37's on D30's?
10-17-2009, 08:23 PM
#1
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
37's on D30's?
Anyone running 37's on the D30? I'm deciding between 35's and 37's but don't know if D30 can handle it. I hear it's not a good idea but I'd like to hear from those who actually ran this size tire on the D30 and experienced any breakage or other issues.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
10-18-2009, 04:10 AM
#4
JK Freak
Join Date: May 2007
Location: directly under the sun
Posts: 947
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Add a truss to that list also and I cryogenically treated my axle shafts so far so good I know this is only temporary fix until I come up with some kinda homebrew axle. 
10-18-2009, 07:11 AM
#5
JK-Forum Founder
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
Posts: 36,534
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes
on
15 Posts
LOL!! 
honestly, i don't know why everyone thinks that just because you install sleeves and guessets that you can suddenly run 37's on a dana 30. your axle C's or tube bending is really the least of your concerns as neither will prevent you from getting home or from driving in general.
fact of the matter is, your u-joints breaking is the most likely thing you will suffer running 37's even if you're running chromoly shafts but breaking the shaft itself isn't that far off either. of course, assuming neither of those break, you're ring & pinion are sure to go especially if you're running a higher gear ratio to compensate for the tire size. and, if that doesn't break, your carrier and spider gears are the weak point.
BTW - here's a shot of my old dana 44 chromoly shaft that i broke while wheeling with 37's....
As you can see, the axle blew just above the splines...
and this is what the break did to my carrier bearings...
To make things worse, the front axle tube where the seal goes on the driver side was totally mangled....
this effectively ruined my front axle and remember kids, this is a DANA 44 with chromoly shafts we're talking about. let me assure you, gussets and sleeves wouldn't have done squat to prevent this and a dana 30 is WEAKER. of course, if you don't wheel your jeep very hard, you should be able to get away with a 30.
honestly, i don't know why everyone thinks that just because you install sleeves and guessets that you can suddenly run 37's on a dana 30. your axle C's or tube bending is really the least of your concerns as neither will prevent you from getting home or from driving in general. fact of the matter is, your u-joints breaking is the most likely thing you will suffer running 37's even if you're running chromoly shafts but breaking the shaft itself isn't that far off either. of course, assuming neither of those break, you're ring & pinion are sure to go especially if you're running a higher gear ratio to compensate for the tire size. and, if that doesn't break, your carrier and spider gears are the weak point.
BTW - here's a shot of my old dana 44 chromoly shaft that i broke while wheeling with 37's....
As you can see, the axle blew just above the splines...
and this is what the break did to my carrier bearings...
To make things worse, the front axle tube where the seal goes on the driver side was totally mangled....
this effectively ruined my front axle and remember kids, this is a DANA 44 with chromoly shafts we're talking about. let me assure you, gussets and sleeves wouldn't have done squat to prevent this and a dana 30 is WEAKER. of course, if you don't wheel your jeep very hard, you should be able to get away with a 30.
Last edited by wayoflife; 10-18-2009 at 07:15 AM.
That is some serious carnage.
Trending Topics
10-18-2009, 08:33 AM
#10
There's a big gaping hole in this... The ENTIRE front end of the vehicle suffers. Forget the guts of the axle. They're easy and obvious -- Superiors and CTMs and you've got tough axles. The carrier and gears are still tiny and get pummelled when things let go. And they also get pummelled when things DON'T let go when they should.
The housings can be gussetted to be better, but you still have a TINY ball joint that is taking a wicked beating. D44 or D30. You have a small unitized bearing that's nonserviceable. Get em wet and they die fast.
And then there's the steering. Without hydro assist, you can't steer big tires in big rocks. Assist is hard on ball joints and tie rod ends. Without the assist, all that pressure is on the drag link and steering box. The little steering box isn't capable of holding 37s in a bind without showing some damage in a big hurry.
Front track bar? Rip off the frame if you get unlucky.
Getting the sense that this may not be as easy as you had hoped? Depends a lot on your intended usage. If you want to go run the bunny trails, a LOT of this doesn't apply. If you want to get off the porch and run with the big dogs, you need to be addressing your car like a system, not individual components.
The housings can be gussetted to be better, but you still have a TINY ball joint that is taking a wicked beating. D44 or D30. You have a small unitized bearing that's nonserviceable. Get em wet and they die fast.
And then there's the steering. Without hydro assist, you can't steer big tires in big rocks. Assist is hard on ball joints and tie rod ends. Without the assist, all that pressure is on the drag link and steering box. The little steering box isn't capable of holding 37s in a bind without showing some damage in a big hurry.
Front track bar? Rip off the frame if you get unlucky.
Getting the sense that this may not be as easy as you had hoped? Depends a lot on your intended usage. If you want to go run the bunny trails, a LOT of this doesn't apply. If you want to get off the porch and run with the big dogs, you need to be addressing your car like a system, not individual components.