Well, last week I bought a 2005 Wrangler X to give my son turning 16. Already had 6” lift with 35’s. Took it to my mechanic who thought it probably needed tranny rebuild + clutch replacement so I negotiated that possibility in the price with the guy. Day 1 the rear axle broke and now I’m having to replace. My question is, should I go ahead and upgrade to 44 or just go back with 35? He’s not going to be off-roading or rock climbing (or better not be). I’ve already found a used 35 that looks/feels brand new...
Broken rear axle: Should I stay with Dana 35 or upgrade to Dana 44?
- Thread starter Jeepin’
- Start date
Thats what happens with 35" tires on a Dana 35.
Is it the shaft or is it a R&P issue? The new axle will have to have a matching gear ratio as the front dana 30.
Is it the shaft or is it a R&P issue? The new axle will have to have a matching gear ratio as the front dana 30.
Yep no way will its stock Dana 35 axle hold up for long with 35" tires, it will break an axle shaft. If you want to keep the 35" tires you'll either need to upgrade it with a Super 35 kit or replace it with a Dana 44. 35's are just too big for a stock Dana 35. Or reduce the tire size to nothing larger than 33". Do you know if there's a locker in either axle?
MallCrawlOnTons
TJ Enthusiast
That's a really bad axle ratio for 35" tires, I'm surprised the Jeep can even move or make way on the highway. Your axles should definitely be regeared to a lower ratio more appropriate to the tire size. What transmission is in it? Manual or automatic?
You wouldn't be able to see the actual locker, is there a switch inside on the dash? Some lockers are turned on or off with a switch. Other lockers are automatic but they make it lurch/pop/bang until the driver learns a slightly different style of driving... steady throttle when making turns, not accelerating or decelerating.
A more appropriate ratio for that transmission with 35" tires would be 4.88. If you live/drive on flat terrain you could get away with 4.56 due to the slightly lower gearing ratio of your 6-speed vs. the 5-speed used in earlier Jeeps. Personally I'd go with 4.88.
35's + Dana 35 + 3.07 = all kinds of bad. A Dana 35 won't work with 35's in stock form, as you now know. And 3.07 on 35's is horrendously under-geared. Not to mention 35's need beefier steering and beefier brakes.
Dropping to 33's would be much better. You are still way under-geared but not as bad. Steering and brakes will benefit from a smaller tire as well.
As far as a 16 y.o. and a Jeep; good luck keeping him road bound
Dropping to 33's would be much better. You are still way under-geared but not as bad. Steering and brakes will benefit from a smaller tire as well.
As far as a 16 y.o. and a Jeep; good luck keeping him road bound
Sorry, I just had to look up lockers so I’d know what you’re talking about. There is a switch inside that I have no idea what it goes to, and when in 1st and 2nd gears it’s hard to go slow without experiencing the lurching you seem to be describing. I have the rear housing off the rear differential and I can clearly see all the gears. Am I correct in saying there is no locker since I can see them all?
Yeah, I’m learning quick. LOL! It already needs new tires so I guess I should at least go with 33’s, even though he won’t like it.35's + Dana 35 + 3.07 = all kinds of bad. A Dana 35 won't work with 35's in stock form, as you now know. And 3.07 on 35's is horrendously under-geared. Not to mention 35's need beefier steering and beefier brakes.
Dropping to 33's would be much better. You are still way under-geared but not as bad. Steering and brakes will benefit from a smaller tire as well.
As far as a 16 y.o. and a Jeep; good luck keeping him road bound
Can you take a good sharp photo of the rear differential from a few angles and post the photo here? Please use a flash so it's not dark. I have to take my wife to an early dinner right now and will check back later. If you post the photo someone can probably tell you while I'm gone, otherwise I'll take a look when I get back.
And if there's a locker in that rear axle, even 33" tires would be too much for a Dana 35. Dana 35 axles don't hold up with a locker or without a locker, to 35" tires.
Take a picture but yes, if you can see all the gears inside it is not a locker. Plus it would be silly to install a locker but keep the 3.07's. It lurches because it it lugging due to the poor gear ratio/tire combo.
The guy I
Thanks, I really appreciate all the knowledge. Any great deals on 44s? LOL!
I get that part. Surely the reason he dug it was the 35's it sits on. I was him a loooong time ago
The TJ takes a good deal of effort and money to run 35's correctly. It has a short wheelbase, spindly stock suspension, and smallish brakes.