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d30 vs d44 for 37's and 3.5in of lift...

huntingman2706217

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Griffin, G.A.
ive got a line up on a 77 bronco's D44 front and 9" rear for $300... im planning on a 3.5in long arms and 37's... ive read tons of people saying dont go over 35's on a built D30... but i wanted naxjas opinion also... i want to spend the SAME amount on either a built D30 (the right way) or conversion to D44 and alittle built... maybe alittle more building over time... just wondering what you guys think over here even though there probly the same as everyone over at CF where i mostly hang out... just the 44 will be so much more work... lol thanks fellas!
 
For a D30 to live with 37's you would need a full case locker and alloy or RCV birfield shafts. You would also need a sturdy diff cover and a truss. Cryo treated gears would also be advisable.
 
with the money you would spend on a D30, i would just go for the D44 or even consider Dana60s since you're going for 37s.... The 44/9inch combo would certainly be better then any current front and rear end you have stock.
 
oh yeah ive got a XJ d44 in the back... but want to keep the axles the same width... my build thread name is "frugal" i could actually sell my D44 rear easily for $300 (only gave $150 for it) and make my money back on these 2 axles... the back i could swap out cheap and fast like to get it back on the road... ive got another D30 in the yard vs. the one in my XJ to get good measurements on... so that will aid in building the front dana 44 for alittle bit anyways before id have to park mine again and strip it... of course at the same time i would build for a long arm setup... although at 3.5in i dont think it would really matter when it comes to the axle...
 
I have 44s front and rear, on 35s everything is great and i can beat the hell out of it(33spline alloys f&R),im debating going to 37s but i am worried about the strength, but i live near johnson valley.........it all depends on how you wheel!
 
you might also consider a sawzall with your 3.5" lift:guitar: if I'm reading you correctly
 
I vote go D44. once you build that, you will be set. no sense in beefing up a 30. just a waste of money in my opinion, especially if you are going to run 37s
 
If you plan on 37s, you won't want the D30. If you do decide to try it (some people have had freak 30's that live under 37s, even one with an LS1) Jeeperjohn has the right idea.
 
If you plan on 37s, you won't want the D30. If you do decide to try it (some people have had freak 30's that live under 37s, even one with an LS1) Jeeperjohn has the right idea.

I agree with you up to the point that you said that the 30 is a bad idea with the 37's I'd go one step further and say if your looking at 37's the 44 is a bad idea as well... I have always rationed that 35's was completely pushing the dana 30 and 37's was completely pushing the 44.. If your looking at 37's or bigger just do one step and build 60's and make your life easier... But thats just me Ill run on my 35's and 44's and not worry about the drivetrain anymore...


themud
 
the gain from going to a low pinion 44 assuming this is out of a little bronco from a high pinion 30 is not enough to warrant me to switch to a lp 44, stick with the 30 imo and go with 35s...i'm all for a low jeep but 3.5 with 37s? im around 6 with 36s and scrub still and im not scared of the sawzall
 
I broke my fron D44 twice with 36 irok's and my rear 9" withthose same tires. In my experience the max tire a D44 can live a long life with is a 35. The D30 can live with a 35 but lasts longer with a 33. UNCC in NC ran 37's and broke his front 44 on at least one run I was on with him. JMHO, but I'd keep the D44's on nothing bigger then 35's.
 
A local TJ guy I've wheeled with a few times runs 37's on a locked LP D30. He's never busted a shaft.

As much as we all like to believe that bullet/bomdproof axles are a must for anything bigger than a 33" tire, it simply isn't true

More often than not, front axle carnage is more a result of driver error (bad line or heavy on the skinny peddle) than it is about weak components.

My $.02:
Carry spare shafts and u-joints and know how to change them.
Wheel your rig with open diffs first to learn what it is capable of.
Pick your lines wisely and use a spotter that knows what the heck they are doing.
Articulation beats brute force.
For the love of Gawd, AIR DOWN!!!
 
it takes a wizards and black magic to effectively run that setup incase you guys were wondering

it can be done i think... i plan to cut out my wheel wells and weld in new... the mini truck guys actuall use 55 gallon drums and cut them down for there wheel wells because there thick and already round... ill look into this but im also going to look into cutting out some F250 or somethins rear wheel wells and weld them in... your runing what 35's an 3in or something right? if your the same KTM from CF anyways... difference between you and me is mines a 2 door... so ive got 4inches or so till my wheel well meets the door leaving me more room for cutting and more room for bigger tires...

to note on acouple things the difference in LP and HP 44's to me isnt enough to worry about unless your competing... or always rock crawlin... in GA its mostly trails through the woods... there are rocks but not like out west... with a D44 and 3.5in of lift having a low pinion i think would be a better option for clearance under the motor and allowing alittle more flex then a HP would... but i may catch alittle more on it... which is why 37's will help and full skids... im gonna be doing alot of sliding anyways...

plannin on H1 wheels to go with the military OZ MT's... this is why i say 37's because these tires are cheap... i run them on my dodge... i could run the military 36's but there bias ply and im not sure how much i would like that since ill be on the road too...

sounds like my plans have me stuck right in the middle of the 2 axles... either could work... both have pros and cons... dang it man...
 
I broke my fron D44 twice with 36 irok's and my rear 9" withthose same tires. In my experience the max tire a D44 can live a long life with is a 35. The D30 can live with a 35 but lasts longer with a 33. UNCC in NC ran 37's and broke his front 44 on at least one run I was on with him. JMHO, but I'd keep the D44's on nothing bigger then 35's.

my 44 story is a little odd

low pinion, detroit locker, 5.38's moser alloys= mint for 2 years on 37" boggers and 37" creepy crawlers. never touched it.

then one winter i went to 36's and broke 8ish shafts and a detroit locker in 3 months.

then after that winter i have been fine for another 18 months

now i have 35's, nitro outers, moser inners, yukon super joints, and romp on it with confidence and couldnt be happier.

your runing what 35's an 3in or something right? if your the same KTM from CF anyways... difference between you and me is mines a 2 door... so ive got 4inches or so till my wheel well meets the door leaving me more room for cutting and more room for bigger tires...

...

i am him.

im just being sarcastic

and i have a 2 door now:cool:

37's fit fine with the generally accepted cut and fold method, plus about an inch of massaging with a hammer
 
You'd have to build the D30 with 30 spline chromo shafts and chromo axle joints, and you'd have to build the D44 with chromo axles and chromo axle joints. Since the D30 would have unit bearings and 30 spline stubs, and the D44 would have lockouts and 19 spline stubs, as far as axles go the D30 would be slightly stronger. But, the D30 weak point would be the ring and pinion and the housing, and you're still going to spend some coin on it making it all 30 spline.

If you don't do rocks, only dirt and mud, and you're a careful driver.......who knows. Personally, I'd hate to spend that kind of money on a D30 when you already know you're going to run big tires. Yes, the D44 is a lot of work, since you have to build mounts, but you'd have to truss and reinforce the D30 as well for it to have a chance of living so that's a lot of work also.

As far as getting axles to live with 37's, yes, it all has to do with driving, type of terrain, and good or bad luck. I only broke my D30 with 35's one time, a Spicer axle joint. The D44 in there now with 37's has broken too many times to count.......between me and the new owner. The list includes multiple locking hubs, multiple stub shafts, spindles, CTM joints, and an inner axle shaft.......everything is chromo. So, yes, some say they are making a D30 live on 37's.........but what are they doing?

I have one friend with a TJ with a 30 spline D30 on 37's, no front breakage and he tells me he wheels the hell out of it. Yet, when I look underneath it there isn't any rock rash, so where does he go? I can't invite him to go with us, because I know he wouldn't last a 1/4 of the trail. It's all relative........
 
Ive got dana 60's under my bronco with a strong 302 with headers and cold air etc.. and i am running 38.5x15 boggers. i am glad i went 1 ton, no problems at all, exept brakes get expensive to replace at that size.
 
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