So the plan was to never go to 35's because of all the pains associated with that. And guess what.... I'm leaning towards 35's. So I have a huge list of questions.

1) FAQ sticky states that the minimum to do for 35's on the Dana30 is those 'C' brackets, what else is needed?

2) Is anyone running 35" km2s on an unlimited 6 speed with 4.88's? What are your thoughts on this set up? I want something that has a little pep on the highway, and can handle some backwoods wheelin'

3) I have a teraflex 2.5" coil lift what I be able to wheel this set-up disco'd without rubbing?

I guess I will have to think about a rear bumper with this set-up too, to carry the spare.

 

Congratulations, you'll love 35s... I know I do

I have had mine for over a month (only been wheeling once) and haven't installed gussets (or sleeves) yet. That being said, I have them ordered and plan on getting them installed shortly. For parts and labor it comes out well below $500 dollars... that sounds like cheap insurance to me

I would highly recommend that you go with 4.88s with a 6-speed and 35s. I went with 5.13s and they are very steep on the highway. In 6th gear I am pushing 2,900 RPMs going 70 MPH with a highway MPG of 14 Keeping your gears higher (numerically lower) will improve your fuel economy, and 4.88s aren't too high as to be crummy off-road.

With a 2.5" lift you may (at full stuff) have minor rubbing. I know I do on my 3.25" lift. I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it does become a concern you can either trim (or replace) your fenders and/or buy a 1" (or so) pucks to lift your Jeep ever so slightly higher.

 

You dont need weld in brackets, but they are very welcome, 35's normally wont break 30's in most trail riding. I run 4.10's with 35 mtr kevlars, which are heavier, and i still get over 100, and have plenty of get up and go because of the 6 speed. its not a problem

I fit a 35 on the stock door without any probems

 

Oh... I also just noticed your signiture says you have the 3.21 gears... yeah, I had those... they suck

Anything will be a million times better than those 3.21s will be with 35s.

I drove my Jeep with 35s and the 3.21s for about a week, and it was the suck. I had to use way much clutch than I should have to get her going.

 

I ran the 3.21s for about a year and still wheeled the piss out of it. Now I have 5.13s and I couldn't be happier. The 5.13s are steep, but when I get my 37s, they'll be perfect.

As far as all the other stuff goes, when I first got the 35s thrown on, I hadn't done shit to upgrade the axles. My first 4 times out with the 35s I hadn't even added the gussets yet and I was OK. Moral of the story is that over time you will have to upgrade parts, but do it as your budget allows. Every JK is different so you could be the unlucky SOB who puts the 35s on then an axle shaft breaks, or a driveshaft or whatever. Or you could be lucky and never have an issue.

I have a 4" lift on my 2 door and I'm still running stock driveshafts. And an Aussie locker in my Dana 30 with 5.13s. I've read tons of junk on here saying it'll break and this and that, an over time, yeah, maybe it will. ...But for now its fine and I wheel it hard, but CAREFUL, and I enjoy it.

 

And to the other points, the 4.88s will be fine for the 35 inch KM2s. Keep in mind that KM2s run small...mine started off at roughly 34" for what was supposed to be a 35" wheel and the other day I measured them, with the tread that is left and they are down to about 33 and change.

You shouldn't rub with the TF kit, depending on backspace of the wheels you run. Keep it to 4.5" or less. Mine are 16x8 with 4" BS and are great for my needs.

 

Okay so I want to revive this thread as I want to start building to possibly be ready for 35's by summer(Jeep is in garage for whole of winter). So here are the questions again.I have read a tonne of info. on this already but still have questions, but please feel free to show me what I missed.(I mean what would this site be without that ever useful reply "use the search button dummie")

Set-up: Dana 30 front 3.21 gears no mods to either axle except teraflex monster track bar bracket. 2.5" Teraflex coil lift. Stock 16" aluminum wheels w/ spidertrax.

1) I currently have no full size spare but plan to remedy that with the or-fab carrier. Reason for this is I don't want the weight of a rear bumper and I am cheap. Who has this carrier and what are the positive and negatives of it? (seems like it sticks out way farther then stock?)

2) Any other ideas for a spare? keeping in mind I am cheap and want to save weight. But dont want to rip apart my tail gate by being cheap either.

3) Still pretty sure that the 4.88s are the way to go with my 6 speed. From what I have read I need a new carrier as I have the 3.21's what does this run $$$ and which one do i need?

4) Am I retarded for not putting in a front locker when doing gear swap? Is all the extra cash and air lines, compressor, etc. worth it? Does ox locker make anything for the front 30? Other options, dont think it would be safe with an aussie locker here in Canada with ice and snow.

6) Can a person get away running only C-gussets and not sleeving?, as that seems like much more cash and time. Should more be done to axles to handle 35's?

7) I am thinking of the LT315/75R16/D BFG KM2's on my stock rims is this a huge deal that my rim will be narrower then the recommended size? Possible problems down the road?

8) Is this tire size going to work with my set-up? I was planning on adding a 1" spacer to the rear as I will be adding some weight with the carrier and spare and I miss the factory rake anyway. (yes I am probably only one that likes rake)

9) Am I royally going to regret going this route as my jeep does track and drive straight now, as in is this going to really change my caster and I am going to need adjustable control arms now.

10) The reason I figure I should go to 35's is that I want to re-gear now since I have the 265/75R16's and even thoe that tire is not huge the poor 3.21's just dont really cut it even stock. So I figure why re-gear for 33's when 35's are so cool. Or does all this extra stuff not really make it worth it? Or is it really not extra stuff because this is what should be done when you off road with 33's?

Wow what a list probably not the best way to lay it out for both simplicity and for getting replies. But please let me know what you think. I am just trying to build a budget friendly 35" capable Jeep without skipping steps or creating problems, durability issues, or having to replace parts because I went the wrong direction. Thanks in advance.

 

Im running 35s with the 3.73s and I love it...but thats just me...Ive been averaging almost 16 mpg which is awesome...C gussets are recommended if you plan to wheel hardcore...I will eventually strengthen the whole front axle but as long as you wheel smart and stay off the skinny pedel youll be fine

 

2) I did a Rancho bumper/tire carrier. You said you're cheap...Rancho is only $400.
3) Yes, you need a new carrier. Call David @ Northridge 4x4 and he'll set you up for about $75.
4) I did not install a locker in my D30. I figured that would be pushing my luck keeping the 30 together. I've done gears and the only thing else I'm going to do to it is C gussets. If it breaks, something much stronger will replace it. I'll do a locker then.
7) You can run 315's on the stock wheels. They just won't wear as well as they would on a correct wheel.
8) Should work fine. You may need to fine tune with bump stops or fender chopping.
9) Can't say for sure. 2.5" isn't much, but you might decide you want to go for LCA's or AEV's control arm drop brackets. Those are inexpensive, work great, and give you a better pinion angle than adj LCA's. Something to think about.
10) Is it worth it? You tell me.
Before:

After:

 

The lure of 35's got to me too recently (see sig)
Here's another tire carrier option from AEV (pic is from AEV site) that won't force you to buy a new rear bumper as well. I just installed mine and I can tell you it's rock solid and well engineered. Not exactly cheap but the ease of use to me over the other tire carriers is worth it. It's a one-hand operation just like the stock setup.



I'm also running the TF 2.5" coils kit with 35" KM2's with no rubbing. My factory 4.10 are surprisingly very good with this setup and I have no immediate plans on re-gearing. I was expecting it to be a bit sluggish but not he case with the 6-speed. I can still use 6th on the highway and it has enough get up and go for me. I did get some TF C-gussets which will be going on soon for peace of mind to hopefully strengthen that part of the axle.