Mod priorities?

[TRAUMAhead]

Looking at some options for my next mod. '10 JKU Rubicon, auto, 4.10s, leveling kit, 35s, no spare.

RK 2.5" Stock Mod lift
Spare tire/AEV ProCal
Regear to 5.13/5.38s.
Tire carrier

Spare should come asap, but I'm wondering if I should do a regear first and mall crawl until then. Or deal with the power, and I could probably get the spare and lift at the same time. Read of a few people that have had transmission problems with bigger tires and not regearing though.

[REDxj5150]

Gearing shouldn't be overlooked so easy. I regret having 4.10s with 35s. The only reason I did it is because I got the tires cheap. 5 tires and a rim for the spare for 250. I'm now looking at going back to 33's when my current set wear out. Which is really soon actually. Anyways, take home advice: regear first.

[jcook]

I have a 2010 rubicon with 3.5 full traction lift. I still run 4.10 gears with no problems, I even tow a small off road trailer on occasion. One thing I did was purchase the superchip programmer, it fixes the speedo, de-activates the low tire pressure warning lights (you'll get the light with bigger tires) and changes the shift points. There are several pre installed tunes, I think there is a right up in the review section. Anyway I've been happy with that set-up.
James

[Desert Dog]

I couldn't live with the JK / auto trans with out gears. The superchips helped a tiny bit, but the gears made it another vehicle entirely.

I would also look at a stubby front bumper with attachment points. I highly recommend the PureJeep Bare Bonez bumper; cheap, easy to install, gives great approach angles, and has everything you will ever need.

Also sleeves/gussets on those D30 tubes and "Cs" are not a bad idea and can save you thousands in the long run. Something to think about when you have a little extra cash.

[TRAUMAhead]

I just drive with OD off and little slower, but Bako's flat so it's manageable. If I lived in the hills, I'd be looking at gears harder. Already have a Evo 1/4 Pounder bumper, still need to buy shackles or their stinger. Rubi has 44s on the front, but I was just going to go with c-gussets for now as the Jeeps more of a camping rig. I was looking at the Pure Jeep backbone (http://purejeep.com/proddetail.php?prod=PJ5155) instead of sleeves once the time comes. Read sleeves limit your axle choices, unless you go with Nitros that you hammer in but that's if I ever wanted to upgrade axles. Wouldn't use any special tunes, so I'd go with the AEV ProCal over Superchips. You literally do just empty every pocket.

I hear you RED, I figured I just throw my 35s and that'd be it. Then I do some reading, and read about people with transmission problems, bending axle housings and Cs even on 32s, etc. In hindsight I almost wish I went 33s instead.

[Desert Dog]

[quote="TRAUMAhead"]Rubi has 44s on the front.[/quote]

Its really a D30 with a 44 center section, but Jeep's marketing dept tricks folks into believing its a real D44.

The tubes and Cs bend just as easily as they do on a D30. Your 4-door is about 1,500# heavier than what those tubes are made for. I recommend strengthening the tubes because I have been on countless trips where JKs go home with a smiling axle. I went on a JKO trip to pismo where we had 6 JKs leave with bent tubes (several went off-road for the first time). A few folks in this club bent the tubes and Cs on their 4-doors the first time out.

The Purejeep Backbone looks cool, but out of the thousands of JKs I have wheeled with I have never personally seen one installed, so can't comment on those. Lots of folks in this club are running JKs with Poly inner sleeves and Chromo axles (and I'm not talking about those crappy Nitro ones). At under 100 bucks a pair, its a good deal and requires a lot less work than the backbone, but the backbone or outer sleeves will be stronger. Just depends on your welding skills and how much money you have.

Once you beef up that front axle, 35s will be no problem, even 37s will not be a problem. hell, the stock tires are almost 33s already. IMO, 35s look tiny on a 4-door With that looooong wheel base, bigger tires are better to make up for the bad break-over angle.

[abendx]

Hmm.... why do sleeves limit your axle choice? Throw a set of Poly outer sleeves on that tube and forget your problems.

Poly claims the outer sleeve is much stronger than an inner sleeve. I run this product and my tube is straight. I also run their truss, c gussets, and birfields.

Randy ran the evo inner sleeve and now he's putting in a PR housing.... I think he lost money in the housing, inner sleeves, track bar bracket, ???? when the stock housing bent (evo inner sleeves, evo c gussets). He wheels like his rig was made from fine china, so no matter how easy you take it, you can destroy it.

Now I don't wheel like MFD, Tildog, or Mickey, so I hopefully won't need a sixty... but you never know?

But.... that is off topic!

To answer your first question, I think you need a spare above all else!


EDIT: With that evo inner sleeve, Randy did run the birfields. I am positive Randy would never "pound" his axle in to make it fit. So I might be a little wary of what you heard.

[TRAUMAhead]

I guess I should've specified inner sleeves. I was looking at the backbone instead of inner or outer sleeves because I don't weld and it'd be less labor.

[Frylock]

I would highly recommend sleeving the front axle. The tubing is crazy thin and it could use all the help it can get. Its also a great time to run some beads over the trackbar mounts, and really anything else that looks like a crappy weld.
You also cant beat RCV axles, and they will work just fine in a sleeved tube.


My writeup I did on sleeving.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/oper ... 1-1103032/

[abendx]

I'd sleeve before trussing, as Frylock pointed out how thin the tube is. But why not do both?

Why are you focused on inner sleeves? Are they better?

[TRAUMAhead]

[quote="abendx"]
EDIT: With that evo inner sleeve, Randy did run the birfields. I am positive Randy would never "pound" his axle in to make it fit. So I might be a little wary of what you heard.[/quote]I meant Nitro sleeves that you BFH in instead of drill and weld.

[quote]Why are you focused on inner sleeves? Are they better?[/quote]I'm not, just forgot about outer sleeve kits. I'm looking at what options are available and only mentioned Nitro since they're the only inner sleeves that work with 35 splines, IIRC. I was mainly looking at the PJ Backbone kit since it seems like it's the least labor intensive (people are welding the kit on with the axle still attached). I don't weld so I'd have to go to a shop to get it done (don't know any welders).

Just trying to prioritize my mod list. Majority offroading I do is exploring Death Valley or fire roads, so I'm not sure if I need to go full retard (http://www.jkowners.com/tech/axle/index.php) or even half on my axle housing. But then I've heard multiple people bending Cs and axles with light offroad like dd mentioned.

I'm thinking just gears vs spare/AEV ProCal/C gussets right now.

[chuckanut105]

Im running the d30 on my JK on 35's with and manual and stock 3.21 gears. I dont beat the hell out of it but, I dont baby it either and so far so good. I am looking at going to the dynatrac 44 though. I think aslong as you dont well like apeshit you should be ok. just my .02

[abendx]

Ah.... I was not aware of the beat in method Nitro uses. I think I'd stay away from that one and do it right. I am sure there are a ton of welders out there in Bako, probably a few IOR members. And.... of course there is Goatman's (Richard) shop, G&G Off Road. If I lived in Bako, he'd be my go to guy.... but don't worry about us out here, we have a very good mechanic too.

Pulling the axle is probably the right way to do things if you want good welds. Probably can do much of this stuff on the Jeep, but why? You could drop the axle yourself or if you don't feel comfortable doing so, I am guessing it will be an additional hour to pull and replace it when they are doing the rest of the beefing.... key here is to get it all done at once (if you can swing it), saving yourself the cost of getting in and out the next time.

Again.... I'd side to the spare route myself first, then do the gears. The gears will surely put a bigger smile on your face and do much more for the ride, but the spare is piece of mind when you are out in the Mohave, 100 miles from anyone. It really is one of the basics and I don't know about you, but if I had to borrow a spare on the trail, I'd feel like a serious asshole! And oh! who says you need a new spare? Find an old tire on CL that has ~20% tread.... remember, it is just a spare for emergencies!

Thinking about it.... if you can cover some gears, I bet you could cover a $30 spare as well.... hell, don't eat lunch this week and you'll have one covered!

A quick look at CL shows a lot of tires.... I even saw one guy wanting to trade his almost new 35s for any condition 33s, so there are plenty of good deals to be had!

[chuckanut105]

[quote="abendx"]Ah.... I was not aware of the beat in method Nitro uses. I think I'd stay away from that one and do it right. I am sure there are a ton of welders out there in Bako, probably a few IOR members. And.... of course there is Goatman's (Richard) shop, G&G Off Road. If I lived in Bako, he'd be my go to guy.... but don't worry about us out here, we have a very good mechanic too.

Pulling the axle is probably the right way to do things if you want good welds. Probably can do much of this stuff on the Jeep, but why? You could drop the axle yourself or if you don't feel comfortable doing so, I am guessing it will be an additional hour to pull and replace it when they are doing the rest of the beefing.... key here is to get it all done at once (if you can swing it), saving yourself the cost of getting in and out the next time.

Again.... I'd side to the spare route myself first, then do the gears. The gears will surely put a bigger smile on your face and do much more for the ride, but the spare is piece of mind when you are out in the Mohave, 100 miles from anyone. It really is one of the basics and I don't know about you, but if I had to borrow a spare on the trail, I'd feel like a serious asshole! And oh! who says you need a new spare? Find an old tire on CL that has ~20% tread.... remember, it is just a spare for emergencies!

Thinking about it.... if you can cover some gears, I bet you could cover a $30 spare as well.... hell, don't eat lunch this week and you'll have one covered!

A quick look at CL shows a lot of tires.... I even saw one guy wanting to trade his almost new 35s for any condition 33s, so there are plenty of good deals to be had![/quote]

I agree with abendx stick to the basics. Think about things like safety and recovery ie. spare tire, recovery points a tow strap, things like that. The does need gears but reprogram your computer and you should be good for now. Hell its been over a year of daily driving and wheeling and i still dont have gears or a locker in my ride but it is next on the list.

[Desert Dog]

[quote="TRAUMAhead"] Majority offroading I do is exploring Death Valley or fire roads, so I'm not sure if I need to go full retard[/quote]

Then why bother with 35sp shafts? Why go through the expense of having to get a new locker for the 35sp shafts???

Chrome moly factory replacement shafts are much easier/cheaper and twice as strong as the stock POS, and don't require a new locker. You will never break one driving on fire roads with 35" tires. The main reason you want new shafts isn't necessarily because of strength, but due to the really bad design of the factory U-joints that use half-clips to retain the caps; these eventually fail on ALL JKs and take out other components when they fail. As mentioned by Fryloc, those tubes are scary thin and seem to have poor metallurgy, more corner-cutting by Chrysler. Not only do they bend, but I have seen several pics of tubes cracked and broken in HALF from contact with rocks! Quality on these front axles seems to be hit-or-miss; some folks (like Larry) get good ones, but many of us end up having issues in the long run. And if you think that is fun, we haven't even started on the plastic factory ball joints that will also fail in short order

Also, I would stay away from Nitro products. Quality is very poor, even for a Chinese product.

Sounds like you are on the right path with a good lift, gearing, and desire to beef-up the front axle. Other than Driveshafts (especially the front) and ball joints, I think you will be good to go for what you want to do.

[c_njeepin]

So good info here.... Everyone has ideas but it looks like they all end up in the same place. Looks like I will be checking this section more often....