is this smart? 4.88, dana 30

I would like to know how many people are running 4.88 gears in a dana 30, and are they holding up? I know, everything I have heard is that the ring gear is to big and it will break But Iam sure their are alot of idiots like myself that have done it anyways. I want to here how they held up. I don't want to here that you know a guy who knows a guy that said his buddies broke. the reason i want to do this is because I am a cheap, and don't believe at this point in time it is worth me spending the money on a front d44. so please, if you run 4.88'[s in a dana 30 let me know how it holds up. also what size tires you are running. thanks

D30 4.88 with Detroit truetrac. 33's. Moderate use and no problems at all.

At first I thought I was going too steep with the 4.88's but it is VERY streetable. (My DD)

More to follow after a run tomorrow...

John

I regeared to 4.88's last year( HP30/D44), with 33" tires. I wheeled a few times on moderate trails but found out that 33" tires and 4.88's just don't treat an engine very well, i.e. high rpm's on the highway. So I went to 35's. I have an ARB up front but haven't hooked up an air source so all my wheeling has been unlocked upfront. I take it easy on the skinny pedal anyways so that helps.

I'm in the process of a bunch of changes with my TJ. One of them being 4.88 in a new 44 rr. and 30 frt. 36 Iroks are in the garage. We'll see how it holds up. I'm more worried about my cv/s in the steer joints than anything else. I have a friend who has been running 4.88's in stock axles with 37's and hasn't had any problems yet.

got 4.88's with detroit and so far so good.

4.88's and a lockright on 33's. abused hard. no issues so far.

eh, my bro has 4.88's on his dana 30 with 34 ltb and he gets horrible gas mileage

my boys got 488's and is locked, 35's on his otherwise stock d30, no probs yet

chubbyhick said:

I would like to know how many people are running 4.88 gears in a dana 30, and are they holding up? I know, everything I have heard is that the ring gear is to big and it will break But Iam sure their are alot of idiots like myself that have done it anyways. I want to here how they held up. I don't want to here that you know a guy who knows a guy that said his buddies broke. the reason i want to do this is because I am a cheap, and don't believe at this point in time it is worth me spending the money on a front d44. so please, if you run 4.88'[s in a dana 30 let me know how it holds up. also what size tires you are running. thanks

Click to expand...

i have heard the same stories about the 4.88 pinion being small and all that junk and untill the other day reading on pirate i beleived it. what one guy was saying is that all gear ratios have the same amount of teeth in contact at any given time and that the teeth are verry close to the same size thus showing that the worries about deep gears being week are wrong.

bj-666 said:

i have heard the same stories about the 4.88 pinion being small and all that junk and untill the other day reading on pirate i beleived it. what one guy was saying is that all gear ratios have the same amount of teeth in contact at any given time and that the teeth are verry close to the same size thus showing that the worries about deep gears being week are wrong.

Click to expand...

Ditto.

There is nothing to be concerned about with 4.88 gears........the fears and negative comments are unfounded. It's like global warming......propagated by people who don't know based on what they've heard, which came from someone else who didn't know, but spoke on what they'd heard....and on and on.