When I searched I couldn't find anything simalar? I am wanting to go to either 35's or 37's from stock tires. I have a 2011 4 door sport w/ 4'' lift so clearance shouldn't be an issue, and I know gears have to be done sooner or later, but are drive shafts and axles a must? Or is there any thing else I'm not thinking of? Any advice would be greatly appriciated.

 

hopefully allot of people will chime in with thread links because there is allot out there. the search is a little hard to work though, i often cant find stuf through it either.
that said it really depends on you style of wheeling. if you like the skinny pedal than yes there are some axle issues you will need to adress. if your a little more finess oriented than you can get by with a few tweaks for the time being. 37 on a dana 30 are pushing it. you will need to sleve and gusset and be gentle with them. some people will claim it is fine, hell there are even guys running 40s on 30s but it is a ticking time bomb in my opinion. if your gonna wheel with a 4inch lift you are going to replace your drive shaft sooner or later.

those are the facts, here is my advice. as much as 37 look best, especially on a 4dr it is not worth the risk. if you cannot afford to run them properly then you should not run them. getting stuck with a broken axle on a tough trail is a bitch - plain and simple. i would stick to 35 sleeved and gusseted and keep my piece of mind.

if you are willing to get into the business of changing axles and dropping some big money then go for the 37s everyday of the week.

 

I agree with the post above, save your $ and do things properly and avoid equipment failures, especially out in the sticks.

 

There are a lot of factors involved in the need for new driveshafts - but tire size isn't one of them. At a guess, your rear shaft should be ok, just keep an eye on that front shaft.

37's will need more bumpstop to keep the tires from ripping your flares off than 35's will.

Do you have any plans on replacing your d30 with a d44? If not, add as many front housing upgrades as you can afford. C Gussets at a minimum. Sleeves probably wouldn't be a bad call. CA Skids if you will be in the rocks. etc...

 

I agree about tires size and driveshafts. But, I've seen two rear shafts fail after taller lifts--one on a four door auto (4" of lift), the other on a manual (3" of lift). And replacing it with an aftermarket driveshaft (one without the stocker's Rzeppa joints) requires resetting the pinion angle, which means rear adjustable upper control arms. Really, since OP already has the 4" lift (and an auto, BTW), I think he should be budgeting for the DS and UCAs in the near future.

Regarding the front axle: Really, with 37s, OP would be better off with 5.38s on his auto tranny. So, he'll need a different front axle (I heard a rumor that someone was going to make 5.38s for the D30, but that must be awful weak hardware). I'd stick to 35s and plan to regear to 5.13s when money allows.

 

I have gone back on forth on this as well, and just ordered up another set of 35s with my little d30. I wanted to do the 37s bad, but for what I do it isnt worth the potential for damage and this is also my DD that sees alot of highway. Just ask yourself what you want to do with your rig, and go from there. If you wheel a ton, and have the $$ to upgrade when it breaks..do the 37s. Regear is a must with 37s, and richmond is making the 5.38s now for our D30s. Axle reinforcement like everyone else has already explained...so on so forth. Good luck dude.

 

37's. Just gusset your C's, and call it's day. Tube failures are rare, and adding rcv shafts makes your r&p the "fuse". A very expensive, possibly housing ruining fuse. If you search there was a thread about 37's on a 30 with only real world input. Not armchair quarterback.

5.38 gears in a 30 is an unacceptable gear set. The failure rate will be enormous. Imagine how small that pinion is going to be.

 

thanks guys for the imput, after reading your posts , I think I will stick with 35's untill I get the money down the road to up grade to a dana 44 & 37's and I guess I'll wait for the drive shafts to go out before replaceing them w/better ones

 

Should I still sleeve and gusset for 35's?

 

I haven't done sleeves, but will when I go to 37s down the line. I did gussets, good insurance to prevent the C's from bending. if you can weld you are already good to go...otherwise it would be 1-2 hours of welding work.