers. I got lucky with finding axles set up the way I wanted them and just swaped them out. Found another 30 with 4.56 and ARB locker. If I were in the market for the front right now I would have spent more time looking for a high pinion 30 rather than a low pinion version.

Skid plates are always a great invesment. CB for trails rides and TOW HOOKS and some recovery gear. I know it souds small but its nice to be prepared when running in a group.

I agree with the theory of wheeling until your jeep tells you what to buy next. You will be suprised at what you can do with a stock jeep.

[Banana]

It is a manual.

I put the stock tow hooks up front. Have a tow/recovery strap in the Jeep. Skids were actually going to be my next purchase. I was going to go with new bumpers front and rear, and a new tire carrier, but I am having trouble justifying the money for that. That is another long story though.

[TJSUPE]

If I were doing it. This is my opinion.... I would put that money into rocker protection, gas tank skid. Your bumpers will be fine and if damaged, wont affect the jeeps drivabiliy in any real way.

Also Disconnecting sway bars is something to look into early on.

[Banana]

Not to get too far off topic....any advice on skids? Should I go full blown (diffs, gas tank, oil pan, steering box, etc.)? I know, it depends on how far Im going to push my rig, right?

Also....are the home made QD's for the sway bars good enough?

[Pfeiffer]

4.56 is a good combination with 33's, especially with stop & go traffic. You won't regret it off road.

The Dana 35 upgraded with 30 spline axles holds up pretty well with 33's, as long as you don't bounce the heck out of it. Thats when you start to see the ring & pinion start to fail. If you decide to go with this upgrade I suggest the ARB version for strength.

For the front I vote for the ARB again. It's just convenient to unlock the front and be able to steer.

Replace the front axles with chromoly ones after they break.

[goodtimes]

I wheeled my jeep in basically stock form for 36000 miles before I decided what I wanted it to do. If I were in your shoes, I would be looking at a diff guard (or a cast steel cover...either one), a skid for the steering box, rocker protection, front lower control arm pocket skid plates, and if it is a pre-2003, a skid plate for the gas tank (03+ have a *better* OE plate---still lots of room for improvement, but much better than the 02 and earlier). I consider these to be the "basics". With the exception of the diff skid, all of these will still be used after you decide on axles/gears/lift/etc.

My jeep is driven on the street 95% of the time. It is not a daily driver, but it will see 200 miles of pavement to/from a 9 mile dirt road and a one mile trail. With 285/75R16's, the 4.10s are a bit lacking when I point it up a hill (pavement). But with the cost of gears and install kits (I do my own labor), I can't justify changing them.....if I had 3.07's, yea, I probably could. But, again, do you want to spend that much money on an axle that you may or may not keep? If you swap in a different axle, chances are you will have to re-gear that axle anyway....so why do it twice? If you are looking at a axle swap in the next year or so, it probably isn't worth the time and $$$. If your axle swap is years away....yea, maybe it is [worth the time and money to do it twice]. Ultimately it is your $$$ and your decision. IMO, I would wait and see what you want your jeep to do.

As for Aston....don't take driving lessons from him! Damn, that guy is upside down every time I turn around.

Oh, everyone feel free to talk crap about him, he is out of town. I passed him North of Mammoth this morning. He was in front of a long string of jeeps headed north, I was heading south (flip side of a backpacking trip). I waved, he didn't. I didn't have a banana handy or I would have tossed it at him.

[chris85710]

Rock slider or rock rails.
Diff guards.
Oil pan skid.
Steering box skid.
High lift jack...I think you got on in another thread.
If you do not have it get road hazard on the tires...Discount will sell it on any tires from anywhere. When you pop the tire say it happened in Town

I have tested all of the above and was glad I had them.

Disconnects. Did they come with the lift?

Front and rear bumper can wait until you rip your stock ones off.

For later:
On board air.
Lockers.
Steering upgrade...high steer or beefier tie rod and drag link.

The list goes on...
J ust
E mpty
E very
P ocket

[aston]

I waved, he didn't.... [/i]

Oh, sorry Goodtimes: I thought you were just drying your nail polish :cocktail:

[aston]

When I got my Jeep 4 years ago I thought, there's no way in the world I'm gonna be doing all that crazy shite.

So I went all out and got a super 35, detroit and 4.56s. Now I'm bad - that will last for ever, I thought. Well then I got a fancy cover to protect the gears, and a big honkin' drive shaft. Then I welded on new shock mounts and spring perches. And of course I replaced the whole braking system.

Finally I broke the welds that hold the axle tubes into the housing.

At this point I realized I had invested a ton of money in the D35 and it was still letting me down. So I went all out and bought a Currie 9" and told myself, there's no way in the world I'm gonna be doing all that crazy shite... :homer:

Oh yeah, Gootimes, on your bike.