37s on Sport S (Dana 30 Axles) & Beach Driving

[ecoastsrfr]

Alright, probably gunna start a civil war here but, here it goes...

I've got a '21 Sport S on the way, and looking to lift it pretty soon after it gets delivered. I've read about as much as I could find, and it seems the overwhelming consensus is that 37s on Dana 30 axles is 'asking for trouble'. However, most of those discussions were based on the notion of wheeling your jeep on rocks, which is why I started this specific thread.

I live at the beach, and really don't see myself hitting the trails anytime soon. The only off-roading I'll be doing is beach driving down in OBX, NC.

So the question is...Will 37s still eat up the stock Dana 30 axles if the only real off-roading I'm doing is on sand? The Jeep will be my daily driver, and mostly on the road except for some weekend get-aways down to OBX.

Side note:
Before I get roasted, let me try and answer the obvious question that I'm sure will come up.

Why do you want 37s if you're only taking it in the sand?
- I like running a 13.50 wide tire, to help give a nice wide footprint (especially when aired down) on the sand. I only found one 35" tire (maxxis razr mt) that comes in 13.50 on a 17" rim.
- The extra ground clearance never hurts.
- I like the overall stance of 37s better than 35s. There I said it. Mall Crawl, Poser, yeah yeah. I want what I want. Haha.

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[hoag4147]

I believe heavy 37s put strain on all axles over time if you are not easy on the skinny pedal. As for highway driving you will most likely never see 8th and seldom see 7th with stock 3.45 gears and 37s. Mine is a Sport S with 37s https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/showcase/spticon.1638/ but I openly admit it is a pavement princess, but not my DD. It is our fun vehicle. It pretty much stays topless. Not sure what lift you plan to do but I added Rubi flares to gain additional space for 37s. IMO you will be fine on beaches as long as you don’t go crazy on skinny pedal if you start to get stuck.

 

[blnewt]

Those diffs should hold up if you don't get too aggressive, might consider a regear though. A 4:56 gear set or even 4:88s would keep your Jeep lively, and from all I've read the newest D30/35 setup is quite a bit stronger than previous versions.

 

[Some Random Guy]

I think paying for D44’s at 4.1 is better money than regearing your D30’s. However, if you can do your own gears that might not apply.
As for stock axles, I think you need to be careful to keep all 4 tires on the ground. If one gets airborne, that is when you’re most likely to break something. Something about losing resistance then piling it back on lashes forces back/forth and snaps the teeth. That’s just what I’ve put together though, I’m no expert on what messes up diffs/axle shafts. I’m going with that theory until I learn better with 38.5’s on my D44’s. If I’m wrong, second axle shaft means I just buy currie 60’s.

 

[blnewt]

I think paying for D44’s at 4.1 is better money than regearing your D30’s. However, if you can do your own gears that might not apply.
As for stock axles, I think you need to be careful to keep all 4 tires on the ground. If one gets airborne, that is when you’re most likely to break something. Something about losing resistance then piling it back on lashes forces back/forth and snaps the teeth. That’s just what I’ve put together though, I’m no expert on what messes up diffs/axle shafts. I’m going with that theory until I learn better with 38.5’s on my D44’s. If I’m wrong, second axle shaft means I just buy currie 60’s.

Agree with that for sure, but if he plans to stay within the mild sand wheeling in his first post spending 1500 for a regear vs. 4k+ for the D44s might be harder to deal with??

 

[PacNWJLGecko]

From what I've read so far the new M186 axles are significantly stronger than the old D30 axle. Might as well test it's limits. Haven't seen much in the way of people bending them yet.

 

[Some Random Guy]

Agree with that for sure, but if he plans to stay within the mild sand wheeling in his first post spending 1500 for a regear vs. 4k+ for the D44s might be harder to deal with??

$3k for front Mopar 4.1 which includes a front locker, $2.5k rear. Granted, that assumes you can install it yourself and can come up with a solution to run the locker. So your marginal cost is $1.5k for a locker and axle upgrade, if you supply the labor.

 

[Zandcwhite]

$3k for front Mopar 4.1 which includes a front locker, $2.5k rear. Granted, that assumes you can install it yourself and can come up with a solution to run the locker. So your marginal cost is $1.5k for a locker and axle upgrade, if you supply the labor.

I've had 2 axles regeared for $1000, even if you pay twice that, on what planet is $5500 only $1500 over $1-2k? If he's not wheeling, the locker gains him nothing. The stock axles will hold up fine to 37's on a street jeep.

 

[Some Random Guy]

I've had 2 axles regeared for $1000, even if you pay twice that, on what planet is $5500 only $1500 over $1-2k? If he's not wheeling, the locker gains him nothing. The stock axles will hold up fine to 37's on a street jeep.

I suppose I meant the front axle, but you’re right you need to do both. I didn’t think that through.

 

[ecoastsrfr]

Good feedback everyone, thanks!! Yeah, I think if I can get 5 years out of the Dana 30s running 37s I'll be fine with that. If they're toast after that it should be fine because the Jeep will be paid off by then, so I don't mind upgrading the axles and re-gearing. Heck, might even be able to hit some trails by then, with the kids being a bit older by then too!!

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