8.8 / D30 tires?

mattman320

mattman320

New member
hey fellas, i'm gettin ready to throw in an 8.8 exploder axle in hopefully in the next few weeks with my tax returns, i'd like to run 37's with it, but as i'll be hanging on to the D30 for the time being i'm wondering what tires it's capable of handling? should i step down to 35's? anybody out there runnin this set up?

ps. i'm gonna have the 8.8 with a 4.10 gear so i'll replace the D30 gear accordingly.
 

Wow you know your doing the exact same thing im doing, putting the 8.8 in the back and leaving the dana 30 in front but im doing 4.88 instead
 
i'll eventually upgrade to 4.56 or 4.88 towards the end of the year, but right now i'm broke so i'm gonna hunt down an 8.8 with a 4.10 so thats all i'll have to buyfor the D30 and it'lll be a TON better thatn the 3.23 garbage in it now

WHICH LEADS ME TO ANOTHER QUESTION!!!!

i've been searching around for gears for a D30 and all i can find is 4.11 not 4.10, will this work? maybe a stupid question but i realy just don't know, obviously i've always know the gears have to be the same but is that close enough?
 
mattman320 said:
i'll eventually upgrade to 4.56 or 4.88 towards the end of the year, but right now i'm broke so i'm gonna hunt down an 8.8 with a 4.10 so thats all i'll have to buyfor the D30 and it'lll be a TON better thatn the 3.23 garbage in it now

WHICH LEADS ME TO ANOTHER QUESTION!!!!

i've been searching around for gears for a D30 and all i can find is 4.11 not 4.10, will this work? maybe a stupid question but i realy just don't know, obviously i've always know the gears have to be the same but is that close enough?
Click to expand...
The front gear is a just a hair higher than the rear so yes 4.11 will work, and yeah im doing for the same reason your doing it, because of the gears, try driving with 35's with 3.07 its possible but take off sucksss
 

4.11 and 4.10 is essentially the same gear ratio and can be used together in the same vehicle. The d30 can handle up to 35" tires if you don't flog it.
 
would you say that the stock axle shafts in a d30 will handle the 35's? if so upgradeing the shafts and u joints would let you run the 37's??? just a thought
 

i guess what i was asking was is it the axle in general that cant take the larger tires or is it the ring and pinion that cant handle 37" tires???
 
Both the ring and pinion and ujoints are likely to let go with the added leverage of 37" tires. Plus he's only going to be running 4.10 gears so why push it?
 
good points, i'll upgrade to 4.56 or 4.88 within the year, so the 4.10 is jsut a quick fix, i'll probabaly go ahead and try 36 or 37's, when i can get some more moey this summer i'll throw in some new u-joints and chromolly shafts along with the new gearing, i'm hoping to keep the D30 to avoid another axle swap, seems to me the more things you replace, the more it jsut never works right and i hate chronic projects, i like to do it be done and not have to worry about it. not to mention i don't do a ton of rocks or anything, a few here and there but i do'nt thrash it on em by any means.
 

I'm thinking you should shy away from the 8.8 if you think it's going to limit you to keeping the d30 just for the sake of the 5x4.5" lug pattern. I really don't think the d30 housing is going to hold up to 37" tires, and none of the axle will hold up offroad with 37" tires.

You are lucky that you have a YJ and axle swaps are generally as easy as welding on a pair of spring perches and shackle tabs.

Consider a lug pattern that will allow you to run a d44 front axle, like either 5x5.5" or 6x5.5". Upgrading to a d44 front axle will give you a much strong axle housing, serviceable bearings, stronger shafts, more less-expensive options for high-steer, and a ton more aftermarket support for differentials, gears, shafts, etc. You can gear as low as 5.38 with d44 axles.

I run d44's front and rear. The rear is from a mid '90s Isuzu Rodeo and the front is from a Jeep Wagoneer. They both come factory with disc brakes and the 6-lug wheel pattern.
 
well at one time a few months ago i was set on the D44, but around here i jsut can't find any, and the ones i can find people are wanting $450 for them compared to about $200 on an 8.8 which is a stronger axle, for the front i would love a 44, but they are hader to find than the rear ones are, if i got the D44's i might as well round up some D60's and i could thrash em stock and nothing ever break. the point for me doing the 8.8 was affordability, lug pattern, an its barely, jsut barely weaker than a D60. i itnhk if i got some shafts and 4.56 gears in the 30 it'd hold up decently on 37's
 
So I'm ignorant to jeep drivetrain aparantly. I grew up with full size Chevys and muscle cars. I can tell you all about 10, 12, and 14 bolts, but I'm mostly cluelsess when it comes to the Dana world. I have a 91 YJ with a 30 up fromt and a 35 out back, (which...comon sense would tell you the stronger diff would be in the rear, but aparently not). Is the 35 a POS? I know there is a 30, 35, 44, and 60 from reading JP magazine, but please, someone give me an edge-a-muh-kation on the subject because I just ordered a set of 33"s for my stock axle YJ...is my rearend going to grenade?!!!!
 
you should be ok with 33's for now, thats what i'm running and haven't rboken anything yet and i've pounded it really hard a few times. but YES the D35 is a huuge POS, anything bigger than 31's and your in the danger zone basically. Ive heard too many nightmare stories about broken shafts and having to spend 6 hours ont he trail to take open the diff disassemble half of it to replace the shaftand tires falling off on the trail. even if you're jsut goin to run 33's i'd strongly advise that you consider and 8.8 at least, i would say the 44 but jsut too hard to find and expensive and weaker than an 8.8.
 
I figured as long as I took it easy on the thing it should last untill I can afford a new rearend...it's gonna have to! I just have to get the YJ up in the air a little. We all want a Jeep that can tackle any obstacle we point it at, but in all honesty, looks plays a role too. I simply can not be driving around in a Jeep with less ground clearance than most minivans. If the rearend gives up the ghost, that's what credit cards are for!!! My wife's going to divorce me...:D
 

44 hard to find? Are you limiting yourself to the XJ d44? There's a ton of other d44's out there, almost as common as the 8.8. And as for strength, the d44 is close to the 8.8, and is a non c-clip axle. Break a shaft in an 8.8 and you can't move for the axle walking out of the housing.

The 8.8 isn't a bad axle, I put one in my MJ, but why limit yourself to the d30? Open up your options on the rear axle and then the front won't be the achilles heel.
 
i'm "limiting" myself to the D30 for now becasue i'm in college and broke, and the 8.8 is the only way, unless i wait 3 more years to save up enough to throw in 2 new axles AND THEN have to buy new wheels, and i'm just about due for tires now already. Don't get me wrong i'd love to throw some 60's under there, but fact of the matter is i'm broke, and if i want to wheel in the next fewmonths without worryin too much about breaking stuf, the 8.8 is the only way.

ps. yes D44's are hard to find around here, all of em i can find are 3-4x the price of an 8.8. Why pay 4x more for an overall weaker axle?

warn did a test a few years ago on stock axle shaft strength, the D44 broke at 4,460 lbs. with maximum torque output, the 8.8 (31 spline) broke at 5.100 lbs. and the D60 at 5,500 lbs.

i'm only doing this becasue its quick and easy and cheap, if i do put in 60's down the road, at least i can wheel until then without too many problems.... hopefully
 
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