Lets beat a dead horse, the real difference between D30 and D44

After doing a ton of reading I think ( correct me if i'm wrong ) that the only difference in the D30 and D44 is the differential housing size. Granted it allows for a bigger ring and pinion but if the tubes and knuckles are the same does the diff housing make that big of a difference?

Is the ability to lock it the substantial difference? I know its not a good idea to lock a front 30 where the 44 is alright because of the diff housing and r&p difference. But if you take a locker out of the situation is it really worth upgrading from 30 to 44?

I ask because I'm trying to decide if looking for a front 44 is worth the hassle of probably having to ship it. Not many people in the near regions upgrade their JK axles. Most people looking to wheel harder either have rubicons or use low budget beaters weld them up and go.

The diff is bigger on a Rubicon 44 allowing for 44 ring and pinion AND the shafts/joints are bigger and with more splines. It is still an all around a stronger axle in terms of performance - just not in terms of "housing" strength.

Also arnt the Knuckles bigger on the 44?

Petthefish said:

Also arnt the Knuckles bigger on the 44?

Click to expand...

Nope they're the same

In terms of the housing yes they are the same. Not only are the tubes a little thin but one of the biggest weakness i hardly ever see mentioned about the jk front housings are the flimsy ass lower control arm brackets. Holy shit chrysler should be ashamed of themselves. If it wasnt for the evo lca skids I had welded on long ago mine would have been unusable. After this weekend they are now finaly shot to the point i have to cut them off and weld the artec brackets on. The stupid square hole (yes they have an actual square hole) is now a very big rectangle haha. One of the mandatory upgrades along with c gussets to a jk front housing should be the evo lca skids (fucking indestrucable) or cut the shit brackets off entirely and weld the artec brackets on. I ordered the artec brackets from northridge yesterday along with the frame side brackets