Need advice on Superior axle upgrade

The Superior axle upgrade for the D30 & D35 are both about $700 and come with a locker, but I have been told that a only make the axle as strong as a D44 (has anyone done this & what do you think?), or should I buy a junkyard 44 ($250) and build it ($800).

Shannon

The rear 30 spline upgrade kit will be stronger as a 44 (axlewise) because they use chromoly axles for it. About 30% stronger as a stock 44 axle shaft.

do the D44 and build it. youll thank yourself later especially if you go over 35" tires. I contemplated the same thing and went the D44 route

My idea lift is 6.5 with 35's, what did it cost you to build the 44?

The 30 may not be a bad idea. But, don't waste any money on that 35. The axles themselves maybe strong enough, but the damn housing WILL bend. I know this to be true!

And i proved that the 35 will hold up to 38.5 SSXs really well and was the only thing i had no trouble with.

The rear 35 will not bend and will not break, but the front will. I only converted to a rear bigger axle because i had to do something with the front and didn't want to run a smaller axle in the rear than in the front.

You can build the rear really cheap but the biggest problem is the front. I never broke anything in the rear but destroyed 2 sets of gears (4.56), 2 lockers (1 lockright and 1 detroit), 2 WARN inner axles and several stock inner and outer axles in the front D30.

Well. I somehow managed to bend my 35 with 35 inch tires. Don't know how you made it last with 38.5's. But, I went with an 8.8 for the rear in my jeep.

I bent the housing on my 8.25 with either stock or 31s and I am pretty sure the 8.25 housing is stronger than the 44 housing although I could be wrong.

first of the D30 is a realativly stout axle for its size. capable of 35"s
but in the case of XJoachmin I think you need to upgrade to a dana 80 rear and a HP dana 60 front. seriously, I would like to see what your doing to break that many axle parts.

back to the 30. the super 30 kit is a good stout upgrade. the other option is to go with a set of CrMo shafts. they yeild approx 39% more strength than OEM shafts.
for the rear 35. the super 35 kit is good for a budget. especially at $700. for the superior kit.
the Yukon Kit which is the exact same thing as the superior kit sells for $725, and thats a good price.
But neither Yukon or Superior use CrMo alloy for rear axles that are subjected to bending stress. the alloy's used in the super kits is 1050 (oem uses 1040) which is approx 18% stronger and 16% harder than OEM 1040 alloy.
4340 CrMo is used in front shafts for a 39% gain in twisting strength as long as bending will not be an issue.
The super kits do not use CrMo alloy steel!

the only weakness in a dana 35 with a super kit is the housing itself. can the left side bearing cap handle the stress applied to it when lower gears and taller tires are in the equation?
it comes down to your driving style... do you try drive thru the challenge or are you a little more heavy on the stupid pedal?

Rawbrown, i upgraded to D70 rear and D60 front with moser axles 35 spline all around and dedenbear knuckles. I'm really confident that these axles will hold up well.

As for bending a housing let me say that you don't have to be hard on the throttle just come down on a rock or do a jump and chances are that the housing is bent. But this has nothing to do with stressing an axle, this is just lack of driving skills. :anon:

I just got a Dana 44 and I'm getting ready to put it on and install 33s. I spent a lot of time pondering on the question of what's stronger, a Dana 44 or a Super 35. I also spent a lot of time thinking about costs. What I finally decided was this...regardless of how strong you make a Dana 35 you've still got a Dana 35! If you break an axle the wheel gonna go "bye-bye." And if you're in a spot where the wheel can travel 30, 40, 50 feet down a steep hill it's gonna do it, then you've got to retrieve it. The 44 may cost a bit more by the time that it's built, but I thnk that it's worth it.

I'm far from an expert on 4 wheeling, but for what it's worth that's my 2-cents worth.

Robert

Raw, thx for the imput. I am on a budget and 35's are FAAARRRRR in the future, but the skinny pedal does seem appealing at times.

shannon

I just dont see how you can justify building a D35 up. Rear axles are cheap at the junkyard. You can go and snag a complete rear D60 or 9" or D44 from trucks for around $150. Clean it up put new gears in it and seals, and shoes. Make new spring mounts and your good to go. $700 dumped into that D35 POS would piss me off because it would still break. Your talkin at least $1000 to get that D35 to be decent which is stupid

it comes down to budget. there are other factors also. not everyone wants to add the extra weight of a dana 60. or the extra low pinion of a 9".
just because ziggy over here has bad luck with m35's twisting shafts on 31"s. his brother zaggy over there might be on 33"s and never broke.
I know many people personally can't justify beefing up the 35. but just as many can.
as a gear vendor and installer I have seen both sides of the coin. there are just way to many factors involving a decision like that.
wow I am tired... 12 am on the left coast. if I didn't right any of this correctly Then I will catch it tomoorow:speepin: