Upgraded Dana 30 Better Than a Rubicon 44

A.J.

Active Member
Someone should. The RCV axles are almost that much by themselves. I have almost the same set up except I added 5.13's and air lockers to it. Arguably a much stronger set up than stock rubicon axles.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Someone should. The RCV axles are almost that much by themselves. I have almost the same set up except I added 5.13's and air lockers to it. Arguably a much stronger set up than stock rubicon axles.

You can believe that if it helps you to sleep better at night but nothing could be further from the truth. A 5.13 pinion in a Dana 30 is super small and prone to breaking and the RCV shafts are still smaller and will have fewer splines than a Dana 44 shaft. Ask jnabird333 about how well his RCV shafts have held up in his Dana 30.
 

A.J.

Active Member
Yeah the pinion is the weak spot with 5.13's I agree. The RCV's should still be stronger than "stock" rubi's and the trusses etc are already all welded on and ready to go. My point was the price doesn't seem so out of line if someone wants to go that route. At least they won't be so likely to bend them.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah the pinion is the weak spot with 5.13's I agree. The RCV's should still be stronger than "stock" rubi's and the trusses etc are already all welded on and ready to go.

Again, you can think that if it helps you to sleep better at night but I still run a factory 44 front shaft with my 37's and it doesn't look like this Dana 30 RCV shaft.

RCV-twist-02.jpg

My point was the price doesn't seem so out of line if someone wants to go that route. At least they won't be so likely to bend them.

I have seen my fair share of bent axle housings WITH trusses and this goes for BOTH Dana 30 and Rubicon 44's. Of course, both share the same tubes and really, a bent housing won't leave you high and dry the way a blown axle shaft or ring and pinion will. This is the biggest reason why I always recommend that people NOT throw ANY money at a Dana 30. For the right buyer, you might be able to get $800 for this axle if you're lucky. Sorry, just the reality of things.
 

A.J.

Active Member
I will sleep just fine either way. I am not trying to sell them. Hope mine hold up better than those did. I have broken stuff too, usually due to my own abuse. Why do I feel like I am defending myself for no reason? Wierd.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I will sleep just fine either way. I am not trying to sell them. Hope mine hold up better than those did. I have broken stuff too, usually due to my own abuse. Why do I feel like I am defending myself for no reason? Wierd.

:cheesy: LOL!! Ya got me, you're the one who felt the need to chime in on the thread and suggest that a built up Dana 30 is "arguably a much stronger set up than stock rubicon axle". I simply disagreed and posted up facts as to why nothing could be further from the truth. :crazyeyes:
 

Spudcannons

New member
I will sleep just fine either way. I am not trying to sell them. Hope mine hold up better than those did. I have broken stuff too, usually due to my own abuse. Why do I feel like I am defending myself for no reason? Wierd.

Hope your axle holds up better than mine! Mine was toast after wheeling 3 days....
 

10frank9

Web Wheeler
Someone who spent an assload of money building up their D30 says it's better than a stock D44?

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1435806634.104212.jpg

Guess when you spend more money it MUST mean it's better.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Someone should. The RCV axles are almost that much by themselves. I have almost the same set up except I added 5.13's and air lockers to it. Arguably a much stronger set up than stock rubicon axles.

:cheesy:

Pardon me for laughing.


:cheesy:
 

Skid_Kid

New member
I would get a D35, sleeved and gussets of course, 5.38 gears, then look at my pet unicorn that looks like TTFHELL in the passenger seat and tell him to hold on....
 

A.J.

Active Member
This is very disappointing to me. I don't know why I have become the target of aggression here. I value everyone's opinions and can relate to what you are all saying. I realize I am a newbie here and clearly do not have the experience many of you have with this platform and parts performance. Clearly I have been put in my place. I meant no harm and did not mean to ruffle anyone's feathers. Even a vendor here has joined in on the act which is probably the most disappointing part as a potential customer. (Remember Eddie? We were just talking about control arms, pieced together lift kits, coil overs etc etc. in another thread?) I have been on other forums and had great success gathering information and contributing from my own experiences as well. I had high hopes this community would be the same and it may still prove to be. Please accept this as an apology, but also as an invitation to think about how you engage with others and what their perception may be of how you responded to them. Hopefully as time goes on I may prove my worth to you and in turn feel like a valued member. I am looking forward also to meeting some of you and hope we can share a trail and a drink or two around a campfire. You might just find out I'm a pretty good guy. Cheers!
 

ttfhell

New member
Most of this is buddies messing around. Some of it is a warning to others that there are some better options. Pretend you are in a locker room with your buddies as this is what this really is.
 
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