What do you guys recommend for lift height and tire size for my off-road build?

Super Dana 35 kit (30 spline axles), will get you a little more strength than a stock Dana 44. Maybe good for 35" tires, but I would not go over 33" just for peace of mind. That's just me, others have different opinions.

Dana 44 can be upgraded also, 33 spline axles would give you comfort that you can run 35" tires.

@Jerry Bransford can elaborate more as he wheels these setups and has years of experience of what brakes and what holds up well.

Cornbread said:
Just curious if you had open diff's at the time of failure?
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Open
 
JMT said:
For what the OP is saying he wants to do with his rig, 37’s, 35’s and even 33’s seems WAY overkill. Hardcore JV wheelers like @Jerry Bransford run 35’s. 31’s or 32’s with a 2.5” lift would be all this guy could ever need IMHO.
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It's not overkill to me, hard core wheelers they are for sure but I don't know how much mud they see. Florida mud is soupy bottomless stuff thats hard to get traction in, it takes ground clearance and the only way to gain true ground clearance at the axle/differential is larger diameter tires. Does he need 37's....no I definitely recommend against. 35's maybe not but I don't think I would consider less than 33's if mud is the main obstacle.

Honestly the OP needs to hit some trails stock before doing any modifications and see how it does. If you can go where you want to go without tearing anything up there's no need to change anything. In my experiences, a stock/near stock TJ is impressive, until you see mud holes.......
 
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Josh.JeepTJ said:
Do you think I’d be fine by upgrading the rear axle to a 44? And should I just build up the front axle or swap it as well?
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Usually the Dana 30 in the front is fine like it is, depending on what you want to be able to do. So, how often are you in 4WD, and how hard are you on it when you are? Install a selectable locker if you know you'll need one, or just go with a LSD like a Detroit Tru trac is a great upgrade. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dtl-912a585/overview/
 
You will always find differing opinions, this is a highly debated and often opinionated subject. I live in Pa. we get the mud, but it is not the mud that you get. We also get lots of snow which limits the use of some lockers, I would only use selectable here otherwise this thing would not be drive-able on the snow covered roads. My Dana 35 committed suicide, but I also drive it back and forth to work (not anymore, now on jack stands) but @Cornbread only sees maybe 1500-2000 mi. a year. his Dana 35 with large tires should last much longer, as long as he doesn't beat it too hard. Now you are starting to see how subjective this topic can become.
 
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Jorge Bolivar said:
If I was on your shoes...
Dana 30 HP from a 99 XJ (you can gusset if that bring peace of mind) but the current Dana 30 work just fine.
Dana 44 swap in the rear. I hate the C clips style!
Lockers on both axle. Any type its just fine.
Keep the 231J transfer case, the 2:72 ratio is much need it for Mud bogging.
1.25" body lift (you will like to Tummy Tuck later...)
3.5" OME / JKS hybrid kit from DPG Offroad. this kit can allocate 35" tires with adjustable control arms if desire.
33" KM3 tires. This will gave you the traction you need.
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So are you saying that the 99 model comes with a high pinion 30 in the front ? I just got my jeep and getting ready to order gears for it and a locker and trying to figure out what i need
 
If you want to run 35’s I would suggest the following. Im no expert, just my personal opinion from what I’ve gathered from reading countless threads on this forum. All the brands I’ve mentioned seem to get lots of praise here as well. This is also the direction my own build is heading. I’ve ran 35’s on stock Dana 30/Dana 35 axles for 4-5 years now. But I haven’t done much “real” off roading with them either. Jeep is also a a daily driver.

4” Currie or Savvy lift

Currie currectlynk steering

Savvy 1.25” body lift

MORE bombproof 1” motor mount lift

Rancho rs5000x shocks

Tummy tuck

Advanced Adapters SYE kit

Davies DC driveshaft

Revolution Super 35 kit

Revolution Super 30 kit

Regear: ratio depends on transmission type

Selectable locker(s)

Currie anti rock sway bar

Jeep YJ brake lines (longer than TJ brake lines)

The super 30/35 kits are rated for up to 35” tires. A lot of guys on here run them, and do just fine.

Also check out this thread if you haven’t already. A lot of helpful info for 35’s

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/so-you-want-to-run-35-tires-on-your-tj.2428/
 
Most running 35s are not using the Super 30. 27 spline cromoly shafts alone are far more common.

An HP 30 would be nice, but I have my doubts that it is as beneficial as many want it to be.
 
Cornbread said:
It's not overkill to me, hard core wheelers they are for sure but I don't know how much mud they see. Florida mud is soupy bottomless stuff thats hard to get traction in, it takes ground clearance and the only way to gain true ground clearance at the axle/differential is larger diameter tires. Does he need 37's....no I definitely recommend against. 35's maybe not but I don't think I would consider less than 33's if mud is the main obstacle.

Honestly the OP needs to hit some trails stock before doing any modifications and see how it does. If you can go where you want to go without tearing anything up there's no need to change anything. In my experiences, a stock/near stock TJ is impressive, until you see mud holes.......
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Yep. 31s and lockers. Wasn’t intending on getting muddy, but...

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ABB21C06-000D-47A8-9A97-AB7C58D937C7.jpeg
 
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Josh.JeepTJ said:
I’m definitely considering curries, but are they worth the extra money for me over something like a zone lift kit?
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Cgcrock said:
So are you saying that the 99 model comes with a high pinion 30 in the front ? I just got my jeep and getting ready to order gears for it and a locker and trying to figure out what i need
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The Cherokee XJ from 1999 from factory brings a Dana 30 HP, many fellas use it on the TJ with the think its more stronger than the Dana 30 LP, but I just saw one advantage, rock crawling.
 
Jorge Bolivar said:
I just found one benefit from it and its when used for rock crawling. Have the pinion yoke and U joint high as possible from the rocks its a big plus. Beside this, its the same axle to me.
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Are you seeing driveshaft failures with the low pinion? That's the part I'm a little suspicious of.
 
I would encourage you to try to decide what you need/want your rig to be capable of. The problem with the “I will upgrade as I go” philosophy is it winds up costing way more.
Guy decides 33s are going to be fine. Puts a lift on then some tires. Jeep has no power now. So he regears the Jeep, decides might as well have lockers too, right? So now your 5-6k into it right? Well soon enough you start eyeballing some 35s. So you get a set of big meats. Tires rub now. So you install a body lift. All seems great. Then BAM there goes an axle shaft. Might as well upgrade shafts, right? So we go super 30 and super 35? Then we need a new locker or carrier too, right Tires and super kits are what, another 2k? Thinking we may be good to go now, right? Nope, can’t stop well with those big meats. Need a brake upgrade, bam another 1k!!! By now we have destroyed our stock steering linkage, there’s another $500. We are finally perfect...... We decide to hit some more difficult trails. Snap, crackle pop our Dana 30/35 ring and pinions weren’t up to the task, we destroyed them taking out the locker and axles shafts. Guess it’s time for an axle upgrade now. We just threw away all the money spent on our 30/35 axles.
Bottom line is, easier said than done, figure out what you want and build it right the first time. All the money spent on trying to inadequately upgrade could have been spent on a set of axles up to the task to begin with.
Nobody can tell you what you need or want. However it is much cheaper to do it right from the beginning.
A bit of an exaggeration, but it is the normal evolution of a Jeep owner......lol
 
Josh.JeepTJ said:
Can you explain that? I’m definitely planning on taking down hogs so that would apply to me lol
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The larger and/or heavier anything is, the less I want to be lifting it to haul it home (or anywhere). Some examples of "anything" in my book: raccoons, hogs, bags of groceries, large screen TVs... the wife after too many Long Island Iced Teas, she's so much easier to get into her car than my TJ.
 
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jjvw said:
Hogs don't require anything larger than a 33.
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Unless you bag a “Hogzilla” size hog.

35’s with 4” lift all day. If you want to build a “Big” Jeep start with a JK. The Dana 30 and Dana 35 will get you by if you upgrade the axles to 30 spline chrome Molly’s. 35’s is definitely pushing it but don’t abuse it things and it should last. Lockers will make things easier in the mud
 
Josh.JeepTJ said:
I’ve got a 2005 Jeep TJ with a 4.0L 6-cylinder that I want to turn into a hunting vehicle. Keep in mind as you read this, this is my first Jeep and first build of any kind. I want to be able to take it on trails, but I live in Florida so I feel like rocks will rarely be an issue. Usually mud and water will be the main issue. I’m having trouble deciding on whether I should go with a 6” lift or a 4” lift and whether I should run 37” tires or 35” tires. People have told me a 6” suspension lift with 37” tires is too much for a TJ, but I also want to make this thing as optimal as possible for the off-roading I’ll be doing. What do you guys think?
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Josh.JeepTJ said:
Do you think I’d be fine by upgrading the rear axle to a 44? And should I just build up the front axle or swap it as well?
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So what was the out come of this was just wondering ?
 
I know you were asking about tire sizes, but another big factor in getting through the mud is having a tire with large self-cleaning lugs on it. Something like this:

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These are directional and throw the mud out of the grooves to give you traction.

I have BFG All-terrain K02s which are great for the desert. In the mud, they pack up and become completely useless. Tire choice makes all the difference in the mud.
 
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