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Question: I need jeep wrangler help. gearing and axles?

(Posted by: OregonJeep on 2010-03-10 14:02:27)

I have a 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ Rocky Mountain Edition. I believe that has the Dana 44 in the rear. I am not sure about the front. I have a 4 inch suspension lift and a 2 inch coil over lift. I am getting 35 " Mud Terrains put on tomorrow. I am now worried about my axles being strong enough. I am also worried about my gearing. I don't wheel as much as I should. So I would like answers provided for daily driving not hardcore wheeling. Thanks guys!!!!

Posted by: Paul on 2010-03-10, 18:19:44

Your axles will most likely be fine with 35s. I know plenty of guys who wheel with a dana 30/ 44 combo and never have problems. You'll probably want to go to as low as 4.88s with the 35 " tires. You can probably get away with 4.56s if you have to. I joined a club, and when it became time to upgrade my jeep, some of the other guys let me get behind the wheel and see how i liked their set-ups for the road. 4.88s with 35s felt right for me after driving a Rubicon with 4.10s and 32s. Another thing to think about is upgrading your brakes. You'll have a lot more rotating mass to slow down, and your stock brakes won't like the difference. Better pads and rotors should be at the top of your list as well.

Posted by: toledojeeper on 2010-03-10, 18:13:49

You have the Dana 44 on the rear and Dana 30 in front,I believe you will be fine if you don't do a lot of heavy 4 wheelin.I have seen some axle strengthening products online,try to Google it. As for the gearing you will lose some power with the 35's so you may want to regear in the future. It will look great with those 35's!

Posted by: Aerohead on 2010-03-10, 21:27:18

Paul has a lot of good advise, bigger brakes and 4.88 gears. The dana 44 rear will be plenty strong enough. The weak point will be the u-joints in the dana 30 front axle. You will never break them driving on the road, the most common way for them to break is when rock crawling if you have a front wheel come off the ground and then suddenly get traction while on the throttle, especially if the wheels are turned. If they ever break you can get an upgraded axle kit that comes with stronger axles and bigger joints. The stock dana 30 is pretty tough, and if you are not doing any rock crawling then you will probably never have a problem with them.