Dana 30 IFS Differential question

[Ry' N Jen]

Just how strong is the aluminum Dana 30 IFS front diff?
Or, should that be...
Just how weak is it?

Jen and I are really getting into the off roading with our
Heep and want to build up our Rig as bomb proof and strong
as possible without going SFA.
She got bitten and wants to do some rock crawling and I
want to stuff some bigger tires under it.
I guess 32 inch tall is about it with 4:10 gears?
One of our buddies has 33 inch tires with 4:10 gears
and swears by it! And having seen him wheel his
Jeep, it seems to do just fine with that tire and
gear combo.
Would 33" tires Granade an aluminum D30 diff?
Probably eh?
Can anything be done to strengthen one or would it
be better to just get a steel unit from Marlin?

Our KJ will be sporting a Rubi Crawler later this year as
well.

 

[tjkj2002]

32" tires are about the max for the rocks,I wouldn't wnat more then a 31" for mud with the D30A as you need wheel speed to clean the tread.My D30A survived some heavy wheeling in the Rockies and MOAB just fine but it's mostly about driving style.I also had a DDT up front and to "fool it" into locking I had to apply the brakes some which slowed me down and kept wheel spin to almost zero.


Now CV joints are another story......................

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With the addition of RubiCrawler I'd be looking at the JBA steel D30 housing real hard,that extra gear reduction will output torque well more then what the CV's and the front diff can handle for very long.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

I guess Ry' and I will have to save our pennies and get ourselves a steel front end next spring or summer. Beat on what we have until then and just "Upgrade" as we go.

 

[J-Thompson]

I guess Ry' and I will have to save our pennies and get ourselves a steel front end next spring or summer. Beat on what we have until then and just "Upgrade" as we go.

"if it breaks then it needed to be up graded"
been my out look from day 1 with the TJ
dont ask my wife how many $$$$ we have in it

 

[Ry' N Jen]

"if it breaks then it needed to be up graded"
been my out look from day 1 with the TJ
dont ask my wife how many $$$$ we have in it

A good moto J!

For Ry' And me, our jeep's our main hobby.

 

[J-Thompson]

A good moto J!

For Ry' And me, our jeep's our main hobby.

No kids then?
before our daughter was born we were wheelin the TJ every weekend
and the KJ at least once a month ,with the TJ incase we wanted to wheel
the harder trails
now I may wheel 6 times a year
then again with my wife working part time
and my working hours being from 6:00 until 4:30 and the 1 hour each way drive along with the "fixer upper" house I have limited time any way

 

[DJSKJ]

RY or Jen,
I would sell the KJ and buy a TJ for serious off roading. I plan on going back to the TJ style when I leave SoCal. Don't get me wrong I like the KJ as a daily driver and with a few upgrades it is a decent off roader. But for serious off roadin, to include rock crawling, the TJ is the best way to go, MHO. So much after market gear and plus the off the shelf capability of the TJ is very solid (solid axles and frame). For the money and the long run go TJ.

DJ

 

[tjkj2002]

RY or Jen,
I would sell the KJ and buy a TJ for serious off roading. I plan on going back to the TJ style when I leave SoCal. Don't get me wrong I like the KJ as a daily driver and with a few upgrades it is a decent off roader. But for serious off roadin, to include rock crawling, the TJ is the best way to go, MHO. So much after market gear and plus the off the shelf capability of the TJ is very solid (solid axles and frame). For the money and the long run go TJ.

DJ

Yeah but no fun and no originality.TJ's are not all there cracked up to be and they tend to ride/drive like crap after being modded,driven many here and not impressed and down right scared most times.

 

[J-Thompson]

Yeah but no fun and no originality.TJ's are not all there cracked up to be and they tend to ride/drive like crap after being modded,driven many here and not impressed and down right scared most times.

Chicken
Really I have a fairly modded TJ and would not want to DD in it
I do however not think twice about driving it 200 miles one way
To wheel it
if I had to do it over again or if I had the money now
I would sell the TJ and go with a WK grand

 

[JLRockies]

In Utah, we're not known for "serious" offroading, but my KJ has wheeled all over the US from the desert, to the highest mountains, to the door-handle deepest swamps and never had the need for a diff or a TJ "upgrade". In fact, once some dude with an orange KJ was done with it, I put his front diff in my rig where it's been since 2008.
TJ had no CRD option so it wasn't an option for me.