Dana 30 RCV, who has real mileage experience?

Hey I am wanting to upgrade my front 27 spline shafts to something I do not have to worry about. The jeep is mostly overland and camping but I just don't want to have to worry about the front end.

Has anyone put serious miles on them? I am more worried about longevity.

What are the specs of your jeep? If you're not running deep gears, big tires, and lockers and doing some decent wheeling I wouldn't spend nearly $1k on shafts. You have stock shafts now?

35s 4.88s and WJ knuckles, I also wonder if it'll work with the different knuckles?

My plan is to get the ARb air locker it's open right now. I am not worried about breaking things but want something that works well longevity wise.

Mtb Jak said:

The jeep is mostly overland and camping but I just don't want to have to worry about the front end.

Click to expand...

RCV's are great, the only downside I have experienced is if your orange cap cracks. Mine did and picked up some crap in the joint. I had to pull and disassemble the entire joint to make sure I got all of the gravel. The joint does not fit through the knuckle, so I had to remove that as well. Then install a new cap and re-grease. Pulling the race and bearings is not something I would consider an easy task and takes some patience.

From a maintenance stand point a set of Yukon's with Super Joints is going to be your best bet. And you are likely never going to break a shaft or a joint with how you use your rig. If you did manage to break something you could just throw in a stock spare set to get you going, super quick swap. RCV's will be stronger and probably be just a touch cheaper than that above combo, but not necessary for your intended use and more difficult to maintain. If you have an issue that requires removing your shaft on the trail you will have to pull your whole knuckle.

Either is a good option, just depends what your deal breakers are.

As far as longevity, I haven't seen any issues or comebacks on any axles I've built with RCVs (dozens of axles). Keep them greased and they are happy.

However to be honest, I prefer running chromo shafts with spicer ujoints and spending a grand on D30 shafts is a waste. The reason is simple. The stock joints will act like a fuse, helping to prevent more costly damage such as stripped gears or broken lockers. It also is much easier to replace a shaft on the trail than to have to dig deeper into the diff.

Using a chromo shaft will eliminate the weak ears on the stock shafts and hopefully prevent them from distorting if/when the joint breaks, as well as allow full circle snap rings to help prevent ejecting caps which is the most common shaft failure on a D30. If it brakes, just pop in a new joint and go! Spicer joints are stronger than parts store brands, but weak enough to hopefully prevent other stuff from breaking.

Kittrell said:

The joint does not fit through the knuckle, so I had to remove that as well.

Click to expand...

On a D30 the joints will fit through the knuckle, however the boots will not, so you must separate the boot prior to removing the shaft. Removal of the knuckle is not necessary.

Now the standard D44 (not the JK44) is a total PITA requiring disassembly of the whole unit to remove. I despise these, haha.

TRAILREADYXJ said:

On a D30 the joints will fit through the knuckle, however the boots will not, so you must separate the boot prior to removing the shaft. Removal of the knuckle is not necessary.

Now the standard D44 (not the JK44) is a total PITA requiring disassembly of the whole unit to remove. I despise these, haha.

Click to expand...

Good to know, my experience is with the JK front axles and the WK. Both require full removal of the knuckle, even the "real" 44's require this as well. It would appear the XJ got lucky. :thumbup:

Thank your for your replies and insights.

TRAILREADYXJ said:

On a D30 the joints will fit through the knuckle, however the boots will not, so you must separate the boot prior to removing the shaft. Removal of the knuckle is not necessary.

Now the standard D44 (not the JK44) is a total PITA requiring disassembly of the whole unit to remove. I despise these, haha.

Click to expand...

Kittrell said:

Good to know, my experience is with the JK front axles and the WK. Both require full removal of the knuckle, even the "real" 44's require this as well. It would appear the XJ got lucky. :thumbup:

Click to expand...

correction...

the GM D44 knuckle has to be removed to install RCVs, the ford D44 knuckle does not, it has a larger center bore and different spindle.



a set of chromos, spicer joints, and full circle clip goes a long way. but by the time you add super joints, you are in RCV cost territory. also, check with the manufacturer before considering super joints. most arent recommended for street use (without locking hubs)