Savage08

I have D30 up front and I'm trying to decide on the best route to choose both long term and cost wise. This is my DD and wheeling consists of wooded trails and sand, nothing extreme. Also going to 37s in the future is not out of the picture.

So with that said.....

re gear existing? This one I hear so many conflicting opinions so this is why I am struggling with what's best.

re gear the rear and swap front out to a 44?

swap both?

BeachJK

Seems like you probably have a good idea of what you want to do. I re geared my 2011 Sport to 5.13, rear ELocker, and did RCV axles up front with 37s.

I broke the front Ring gear once but it was under warranty. Didn't cost a thing to fix. Other than that never had any issues.

The wheeling you do you should be fine. When you start to push your limits is when ya get in trouble.

You can keep throwing money at your axles left and right. 44 front , ARB locker with 35 spline, 4340 Axle shafts, gusset and truss it.

You know how you wheel. If it gets pretty rough you may want to do a 44 for the bigger ring gear. But you might be just fine with a few up grades to your 30.

Every one has an opinion on the best way to do it, at some point you have to do it the best way for you.

nthinuf

We can't tell you what is best, you have to decide what is best 'for you'.

Do a side by side comparison of the costs. If you end up anywhere close to the cost of a PR/Tera, why would you even consider upgrading the d30. Some people will tell you not to spend a dime on it, just drive it til it implodes and upgrade. Others have had good luck and no issues. (I have seen enough threads of them bending hitting potholes or shattering hitting curbs that I am all for upgrading these things.)

The factory front d44 housing offers zero strength upgrade to your current d30. Same length, tube diameter, wall thickness, same brackets, same c's. They even use the same brakes and hubs. With the rubi 44, you are getting internal upgrades. Meaning, any and all exterior mods you want, sleeves/truss/gussets/etc, you will want with the 44 as well.

If he is still around, there is an ebay seller custom building front rubi axles with choice of gearing for under 2k. If you can't find him, start searching for a take-offs, sometimes you can find them already built up for a good price. And if you go this route, verify the gears! You wouldn't want to end up with 4.10's in one end and 3.73's in the other.

Savage08

Thanks for the input guys, I was not aware that the only difference with the stock rubi 44 was gear size. That's makes my decision a lot easier.

nthinuf

Gear size, selectable locker vs open carrier, 30 spline inner shafts vs 27 spline inners (they use the same 32 spline outers...)

So internally, yes, the front rubi 44 is a nice upgrade. My comment was solely on the housing itself.

For the rear, they use the same gears. E-locker vs open carrier (or clutch driven limited in some). 32 spline shafts on the rubi, 30 spline on the non-rubi. Same housing strength between them.

Savage08

I knew what you meant. My comment was short sided. Thanks again.

SWFL

Im going through this process as we speak. I decided to get a teraflex dana 44 housing, big brake kit, 4.88 gearing, and e locker. im waayyyyy over my budget but hope to recoup a small portion of it with a lot of interest in the dana 30 on craigslist. The front is set but at a high price and i will have to wait a bit longer to pay it off before i match the rear. I am one of those doomsday preppers when it comes to my vehicle. i like to have it ready to go for just about anything instead of breaking it and then replacing. only thing i would of changed so far in this project is gotten a dynatrac and not a teraflex housing as the mechanic is having issues getting compatible parts for whatever reason. good luck! JEEP Just Empty Every Pocket !

nthinuf

Not to derail the thread, but I am curious about this comment. Which version of the housing did you get? And which parts is he having trouble finding?

Savage08

The more I think about it now, looks like I will bite the bullet and replace the front instead of just re gearing. Just money right?

Savage08

Here's the next question. Swapping a completely built axle seems to be an easy task to do yourself. Am I wrong? Would it hurt to have the different gear sizes in the front and rear just to drive to a local shop to have rear re geared?