40s on stock axles

desertrunner

desertrunner

Active Member
i really want to upgrade to 40s but im worried about running them on stock axles. I have sleeves and C gussets up front and have been running 37s for about a year now with no problems at all. Im sure there will be plenty of different opinions on here but im just curious if running 40s on the stock D44s is setting myself up for instant failure or with moderate wheeling i can make the D44s last for a while. Any thoughts or experience with 40s on D44s?
I like the run it until it breaks then upgrade mentality but not if I am gonna break something major on my first trip wheeling.
 
xflstl

xflstl

New member
I know people have done it. I would think you are just making any and all weak links weaker, Ball Joints, u-joints, ring and pinion. However yes you can do it, just don't be surprised if your break that makes you want to upgrade happens rather quickly. You could get lucky and run for a decent time with no issues.
 
pvanweelden

pvanweelden

New member
A lot of variables here- how hard do you wheel, what terrain do you wheel?
What are you geared at now?
I would stick with the 37's and be happy, 37 is usually the max for a d44, but depends on how heavy your foot is.

Sent from my LG-C800 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Sleeves and c-gussets won't do squat to prevent an axle shaft break or worse, a ring and pinion break. Sure, there are people who say they do it and "wheel hard" but, from what I've seen, everyone has a different idea of what wheeling hard really is. What I can tell you is that I've been able to break my front 44 with just 37's and tried running 40's on a 44 rear end built up with 35 spline shafts. In the end, the weakest link was my ring and pinion which sucked having to deal with out at 10,000 feet up and with 10 hard miles ahead to go.
 
desertrunner

desertrunner

Active Member
thanks for the input guys :thumb: sounds like i need to just stick with what i have until i can get some better axles i would rather have the 37s and actually wheel it rather than break something my first trip out and having it sit until i can fix it
ill just keep dreaming for now haha :D
 
P

P33J_JK

New member
Dynatrac basically says 37" is the recommended limit on their ProRock 44™. As was previously stated the R&P is the weakest link after the axles. Something will definitely give and it doesn't really even have to be "hard" wheeling, just the wrong thing in the right place... click bang. Obviously the harder the wheeling the more often it will happen.
 
G

GulfCoastJeeper

New member
39s on rubi 44 front w/rcvs RSE bombshell kit, rear 44 trussed with arb and 35spline shafts. 5.38 gears. The RSE sliders are beat into the body below the doors. Only holds 18.5 gallons of gas now. It's been wheeled. Rcv shaft got bound up and snapped. Never broke ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1373591944.044882.jpg a rear shaft.
 
Mudbob

Mudbob

New member
1373593081842.jpg runnin 40s on dana 30 with 5.13s. 35 spline 44 with arb out back. Know when to let up and you'll be fine

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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
No offense but, telling us how beat your Jeep is could just mean you're not a very good driver. I will agree that wheeling in soft dirt/mud won't put as much stress on your axles as would big desert rocks or even the kind of boulders you find out in Colorado. Of course, time and how much/how often you wheel hard will have a way of sneaking up on you and biting you. But then, I'm just a mall crawler and have no photos or videos to post up as proof. No need to listen to me.
 
desertrunner

desertrunner

Active Member
wayoflife said:
No offense but, telling us how beat your Jeep is could just mean you're not a very good driver. I will agree that wheeling in soft dirt/mud won't put as much stress on your axles as would big desert rocks or even the kind of boulders you find out in Colorado. Of course, time and how much/how often you wheel hard will have a way of sneaking up on you and biting you. But then, I'm just a mall crawler and have no photos or videos to post up as proof. No need to listen to me.
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Eddie sounds a bit fiesty today still fired up from the Genright argument earlier? :cheesy:
yeah being out here in CO its a lot of big rocks and not a lot of mud and sand. I was curious if anyone was runing 40s on stock axles and how long they lasted so thanks to the guys that posted those :thumb: and yes WOL has plenty of experience of breaking stuff caught on video so i know its more a matter of time when i hit something just at the right angle.
 
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desertrunner

desertrunner

Active Member
GulfCoastJeeper said:
39s on rubi 44 front w/rcvs RSE bombshell kit, rear 44 trussed with arb and 35spline shafts. 5.38 gears. The RSE sliders are beat into the body below the doors. Only holds 18.5 gallons of gas now. It's been wheeled. Rcv shaft got bound up and snapped. Never broke View attachment 39526 a rear shaft.
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How does an RCV shaft get bound up? itsnt that the point of the RCV shaft so it eliminates the binding that a U joint can get? :thinking:
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
desertrunner said:
Eddie sounds a bit fiesty today still fired up from the Genright argument earlier? :cheesy:
Click to expand...

:cheesy: Feisty? Not hardly. Regarding the other thread, there was no argument, just some guy shooting off his mouth like he knew what he was talking about and me setting the record straight with facts.

yeah being out here in CO its a lot of big rocks and not a lot of mud and sand. I was curious if anyone was runing 40s on stock axles and how long they lasted so thanks to the guys that posted those :thumb: and yes WAL has plenty of experience of breaking stuff caught on video so i know its more a matter of time when i hit something just at the right angle.
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I should note that not all 40" tires are the same. Some are physically smaller and lighter like BFG's and then there are some that are really big and heavy like Toyo or Mud Grapplers that are not only tall but super wide. Running the later, I was able to get my factory rear 44 axle running 5.38's to last about 9 trips to the mall in about 6 weeks before we trashed our ring and pinion. I know the faithful will suggest that I'm too heavy on the throttle or that I don't know how to drive and really, that's fine by me. People will believe whatever it is they want to believe. I can only share what I have experienced.
 
desertrunner

desertrunner

Active Member
wayoflife said:
I should note that not all 40" tires are the same. Some are physically smaller and lighter like BFG's and then there are some that are really big and heavy like Toyo or Mud Grapplers that are not only tall but super wide. Running the later, I was able to get my factory rear 44 axle running 5.38's to last about 9 trips to the mall in about 6 weeks before we trashed our ring and pinion. I know the faithful will suggest that I'm too heavy on the throttle or that I don't know how to drive and really, that's fine by me. People will believe whatever it is they want to believe. I can only share what I have experienced.
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Yeah I was looking either the Nitto Mud Grapplers or if i was lucky a new set of 40" trail grapplers so i figured they would be a bit more on the heavy and wide side. I would like to think i drive a bit more on the conservative side but i think my friends would disagree with me haha :rock:
 
G

GulfCoastJeeper

New member
I'm definitely not the greatest driver. And some of the damage was already there. As far as the rcv shaft, I'm unsure because that was the previous owner also, but it seems something in the differential locked up for just one side he put it in reverse and the shaft snapped before the r and p.
 
catahoula

catahoula

Caught the Bug
wayoflife said:
Sleeves and c-gussets won't do squat to prevent an axle shaft break or worse, a ring and pinion break. Sure, there are people who say they do it and "wheel hard" but, from what I've seen, everyone has a different idea of what wheeling hard really is. What I can tell you is that I've been able to break my front 44 with just 37's and tried running 40's on a 44 rear end built up with 35 spline shafts. In the end, the weakest link was my ring and pinion which sucked having to deal with out at 10,000 feet up and with 10 hard miles ahead to go.
Click to expand...

Hey Eddie, did that happen on the Rubicon trail video?
 
bl17z90

bl17z90

New member
desertrunner said:
Yeah I was looking either the Nitto Mud Grapplers or if i was lucky a new set of 40" trail grapplers so i figured they would be a bit more on the heavy and wide side. I would like to think i drive a bit more on the conservative side but i think my friends would disagree with me haha :rock:
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It might make sense to hold off on 40's that way the k spec trail grappler is out to the general public and you can get a set of those. Not to mention it would also give you more time to save up for a set of 60's
 
R

rtguy1

New member
bl17z90 said:
It might make sense to hold off on 40's that way the k spec trail grappler is out to the general public and you can get a set of those. Not to mention it would also give you more time to save up for a set of 60's
Click to expand...

the new 40" nitto is out all already
 
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