7:07 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline
I see nothing has changed since the days of TJs, in fact they have probably gotten worse. Researching modifications on the Big JK forums is a landmine of misinformation and bias.
According to the JK experts your new Jeep will drive like crap and literally fall apart just driving to the store, unless you spend gobs of money on EVERY MODIFICATION AVAILABLE.
The same holds true for every part on your new Jeep, but let's just start with the stock Dana 44 front axle? Its apparently too weak for even 33" tires unless you sleeve, gusset, brace, truss, upgrade ball joints, reenforce all the brackets, replace the weak locker, and slap on a thicker diff cover. Might as well start with a custom built Dana 60, and that's before you even drive it off the dealership's parking lot.
The real fact is you should upgrade according to the type of wheeling you do and what your budget allows. Then upgrade if (or when) you break something.
Most of the guys making all these recommendations don't even wheel hard enough to make any determinations on "what's best" and seem to have more money than sense.
Rant over. . . Feel better now 
I used to wheel a lot. . .
7:11 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline For the record, I plan to gusset the Cs which seems to be a "real" weak link. When I blow a u joint, I'll upgrade to chromo shafts with full circle clips. The most common reason for blowing u joints is spitting out the c clips. I'm betting it will hold up just fine to moderate wheeling and it's about all I'm willing to spend on a stock axle. Anything beyond that will warrant a custom built upgrade.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
7:42 pm
April 23, 2012
Offline 
My axle is stock and taken me almost everywhere. Only thing I have issues with is balljoints - hopefully this next go around I'll find some that work
7:50 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline scoped said
My axle is stock and taken me almost everywhere.
Exactly what I was talking about. There is NOTHING wrong with the stock D44s. Of course things are going to break or wear out, but that's no reason to run out and spend $10,000.00 upgrading it. For everyone that is saying "it will never work", there are several that actually use them with no issues.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
8:40 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline My opinion is based on how someone approachs their build. If your philosophy is, I'll wait until it breaks until I upgrade it. Please remember that it's your friends out there who must stay late, possibly with younger children to bail you out on the trail.
That is why I try to avoid breakdowns by over building. Even with my approach, i did breakdown on the trail one time because i failed to identify a weak spot. That being said, the number one cause of trail failure is lack of proper maintenance. Remember my u joint failure John? It wasn't a cap or a shaft. It was a dried out joint... Stay on the maintenance and your 99% of the way there...
9:23 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline I agree that wheelers should do what's required to make sure their rigs are maintained, built for the type of terrain they are driving in, and do what they they can to minimize break downs on the trail. But, it's going to happen and I hope the people you wheel with are tolerant enough to lend a hand with a smile. If anybody's worried that somebody will breakdown, there are some nice "cruiser clubs" out there. Breakage happens, I don't invite it but I do expect it every once in a while. D44s don't guarantee you will break down. D60s don't guarantee you won't break down.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
10:05 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline JohnDF said
I agree that wheelers should do what's required to make sure their rigs are maintained, built for the type of terrain they are driving in, and do what they they can to minimize break downs on the trail. But, it's going to happen and I hope the people you wheel with are tolerant enough to lend a hand with a smile. If anybody's worried that somebody will breakdown, there are some nice "cruiser clubs" out there. Breakage happens, I don't invite it but I do expect it every once in a while. D44s don't guarantee you will break down. D60s don't guarantee you won't break down.
Ha! Sometimes a 60 May even contribute to a breakage incident...
Maintenance is the single largest key to avoiding breakdown. I recall a Barrett run where one rig leaked fuel, had three different types of near bald tires and a leaky radiator. On the run they had two flat tires, but one spare... Wise decision would have been to not allow them on the run!
5:50 am
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline Anyways, my point is that if you're going to modify your rig, know the difference between crappy, good enough, and overkill. Running 33" tires does not require custom D60s and running 40" tires isn't going to work well with upgraded stock axles. I've seen BOTH recommended on the Big JK forums.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
8:16 pm
Club Member
September 3, 2008
Offline I feel you John. It's crazy. I've been thinking a lot about axles. Do I need to upgrade or not. I know I'm a soft wheeler. I'm not really worried about the internals of the axle as much as I am about the actual housing. But I think that's an easy fix with trusses.
I'm really leaning towards 38s on the rubi axles with upgraded shafts and ball joints. I see what and where Jon (scoped) goes and I'm sure I can keep them together.
Um...what?
6:33 am
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline Bawahahahaa...
I just saw a thread where a Newbie wants to build a Jeep to take to Moab.
They are telling him to learn how to weld, pass the cert., study up on suspension geometry, and then build it all himself.
Because none of the off-the-shelf lifts are any good.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
10:09 am
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline JohnDF said
Bawahahahaa...
I just saw a thread where a Newbie wants to build a Jeep to take to Moab.
They are telling him to learn how to weld, pass the cert., study up on suspension geometry, and then build it all himself.
Because none of the off-the-shelf lifts are any good.
I had a really good chat with Sean at RE. He explained a lot of the changes/improvements they've made since my kit came out almost 8 years ago. After 5-6 years of a model's release, after market manufacturers get a handle on their designs and pretty much everything out there will work fine.
I was also on the phone with Currie for questions on my rear axle. They also explained to me how much has changed in the 8 years since my axle was built. Again, showing me that improvements continue as a model is out. the parts I was requesting aren't even made any more because they don't build their axles the way they built mine. So we were brainstorming other ways to solve my problem.
Bottom line. Pretty much everything made today is going to work fine for the JK crowd...
1 Guest(s)
