Build a Dana 30 or get dana 44 fornt.

TexasTJ

Climbing Nerd
I have a line on to a set of non Rubicon axles Dana30/44 with 4.10's. If I plan to go no bigger than 35's would I do better to wait for a Rubicon set or pick up these axles with the 4.10s already in them. Then sleeve the front and ad lockers to Them.

Also I have 3,73 right now with the Limited slip rear axle. in the short term could I move the Stock Limited slip I have not on to the carrier with the 4,10 or Vice versa???

Nate
 

Septu

Explorer
What do you have right now in your jeep?

For 35s, a built D30 while not as tough as a D44 is more than fine if you're not trashing it.
 

TexasTJ

Climbing Nerd
Right now I have a Dana 30 44 combo on a 2012 unlimited auto. I have the 373 gears. I'm looking to build the the new axles myself over the next year. If I can find the Dana 44 that would be great but I'm not agents the Dana 30 and Electric lockers. Trus and gusset too of course. I'm drive not beat my jeeps.

Nate
 

griffman

New member
I was wondering the same thing, would it be better to gusset and built up a d30 and lockers or just total replace it. Im currently running 35s and it is mostly a DD with some medium trail use. I might get into some heaveir stuff later in the build though but i dont think ill be destroying the jeep.
 

Inline6

Adventurer
Just get a built Tera, currie, or dynatrac 44 housing built up and match your rear to it. IMHO. But that is 5-6k
Or
A currie front 60 with stock outers and regear the rear, not much more.

If your staying in 44 land, otherwise 60s.
 

JeepN95YJ

Adventurer
Personally, I have used a D30 with a lockright and 4.10 gears on 35s for moderate to severe trailriding with success. This was back in the late 90s. As rockcrawling became more and more prevelant the combo was consistantly at risk.

4.10s are still a little high for 35s. I have 4.56s now and they are perfect for daily driving, interstate cruising (70 mph) and trails. For an expedition rig I would keep what you have. Save the money you plan to purchase the new axles and get gears and armor for what you have. You said you planned to build over the next year. Instead, collect parts and have a weekend install-a-thon and put it together.

If you plan on more severe to extreme trailriding, ignore my previous advice and save all your money for purpose-built axles.
 

TexasTJ

Climbing Nerd
This is mostly an exploring jeep with some Moab or Rubicon type action mixed in. Not looking to get in to king of the Hammers :sombrero:
 

Hitman76

New member
I replaced both front and rear in my 97 TJ. I bought the G2 with ARB D44 with 4.56 and 33 spline shafts in the rear. Front is a HP D30 with a truetrac and so far i dont have anything bad to say. Just jumped up from 33" tires to 35's and 4.56's are still fine. I have a standard trans though too so that helps out.
 

revrok

New member
It depends on if it is an HP30 or an LP30, the strength difference is 25%. I wouldn't run 35s on a low pinion in front end. A super 30 upgrade should be considered.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
 

JeepN95YJ

Adventurer
Ok, after re-reading this thread it occurs to me that the op is probably referring to a JK wrangler rather than a TJ.

I got the following info from Pirate 4x4:
The pinions of a JK 30 front and JK 44 front are the same, same bearings, yoke and seal. They are bigger than a regular 44. Also the inner axle seals are the same. The inner pinion bearings are the same in the front JK 30, 44 and rear JK 44, the outer bearing is different, the front outer pinion bearings are actually larger than the rear. The rear pinion shaft is longer which helps take load off the bearings. The JK30 and 44 front outer pinion bearing is the same size as a regular 44 inner pinion bearing. With the increased cost of the Mopar 44 its hardly worth it to upgrade from a 30. For up to 35's I would keep a 30, you can easily put some 30 spline chromo shafts in it with an ARB.
 

Krytos

Adventurer
The big issue here is weight.

If we were talking a TJ/LJ, building a High Pinion D30 out of a Cherokee would be more than enough for 35s. I personally run an HPD30 with TNT Truss, Locker, RCVs and a few other goodies with 35s and have never felt anxious about it. A lot of the big TNT guys out west run 37s on the same axles and get pretty good results, although I think 35s are a more realistic size limit for this axle.

There's also a good opportunity to save some money with a D30 since you can find one for cheap, sometimes free, versus shelling out at least $1k for a TJ Rubicon front 44. The TJ D44 is identical to the D30 except for the Ring and Pinion size, which I believe is 1.2 inches bigger. The strength increase from the increased size of the R&P is negated somewhat because the TJ44 is low pinion, and the R&P mesh on the coast side vs the drive side as they do on the HPD30 (I think, my memory could be failing me).

The result is that a TJ D44 and a HP30 are basically identical when it comes to strength, and the addition of one or a few parts (truss, or upgraded shafts/RCVs) make it stronger than the TJ D44.

The other option for TJ/LJs is running JK axles, which are way stronger than the TJ axles. A JK D30 is stronger than a TJ D44 and can handle more weight. TNT makes a truss system that allows you to use JK axles in a TJ, which incidentally alleviates the biggest issue the JK D30 has, bent axle tubes, by adding contact points and increased rigidity all the way down the axle tube.

When it comes to JKs, especially Unlimiteds, the weight of the rig really comes into play. From what I've seen personally, a JKU driven judiciously (Don't go bouncing off of rocks and jumping it) can run 35s on a D30 no problem.

The longevity of any axle, but especially a JK D30, is determined completely by how you drive off road; Your right foot should be the ultimate arbiter of axle strenth. Adding a truss, gussets, sleeves, and RCVs would only help to improve your chances.

By then however, you're pretty close to a ProRock, RockJock or Teraflex front Dana 44, which can handle a jump up to 37s (which are almost a necessity with JKUs if you're looking to avoid getting high-centered) and the added weight of expedition gear and/or armor.

TL;DR

Build the 30 and drive carefully, if building it costs about the same as a better front 44, save and buy the 44.
 

SCARDUP

Observer
I've had a 30 stock and built, a built 44 from a rubicon with a TNT truss, and now a PR44. My advice, keep the thirty till you are sick of fixing it. If you never break it then you'll be happy you didn't waste your money. If you get tired of fixing it and it's constantly breaking, just pony up for the 60's. I wish I would've got 60's outta the gate.... Lots of money wasted, but plenty of experiences to share. On a side note, the first year I had my JK I ran the rubicon trail with a D30 up front and 35" tires several times without breaking anything but a couple ujoints. Good luck.
 

brianjwilson

Some sort of lost...
You're probably too far away, but I'm selling my rubicon d44 from my 2012. Factory 4.10 gears, factory locker, synergy ball joints, synergy truss, EVO inner axle sleeves w/outer seals, EVO c gussets and lower control arm skids. Also has AEV track bar bracket welded on.
 

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