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Swap for D44 front or beef up D30?

crackrk

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First the specs on my rig:
3.6l 6-speed Sport-S
Stock 3.45 gears (SUCK)
Rear: D44 w/LSD
Front: D30
Current tires: 280/70/17
Planned tires: 35’s (most likely 315/70/17, maybe true 35x12.5 if I change wheels) — Note: Won’t go larger then 35’s as the jeep won’t fit in the garage.
Suspension: Currently running Rubicon take-offs. Planning on Mopar 2” later down the road

Usage: Mild city driving. 500 mile round trip to in-laws happens a few times a year. Local off-roading is former iron ore mines so lots of rocks. I avoid mud when possible. I also get out trail riding whenever possible. I enjoy the flexy stuff.

Question:
These 3.45 suck big time. They need to go and the wife is in agreement. There’s a local person selling a front D44 from a JL Rubicon. No brakes, no knuckles, but does have the stock 4.10 gears w/e-lockers.

1. Do I swap the front D30 for the D44 then regear the rear to 4.10?
2. Do I skip going D44 route and just regear to 4.56? (Original plan until a friend started talking about axle swaps)
3. If I go d44 would I have any issues knowing the front axle would be slightly wider then my rear? I’m assuming not outside of needing rubi tie rod. I’m thinking any issues with alignment, etc.
4. If I go d44 anyone know if the D30 knuckles will fit on the D44? I’m assuming so. It’s a bummer this axle for sale locally doesn’t have the rubi brakes as I know they are a lot better.
5. If I stick with the D30 would you recommend trusses and c gussets ?

Local person is asking $2k for that axle which seems a bit high, but I’ll let others chime in on that. Seems like on the board $2k/axle seems a bit on par but typically comes with brakes.

Any other advice people have or have experienced would be greatly appreciated. Photo for example of local trails.

Thanks in advance.

Jeep Wrangler JL Swap for D44 front or beef up D30? 1D550287-5B84-4DA6-BFD4-47914B28C1F1
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Zotch

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Why do the gears suck?
 
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crackrk

crackrk

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Why do the gears suck?
6th gear is completely unusable right now. Maybe I can shift into it going downhill with a tailwind at 75mph. I’d like to get it back. Plus crawling would be better with higher gears.
 

Stuckinthesand

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I’m guessing you don’t like the gears because of the 6 speed. I have 35’s on my sport but it’s an auto. Still get 18-19mpg and I do rock crawling once a month. Nothing more than blues though. I have had no issue with the Dana 30 up front. The 44 with the lsd is great so far.
 

Zotch

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I like the 3.45 on my 3.6 auto with 33's

I'm all for upgrading EVERYTHING but to say certain gears suck is wrong.

They might not be what you need anymore but are fine for other people.

I'm interested with what you do because I might upgrade my front in the future. I have the the 44 with LSD in the rear like Stuckinthesand does.
 

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Stuckinthesand

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6th gear is completely unusable right now. Maybe I can shift into it going downhill with a tailwind at 75mph. I’d like to get it back. Plus crawling would be better with higher gears.
Skip 4.10 and go to 4.56. If I ever do a regear that’s the route to go. A lot of the rubi owners wish they came with the 4.56 once they put on the 35’s. Even with the auto I don’t see 8th as much as I did on stock but I still do hit it. I don’t mind staying in 7th. It runs at around 2200rpm at 75 and mpg is good.
 

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Depends how hard you plan to wheel, going 4:56 would be the best plan w/ your 6 spd, and you can beef up the D30 if you aren't going to wheel the crap out of it.
You should upgrade to better brake pads too when you go up to 35s.

You listed a lot of tire sizes that seem erroneous, I assume you meant you're running 285/70/17 or 285/75/17 and plan to run 315/70/17s.

Only you can answer the question about how heavy-duty your diffs need to be (for your future off road plans) and the budget that you're willing to spend.

Might consider @chevymitchell advice and look into a Rubicon upgrade, long term it might be the best option and if you sell yours private party you might do pretty well as they hold value pretty well.
 
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crackrk

crackrk

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Depends how hard you plan to wheel, going 4:56 would be the best plan w/ your 6 spd, and you can beef up the D30 if you aren't going to wheel the crap out of it.
You should upgrade to better brake pads too when you go up to 35s.

You listed a lot of tire sizes that seem erroneous, I assume you meant you're running 285/70/17 or 285/75/17 and plan to run 315/70/17s.

Only you can answer the question about how heavy-duty your diffs need to be (for your future off road plans) and the budget that you're willing to spend.

Might consider @chevymitchell advice and look into a Rubicon upgrade, long term it might be the best option and if you sell yours private party you might do pretty well as they hold value pretty well.
Fixed the tire sizes. I always get 70 and 75 mixed up. Yes it’s about having an axle which can handle rock crawling. Unfortunately trading my jeep for a rubicon really isn’t in the budget. It was hard enough for me to find a 6-speed manual. At the time there was only 3 for sale in a tri-state area. All of them were sports. I have no interest in getting an automatic and buying brand new is definitely not an option knowing I’d be looking at $50k+
 

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Fixed the tire sizes. I always get 70 and 75 mixed up. Yes it’s about having an axle which can handle rock crawling. Unfortunately trading my jeep for a rubicon really isn’t in the budget. It was hard enough for me to find a 6-speed manual. At the time there was only 3 for sale in a tri-state area. All of them were sports. I have no interest in getting an automatic and buying brand new is definitely not an option knowing I’d be looking at $50k+
You buy it, I'll bring it to you. I grew up on a farm 2 hours South of the cities. Always looking for a reason to go home for a few days.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...e1=JEEP&modelCode1=WRANGLER&clickType=listing
 

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Stuckinthesand

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Fixed the tire sizes. I always get 70 and 75 mixed up. Yes it’s about having an axle which can handle rock crawling. Unfortunately trading my jeep for a rubicon really isn’t in the budget. It was hard enough for me to find a 6-speed manual. At the time there was only 3 for sale in a tri-state area. All of them were sports. I have no interest in getting an automatic and buying brand new is definitely not an option knowing I’d be looking at $50k+
The 30 will hold up as long as you don’t go bigger than 35’s and don’t put a locker on it. I wouldn’t do anything crazy like black or red trails. I wheel at Raush creek and AOAA monthly and have no problems doing up to blue trails. Honestly that’s enough for me since these jeeps aren’t cheap. It’s all on how hard you want to go.
 

DadJokes

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I only plan on mild to moderate trails. I think the M186 will likely be fine but if not, I might just throw in an M210 at some point. For the rear right now, I’m looking at an E locker and 32 spline axle shafts (stock is 29) for the M200. That’ll be a nice upgrade and should be stout enough.
 

JoeBelt

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Cost of new axle + labor
Cost of regearing parts + labor
Cost of adding locking rear diff + labor
Cost of OEM locking diff switchgear + labor
No warranty
No resale value for the mods...would most likely sell for less than an unmodified vehicle.

You bought the wrong trim level. Just trade up to a Rubicon, get the warranty, and capture the additional value that comes with that vehicle.
 
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blnewt

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Fixed the tire sizes. I always get 70 and 75 mixed up. Yes it’s about having an axle which can handle rock crawling. Unfortunately trading my jeep for a rubicon really isn’t in the budget. It was hard enough for me to find a 6-speed manual. At the time there was only 3 for sale in a tri-state area. All of them were sports. I have no interest in getting an automatic and buying brand new is definitely not an option knowing I’d be looking at $50k+
The ratio isn't ideal for sure but keep in mind many wheelers have ran 3, 4 & 5spd manuals and made it work. Since you essentially have a 5spd now (when you go up to 35s) you could try it and see if you can live with it, or just scale down your crawling plans :)
 
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crackrk

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The ratio isn't ideal for sure but keep in mind many wheelers have ran 3, 4 & 5spd manuals and made it work. Since you essentially have a 5spd now (when you go up to 35s) you could try it and see if you can live with it, or just scale down your crawling plans :)
Yes agreed many in the past have run 3, 4, and 5speed in the past... when that was what they had. I wheeled a 5-speed TJ for many years. As I went up in tire size I quickly figured out the gears needed to be addressed. I did that myself with the help of a friend and it was a world of difference. While I don’t think I’d do another gear swap again myself, swapping an axle is something I have no issues doing myself.

I have done the wheeling with my current setup and I have come to the conclusion that I want to address the gearing. Even on the highway the gearing just isn’t what it should be IMO.

It seems the answer of many on this board is instead of addressing a $2k to (axle swap + regear) high end of maybe $5k problem I should instead spend $15k to address my issue. As for people’s comments on the warranty I’d be shocked to find any dealership that would cover any broken parts due to wheeling. I guess others just have larger pockets or are just willing to go more in debt.

I’d like to hear from people who have done this OR are currently wheeling on a D30 with 35’s to get their opinion of the front axle with that large of a tire.
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