I'm running 35's and plan to re-gear in the spring. I currently have the Dana 30 up front with 3.73 gears in my 6 speed. I'm trying to decide between 2 courses of action regarding gears/axles. I'd love to get some opinions on which direction I should go. By the way...funds are limited, and my jeep is only on rocks and trails about 10% of the time.

Option 1: Leave the Dana 30 up front and re-gear. I don't want to spend money beefing up the Dana 30, and I wouldn't put a locker in it. I'd just do the gears with the assumption that the Dana 30 could fail at some point and I'd get a Pro Rock 44.

Option 2: Spring for the Pro Rock 44 to begin with (Basically do the exact same thing that WayOfLife just did).

So what it really comes down to is: would there be any benefit to just putting gears in the front knowing that a few years down the road I'll probably need to scrap the whole axle for the Pro Rock 44? How long could I realistically expect the Dana 30 to hold up?

I'd much rather spend $1000-$1500 on a gear swap than spend $5000-$6000 on a gear swap and a new axle.

 

honestly, i would save your money and wait till you can get a prorock 44. a lot of the cost in getting gears goes toward installation and it would really suck to have to pay for that twice. for us, we just endured for about a year running 35's and then 37's with 3.73's until we could get our prorock44.

 

I have to agree. I have gone with just gearing the 30, breaking an axle, upgrading axles and adding a lunch box locker and then breaking more axles. If I had just waited and gone with the pro rock 44 right off the bat I would be light years ahead not to mention considerably richer!

 

I went with your option 1. I had 3.21's and couldn't stand it so I re-geared at less than 1000 miles. And I was just running 32" tires then. I'm not going to spend another dime on that D30, though, and if something breaks I'm going ProRock.

 

Another vote for running it stock and saving for a PR.

 

34.5s on stock 30, adding C Gussets and then might regear, whenever I have the money or the 30 dies (which ever comes first) I will get the PRO 44

 

I got 35x12.5R15 KM2's so there like 33.5" tires on stock 30 with c guesses and 5.13's. I'm not expecting them to last too long. If they hold up? Great. If they break I'll go pro rock or similar. Realistically I'll only loose out on the parts/ labor for the front and I'm not worried about 300 in labor that the shop charged me. I'd rather enjoy my jeep sooner than later. But I know people here are gonna say not to waste 1000-1200 on gears. I just look at it differently. Maybe it will shit the bed on me sooner than later... Or it might last years. I'm willing to gamble.

 

i just regeared my d30 about 2 weeks ago and i have 37's. i plan on adding gussets and leaving it alone till it breaks, but in the mean time im starting to put some money to the side for a pr44

 

I am putting 33s on my jeep, and I plan to live without regearing until I change the axle or break something. I had not heard that WOL did this, but now that I know I feel much better about it.

 

Not sure how teh old TJ D-30's compare to the new ones, but I ran 35's and wheeled it hard. I did beef it up though and added a detroit locker, 4.88 gears and chromoly axles. Everyone said it was a waste,but that axle never broke.