axle swap /tire size question

zac attack

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2014
Location
Spartanburg sc
I have a 98 tj with 4.0 auto ....I am thinking about swapping in d 44 front and rear ...I spend most of my time in the rocks I know I would be safe with 37s but was wondering what the biggest tire I could run ..without constantly snapping shafts???
 
Yeah I mostly ment strength wise as far as my my foot it's heavy at times .. but I will have lockers front and rear and will be geared according to tire size .. I figured 37s would be my limit ..just didn't know if anyone had ever went bigger
 
Instead of swapping to d44's. Why not swap an 8.8 in the rear and upgrade the 30 for now. The 30 is nowhere near as strong as A 44 but can last if you keep the front open on 37's. This would most likely save you some cash that could pay for swapping gears in the 30/8.8, instead of a 44 swap
 
Like said above, it would make sense to keep the 30 as long as its in good shape. Upgrade to a 760x ujoint and good shafts and you'll be just as strong as a 44. The weak link common amongst 1/4-3/4 ton axles is the ujoint (which are all the same size). The only benifit to a 44 is you can go with a lower r&p. On the other hand, assuming you have the 32rh non overdrive trans, the lowest I'd go even with 37s is 4.88 for any decent highway speeds. A 44 also has locking hubs which do come in handy. Honestly for what you'd have in a 44 you can swap in a 60 for a little more. If I had used that common sense years ago when I did the so called "1/2 ton upgrade" I'd saved myself an ungodly amount of money.
 
Go with 35s. I broke the ever living hell out of my 44s with 37s with a worn out 4.0 and auto.
 
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