M200 axle strength??

[Joaquim]

LOL, you clearly don't get T = RXF


LOL, don't do it if you've got Sahara axles and 35's. In that case, rock crawl responsibly = mall crawler


From what I've been reading it makes more sense that if you're gentle with these axles they'll last - but they have a much lower tolerance for driving like a mongo compared to a D44/D60.

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[Joaquim]

Look at his profile, he's got a Rubicon. He's giving you really bad advice too. Pick up a pair of used Rubicon axles which are bulletproof with 35's.

I mean I'd definitely want to see this D30 with 37s - it is hard to believe something like that wouldn't break

 

[J0E]

Take a look at https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jk-vs-jl-dana-44-d44-axle-shaft-comparison.32110/

He's putting Ruby axles in his sport. The Ruby they came out of had 37's and twisted the shaft so the OP is getting chrome mollys so he doesn't have to replace the axle shafts everytime he goes wheeling just to guarantee a super weak link, lol.

Installing Rubi axles on a Sport is a proven way to get lockers and be bullet proof with 35s.

 

[AcesandEights]

I mean I'd definitely want to see this D30 with 37s - it is hard to believe something like that wouldn't break

Why, because you read on the Internet that the D30/35 blows up if you get too many groceries at one time, or pulling away from a stop light too fast?

 

[kah.mun.rah]

I am curious about your build, are you running the same M186 (D30) in the front and M200 (D35) in the back as I am? except with 37s? Do you have lockers?
Also, what happens when I snap an axle? If its the rear can I still use the front to limp back home?
And if I choose to upgrade my setup, would it make more sense to upgrade my current D30/D35 - or to replace them all together?

The JK has a much weaker axle than the JL. Our JK Sport has the D30 with a limited slip in the front and a D44 with an e-locker in the back. 5.13 gears. 37x12.5 tires. If you are going to upgrade your axles I would suggest not investing any more money in existing or new Mopar axles. Aftermarket cost more but it would be better to put your money towards aftermarket heavy duty axles. That way you can get rid of the FAD (weakest point of the front axle), get them with thicker walls, better brackets, better ground clearance, better pinion angles (a big deal with a lifted Jeep), they will come with lockers and better gear ratios already in them, and depending on which ones you get, you can probably run 40" tires on them in the future.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Look at his profile, he's got a Rubicon. He's giving you really bad advice too. Pick up a pair of used Rubicon axles which are bulletproof with 35's.

All Mopar axles have the FAD so why waste money on more of them? Heck Joe, since they are bulletproof how much money will you give me for mine? I would gladly sell them to you.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

I mean I'd definitely want to see this D30 with 37s - it is hard to believe something like that wouldn't break

Ball joints don't last long with large tires but the only thing we have broke are the ring gear teeth because as I mentioned/warned before, when we put 5.13 gears (and had to pull the axle shafts anyway) we bought chromoly shafts to replace them. Pulled the stock ones and to our surprise and contrary to what the "internet" says, they were in perfect condition after over 100,000 miles on large tires. No twisting in the teeth whatsoever. We put in the chromoly shafts in and less than 6 months later the strength of the chromoly shredded the teeth in the dif. It's not completely the shafts fault becasue truth be told, 5.13 probably shouldn't have gone in a D30 but I much would have prefered to have the stock shafts twist or break before having to re-gear the difs again. My son drives it now. If you have Instagram look up @papa.surf I think he has over 220,000 miles on it now...still rocking the front D30.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Take a look at https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jk-vs-jl-dana-44-d44-axle-shaft-comparison.32110/

He's putting Ruby axles in his sport. The Ruby they came out of had 37's and twisted the shaft so the OP is getting chrome mollys so he doesn't have to replace the axle shafts everytime he goes wheeling just to guarantee a super weak link, lol.

Installing Rubi axles on a Sport is a proven way to get lockers and be bullet proof with 35s.

1. It's "chromoly". Start talking Molly and someone is going to get the wrong idea.
2. If they are twisting the axle shafts with 37s each time they go out, this is a perfect example of user error.
2. Mopar Rubicon axles are far from bulletproof.

 

[Joaquim]

1. It's "chromoly". Start talking Molly and someone is going to get the wrong idea.
2. If they are twisting the axle shafts with 37s each time they go out, this is a perfect example of user error.
2. Mopar Rubicon axles are far from bulletproof.

How much strong is the new JLU dana30/35 compared to the JKU? Long term I was planning on upgrading to D60s from mopar/spicer, or should I look at other axles? The D60s from mopar/spicer are quite pricey

 

[Joaquim]

How much strong is the new JLU dana30/35 compared to the JKU? Long term I was planning on upgrading to D60s from mopar/spicer, or should I look at other axles? The D60s from mopar/spicer are quite pricey

It seems like a lot of the weak points on the D30/D35 (m186/m200) are shared with the D44 (m210/m220)… and it wouldn’t be worth it to upgrade to those…

 

[Remorseless]

Honestly, for 35s, I'd be fine running with the stock 30/35 axle setup until something maybe broke. If you're conservative with wheel speed and pick good lines off road, you'll likely never need to replace the axles. Folks with JKs go wheeling on D30s with 35s all the time with no issue, and they're the older, weaker design.

If you're really aggressive with wheel speed and couldn't pick a smart line to save your life, might be worth upgrading, but even then I'd personally wait to see if something actually failed - no need to spend money if you don't need to.

The type of wheeling you're going to do really makes a difference too. If you're doing the Rubicon and Pritchett Canyon every week, you're more likely to break something than if you're doing a calm trail ride once a month with a few decent obstacles.

 

[Some Random Guy]

I’m on sub-33’s and planning to risk my m186 with an air locker. I’ve never had air and want to get some experience with it before I decide air vs electric on a full-float upgrade.
I think the air will allow me to just run open front/LSD rear until I need the extra traction up front. Turn it on, crawl over whatever I was actively stuck on, then turn it off. No turning it on until I *need* it.
Some food for thought because I think I’m working through some related concerns about potential failures and forced upgrade paths prior to my full floats:
-The JT Mojave/392 front axle doesn’t have a FAD. Potential to get advantek44 front without FAD and without full price of pro-rock/ultimate44. Edit: I recently found out the cutout is still there, so it’s not as strong as the ultimate44/prorock.
-I feel the non-rubicons are already tire size limited by their narrow width, but I have a disdain for spacers.
-There’s a grain of truth that you can go big and be fine. Best JK 4 door driver in my club is still on a D30 with 37’s. But the internet will eviscerate you if anything goes wrong and blame your tires. Dealer too.
-A good deal locally on used axles would motivate me, so consider what price you would accept buying take-off Rubicons for. Will you keep the locker, truss, re-gear? Consider those in your comparison.
No active advice here, just more to think about.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

How much strong is the new JLU dana30/35 compared to the JKU? Long term I was planning on upgrading to D60s from mopar/spicer, or should I look at other axles? The D60s from mopar/spicer are quite pricey

From what I can find these are the diameters and wall thicknesses of the axle housings. Someone please correct me if I am wrong:

JK D30 2.5" dia, .25" wall thickness axle housing, weak Cs.

JL D30 2.75 dia, .282 wall thicknes axle housing, stronger Cs, weak point at FAD.

JL D44 2.75 dia, .282 wall thicknes axle housing, sronger Cs, weak point at FAD.

Dynatrac ProRock 44 3.125" dia, .5" wall thickness axle housing, no FAD, and brackets welded for better caster and pinion angle when the Jeep is lifted.

 

[J0E]

JL D44 2.75 dia, .282 wall thicknes axle housing, sronger Cs, weak point at FAD.

Wall thickness adds to strength almost linearly, whereas axle diameter goes up to the 4th power and it is called Moment of Inertia, or Inertial Stiffness. JL vs JK:

3.14159265 × (D4 - d4) ÷ 64
(70^4 - 63.65^4) ÷ (62.5^4 - 56.15^4) × 100% = +43% stiffer (JL axle)

Bending/breaking the axles tube is from the skinny petal. Too big of tires for the axle will break ring gear | pinion | axles shafts, etc. That's where most failures are wheeling hard.

 

[entropy]

Lots of people who own a Rubi gonna tell you your axles gonna break.

I say youre fine. I have a locked d30 for the past year and wheel it hard. Heavy 33 M/Ts at 62lbs each tire.

But think about what you want to do. Depending how you wheel you can break either a d44 or d35. The d35 will break with less stress and the d44 would let you push a bit more.

You want to lock the axles. It is gonna add up and youll be taking a risk. You could buy already locked d44s and have a little extra insurance. How much? Who knows lol.

I myself put a torq locker on my front axle that I could install myself, I didnt wanna throw $1500 parts and labor on it. My rear is a d44. So the risk for me is not so big. And so far so good. I am keeping my locked d30 up front.

There are a couple old guys here with some real experience. And they would advise against your plans. But theyre probably wheeling a lot harder than anyone else on these forums, and they just want you to have the best possible setup.

It is not a bad idea to ask stuff on the internet. But if I were you id just go out to the trail and ask around what setup theyre running what they think about your plans etc... Youd be surprised how many people are running the sport axles and how much they push it. I saw a guy once break a ring gear on a d30. Boy he pushed it. He was the guy who had a few too many beers. I think a d44 wouldve failed too but who knows.

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