Well...my front R/P finally took a dump on me.
07 JKUS 3.8 auto... factory 410 gears Dhp30/D44
So..it's time to regear.
I'm running 35s at the moment but plan on stepping up to 37s soon.
I have heard there are guys having breakage issues with 513s...so that's got me undecided between 513s and 488s.
I'm also considering an Aussie locker in the front...
Any and all comments are welcome from those with actual experience...if you have a 6 speed or a 3.6...your input isn't needed.
I'm not trying to be a dick...I'm just trying to keep it on topic and not clogged with b.s.

 

I did 4.88s 3 days ago. I had 33" MT/Rs at the time. Huge difference. So happy I made the switch.

Now, I put 35" Trail grapplers on today. It definitely took some of the power I got back but it's not bad at all. Still wat better than the 3.73s were. If I were to base my opinion entirely on my experience, if I was going with a 37", I would definitely do 5.18s. I know they eat a little more gas but I think it would be worth it.

That being said, if I were to factor in the alleged weakness of the 5.18, I just don't know. I'd want the extra oomph, but not at the risk of breaking a pinion. I would definitely talk to my gear guy (who only does JKs), see what he thought and see if they would cover it if it snaps.

I'm interested to see what others say about the 5.18s. I'm headed back to Trail Jeeps next week. I'll ask the guys and post their thoughts.

Hope that helps at least a little...

 

Browse through the other thousand "which gears should I get threads" and you will see that there is no consensus on gears, or on lockers, or on housing strength for running 37's, or on ...

My opinion, 3.8 4door auto with 37's = 5.38's

Gear strength - if you get into a situation to grenade 5.13's, what are the odds that you would 'not' also grenade 4.88's? Is there that huge of a strength difference between them?

Locked or not locked, personal preference. Open, there is some debate on the strength (weakness) of the spiders. Locked, how much added stress do you induce. Consider adding truetracs instead of lockers?

Are you beefing the housing to run those 37's?

Maybe the best advice would be for you to just run up a side-by-side comparison between dumping money into a d30 (gears/locker/gussets/truss/sleeves/shafts/balljoints/whatever), or just replacing it.

 

I have an 09 auto JKU X model .... Put 5.13's into my Dana 30 and blew up the gears on 35's ... How often do you wheel? What type of wheeling. If I were to go back in time I wouldn't waste money on the Dana 30.... I'd find a D44 for sale somewhere and then put the 5:13's in..... I by the way now have a pr44 upfront and still 5:13 gears with 37" mtr's and it's perfect. BUT if you're going to stay with the D30 I'd do the 4.88 max .... Good luck

 

I actually have a set of axles that came out of a 2011..with
Very low miles. Front axle already has gussets and a truss. I have almost nothing in these axles.
this is still my daily driver for at least another year.
I'm in Ohio...so most of my wheeling is in mud....unfortunately lol.
I just figured since I was gonna have them apart I would like to add a locker of some sort.
is the Aussie my best option for the price?
I'm trying to read thru some older...other posts about this...but wow!! There is a ton...
I realize there are great points to both sides of the discussion. Just hoping for personal experiences to speak up.
O...I also pull a pretty good size boat with it...

 

I have an 11' two door x on 35's, sleeved and gussets on 35's. I just had put in 5.13's and Trutrac's f/r. I go easy on skinny pedal when wheeling and plan to use winch instead of pedal if needed. You can break any set up you go with if you hard on it! 35's on a D30 make it weak just like 37's on a D44 can make it just as weak. According to my JK computer gas milage stayed the same or up 2mpg