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Poly Performance Ultimate Dana 30 CV Axle Set

What size tire are you running? The factory 297X shafts are good up to 33s. Cro-Mo/high strength axles with good U-joints can handle 35s. At this point the housing flexes, and the ring/pinion set lets go. How big are you trying to go that a grand for shafts seems like a good idea?
 
You could still break the splines on the inner shaft, especially if you kept it 27 spline, but you wouldn't break the joint. It would still be a very strong axle shaft. If you built it with 30 spline inners and 30 spline locker, you'd probably break the ring and pinion first. Hell, plenty of people have broken D30 ring and pinions with 27 spline chromo axles and CTM joints. But, the guys who have broken D30 ring and pinions usually wheel a lot on hard trails.

I'd buy them. Compare the price of chromo shafts and CTM or Longfield joints. I know some people talk about polishing a turd, but sometimes it just makes sense to keep the D30. Not everyone has the time, cash, or ability to build a custom D44 front axle. Some guys install front D44's with stock Spicer shafts, and they'd be better off to put chromo shafts in their D30.
 
tbburg said:
What size tire are you running? The factory 297X shafts are good up to 33s. Cro-Mo/high strength axles with good U-joints can handle 35s. At this point the housing flexes, and the ring/pinion set lets go. How big are you trying to go that a grand for shafts seems like a good idea?
Click to expand...

I am not going to purchase them, (Well may be if I decide to go a bit crazy later on) I just ran across someone who installed them on his JK & wanted a little more info on them.
I like how at full lock there is no clunking!
 
I just bought some from a vendor on JF for 20% less than that. I just don't have the time, tools and money to get an old D44, narrow it, rebuild it, then upgrade it. I also drive my XJ a lot on the roads so CTM's are out of the question. I wanted something super strong that I can run 35's no problems. And yes, CV's are just as strong when at full lock as they are straight, and you don't have lurching when turning hard in 4wd.
 
At $985 per side you could certainly justify a D44 or better axle build rather than sink $2K into just the shafts for a D30. Throw in ring and pinion, locker, bearings and seals, a truss and thick aftermarket cover and you may as well have spent your money on a D60. That's nuts IMO. I paid around $600 for inner/outer Yukon alloys and super-joints for my D30, and I felt a little bit like a turd-polisher.
 
fubar XJ said:
At $985 per side you could certainly justify a D44 or better axle build rather than sink $2K into just the shafts for a D30. Throw in ring and pinion, locker, bearings and seals, a truss and thick aftermarket cover and you may as well have spent your money on a D60. That's nuts IMO. I paid around $600 for inner/outer Yukon alloys and super-joints for my D30, and I felt a little bit like a turd-polisher.
Click to expand...

Ok, let me clarify this for you. I bought a SET of RCV axles for $805 shipped. I already have 4.56's, ruff stuff cover, and LCA skids. All I have left to do now is e-locker and WJ spindles/brakes to have a sweet front axle.

I think a D60 is a bit overkill for 35's, especially on an XJ. Of course, then I'd have to get a big ass rear axle to match it. Pointless.
 
The D30 is not a "turd" when setup with quality parts. Many people don't want the weight and bulk of a D60 and don't want to spend the time modifying a D44. With alloy shafts, a sturdy diff cover and a simple truss, the D30 is adequate for all but the most brutal wheelers on 35's.
 
jeeperjohn said:
The D30 is not a "turd" when setup with quality parts. Many people don't want the weight and bulk of a D60 and don't want to spend the time modifying a D44. With alloy shafts, a sturdy diff cover and a simple truss, the D30 is adequate for all but the most brutal wheelers on 35's.
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You forgot full case locker.

Stock carrier brings teh suck.
 
That's why I haven't locked the front end yet. I'm skipping over the D30 autolockers and going straight to an Eaton e-locker.
 
sunburned said:
Ok, let me clarify this for you. I bought a SET of RCV axles for $805 shipped. I already have 4.56's, ruff stuff cover, and LCA skids. All I have left to do now is e-locker and WJ spindles/brakes to have a sweet front axle.

I think a D60 is a bit overkill for 35's, especially on an XJ. Of course, then I'd have to get a big ass rear axle to match it. Pointless.
Click to expand...

+1, My buddy said he paid about $800 for the Set (The website is $985 per set, Not each side).
I am in the same boat, I have an ARB, 4.56s & ruff stuff cover & the $200 price difference from Alloys is not that bad for what you get.
 
xjtrailrider did a writeup here (NAXJA) on installing a set of the RCV shafts.
 
I don't know where this turd polishing talk came from. It's certainly true about a D35, but not a D30. There are a bunch of well built D30's living (mostly) happy lives under real Jeeps. Yes, it's a small axle and has it's limitations, and yes it has to be built with relatively expensive parts. However, a D44 must be custom built, a HP9" with D44 outers isn't cheap, and if you're going to build a new front axle for 37's and larger it should be a D60 or a 609 which is going to be $5000+. So, for running 33's very reliably and 35's pretty reliably a well built D30 is by far the simplest and cheapest way to go. Normal trail breakage is axle shafts and joints, which can be virtually eliminated. D30 ring and pinions can break, and carriers can break, but it's not that common, and when the gears break it's almost always chipped teeth and will still get you off the trail.

As far as I'm concerned, for many XJ and TJ drivers a good set of chromo front shafts and u-joints is one of the best equipment investments they can make in their rig.
 
Goatman said:
I don't know where this turd polishing talk came from. It's certainly true about a D35, but not a D30. There are a bunch of well built D30's living (mostly) happy lives under real Jeeps. Yes, it's a small axle and has it's limitations, and yes it has to be built with relatively expensive parts. However, a D44 must be custom built, a HP9" with D44 outers isn't cheap, and if you're going to build a new front axle for 37's and larger it should be a D60 or a 609 which is going to be $5000+. So, for running 33's very reliably and 35's pretty reliably a well built D30 is by far the simplest and cheapest way to go. Normal trail breakage is axle shafts and joints, which can be virtually eliminated. D30 ring and pinions can break, and carriers can break, but it's not that common, and when the gears break it's almost always chipped teeth and will still get you off the trail.

As far as I'm concerned, for many XJ and TJ drivers a good set of chromo front shafts and u-joints is one of the best equipment investments they can make in their rig.
Click to expand...

I know we've had this talk before...:D

As far as my experience goes (which I'm sure isn't as much as yours) out here in the east coast I've seen just as many gear/carrier failures as shaft failures when people lock their D30s.

Seeing as how the OP is from NY (a state away from myself) I'd stay away from any chromo shaft in a D30 without at least running a full case locker. If he was out on the west coast I'm sure you guys break more shafts than gearsets.
 
East coast, what's that? :D

Good point, we do all speak from our own area of wheeling. I usually try to look at someone's location to qualify a response, it does make a difference. You guys deal with a lot of tire spin and bouncing, which is bad on gears, we deal with a lot of tire wedging which snaps axles.
 
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