The only new addition to this argument is the teraflex 30... keep most of your stuff and get into a housing for 1700 instead of 4 or 5 grand.

It might work.... but being new who knows?

Maybe teraflex could chime in on why they went through the effort to mass produce the tera 30 if it is vastly inferior to the 44?

I'm not thinking that it's as strong as a tera 44... but it has made me wonder how strong it is.... I mean why make it if it can't take the stress?

 

Tubes and C's are as strong as Tera44, because they are of same size. What's different is the R&P size, obviously. Tera30 is for those that only want to spend $1800 for the housing, and transfer all stock or upgraded D30 components over. You would do that if you bent (or cracked) your D30 and do not want to upgrade your axle shafts and R&P, or if you already upgraded and don't want to buy everything over again. If you're thinking about a new housing and also want to upgrade your shafts and/or install a locker, then going to Tera44 or PR44 makes much more sense. It's only a $250-$400 difference, if going that route.

 

If you're going to buy lockers and swap gears on your D30, then you might as well just get a PR44 (or Tera44). D30 may or may not last, depending on how hard you push it, but if it fails and it happens that you need a stronger axle, what is going to happen to your locker, gears, and likely chromoly shafts you used on the D30? Better buy a locker, gears, and shafts for the 44 axle the first time. From here on it's about a $2100 purchase, and you will also save labour costs on locker and gear install... as well as c gussets and sleeves. Pretty sure when all is said and done, beefing up a D30 is going to cost you about the same as buying a complete PR44.

 

The D30 will hold the 37s, to an extent...

Start wheeling it hard and add a locker and that's when your R&P will go kablooey!

 

beefing up a D30 is going to cost you about the same as buying a complete PR44.

This will depend on what state or country you are from.I've looked at PR44's and asked those who have about the cost to build one,one guy said he stopped at 7500 because you can get crazy building a PR44.My cost to build up my Dana30 was less than the cost of a housing,since most work i did myself.Now if these new housings offer the options as a PR44 with larger tubes and C's,this make more options who can't afford the 3-9k for a upgraded housing

 

Even if I choose the most expensive options for a PR44 Unlimited at Northridge4x4.com, it still comes out "only" to $5800. I don't know how someone spent $7500. Anyways, this price is for a "complete" axle, not housing alone. You need to compare apples to apples here. If you're going to build a D30 with same components such as RCV shafts, ARB locker, gears, etc - they cost the same for 30/44 axles, but aren't interchangeable. If you decide to go to a PR44 later on, you now need to start over and buy everything one more time. The only real difference here is the cost of an empty housing, which is $2200 (or $2050 for the non unlimited version, or a Tera44). Now add the cost of c-gussets and sleeves, plus installation costs - about $600. You will have to swap gears and install a locker, probably add another $600 for labor costs. Add a heavy duty differential cover, that's another $100 at least. You are up to $1300 now. If you sell your complete D30, you should recover most of the $700-$900. Junk yards seem to sell them for at least that much.

In the end, if you decide to build a D30, you will spend the same as going to a PR44, but you still are with an inferior axle (weaker R&P, still weaker tubes, weaker shafts, no pinion angle correction), and plus all the buying and installation hassle of all the different components.

 

I just bought a complete D30 axle to build for my JK minus brakes and rotors for $150.00 + $280.00 shipping. Artec truss for $84.99, EVO upper and lower gussets from the forum for $60.00 and EVO lower skids for $43.99. I know it's not a D44 or a D60 but to hold 35's, I think I will go this route. There has been tons of talk of how bad the D30 is, but you can't convince me of that with the talk on these forums and out on the trail. Does anyone give them a chance or just scrap them and buy big? Oh yeah, and it gives me a winter project to play with!

 

This is all bustin my bubble! I got stock axels for the time being, but I have a set of Yukon 4.88 for my D30 & D44 with Yukon Zip lockers ready to be installed on my 2011 Sport 6 speed manual. Planned on going with 35's, but after reading all this about 37's & 4.88's, I prolly should sell my Jeep and get a little Geo!!!! I was told that the set-up I just listed was the way to go by the dealer I purchased my gears & lockers from. This post is sayin to not put lockers in a D30. I have a feeling I got screwed buyin all this stuff to put in my axels after reading all this. $2600.00 in parts that might just sit in my spare bedroom and collect dust and just keep my Jeep on the highway with some sexy Goodyear 285/70/17 MT/R with Kevlars and alot of tire shine!

 

I don't know if you wanna run 37s but I think that you coul d run 35s on a dana 30. lock it, sleeve and gusset, axle shafts and should be good for awhile. I have a local buddy that's running 37s on a 2012 sport... he's wheeled quite a few gnarly trails and its still holding together. I know he has arb lockers and some sort of aftermarket axle shafts. But then again, he's waiting for something to break so he can do an axle swap.

 

Again I think the hype for a bigger axle is all about those who wheel very hard and rock crawl like crazy. I would like to see a survey to see who has broken the factory D30 and how they did it?

Here we go. What the heck!


https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...a-30-a-258157/