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can't decide which axle and gears

575 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by CJDave, Mar 30, 2000

Discussion Starter · Mar 29, 2000

can\'t decide which axle and gears

I am getting ready to buy either a Dana 60 or 44 for my 97 TJ, 4.0 and 5 speed,but can't decide which. Will a Dana 60 get worse gas mileage than a 44? I run 35x12.50 BFG All Terrains, so what gear ratio should i get? 4.56 or 4.88? What will the mileage difference between the gear ratios be? I want to have a strong rear end(cause girls like it, just kidding) but is the 60 over kill? I plan to go with bigger tires eventually. Please give me all the advise and experience you have on this.

Thanks A lot
Landon

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elusive

· #2 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

remember that is is very difcult to find a 5 bolt dana 60, also remember that most of the brackets for your suspension are welded to your axle. you can buy new brachetts to weld on, but they are $300.. then you add the cost of getting them welded, locker, gears, the axle, and the price of new rims('cause you won't find anything with 5 on 4.5) and you are very close to the cost of a custom built axle gas milage is not different enough to concider. if you run 4,56 with 35's, you'll be ok with the 5 speedbut if you want to drive on the highway much at all, avoid the 4.88 i put 4.56 in my v-8 jeep with 35's and a 5 speed, it was perfect

~~Elusive~~
it's sort of still a cj thingy....

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Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

Have you considered full floating axles?

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Discussion Starter · #4 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

4.0 with 35" all-terrains & a 60 rear. Definitely overkill IMO. That's my $.02 worth.

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

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291

· #5 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

If you are definitely keeping the 6cyl, just put a D44 in, install the D60 if you are going to upgrade the engine later. Either way, the 4.56 gears are fine. my opinion

/wwwthreads_images/icons/cool.gif Big Ed
'88 YJ, 4" susp,3" body,33's,283 Chevy V8,TH350,4.11's,D30,D35c

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Pete88YJ

· #6 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

I always love a little math when people ask the 'gas mileage' question..... /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Let's take Elusive's $300 brackets, and use that as a reference point. /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

Let's say you're looking at the difference of 20 or 22 miles per gallon.(just for ease of math - we all drive Jeeps, after all /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif)

So, if you get 20, as opposed to 22, for every 220 miles, you lose 1 gallon of gas, or about $1.50 at todays prices. So, to save $300, you would need to drive "200 units" of 220 miles, or 44,000 miles. /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif That's an awful lot of driving.

You drive a Jeep. It will not get good gas mileage. Even less so after you put on a winch, and a rear tire carrier, and a whole lot o' other cool stuff. /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif I would make your decision on other factors.

Good luck
Pete

88YJ,4"susp,33"BFGMT,9kwinch,homemade swingout,258,999,4.10,weber32/36,GMHEI,one moonguy/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

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338

· #7 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

Consider a Ford 8.8 axle from a newer Explorer. If 95 or newer you will get the rear discs. Its stronger than a D44,it is almost the same width (about a 1/2" shorter), comes with 5 on 4 1/2" bolt pattern,has a very strong yoke,fairly affordable and available. All of the aftermarket swag is available for it and with Moser High Strength shafts,you could go later to any bolt pattern you wanted and have the strength for any V8.
Jeff
89 Wrangler

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Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

I think the 8.8 is the best upgrade for a yj! but not a tj! the cj would probbably be a better upgrade than the tj. for the fact that once you concider 300 bucks for brackets and welding u are talking about an expensive rear end 1000 plus! after all is said and done! also a d44 might be even better out of a tj? but those are probbaly selling for the price to get the 8.8 under the jeep and then agian it already has advantage of discs. I rember a while back some one said that if they where going to run 33s on a tj they would keep the stock dana 30 over the 44 cause they have better ground clearance is that true? how strong is the dana 30?? and is it better than the yj dana 30??
It sounds to me that maybe an upgraded d30 might be the best option!
Andy

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Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

Just as a question, does the Ford 8.8 have a lower pinion than the 44?

http://www.geocities.com/austnjpr/

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Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

Bolt pattern is not a problem. Two alternatives.
1) Buy new axle shafts drilled for both 5 on 5.5 and 5 on 4.5.
2) Remove the old axle shafts and do the same thing - drill 5 more holes for the 5 on 4.5 pattern.
I have Moser axles in my D60 drilled for both lug patterns. Could be wrong, but I don't even think they charge extra for it.

Doug '97 TJ
Creator of the CBrack
CBrack.com

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Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

I don't believe the 8.8 has the same low-pinion problem that the 9" is famous for - but it does have c-clip axles. 30 does indeed give better clearance than the 44, but is a very marginal rearend for anything other than driving on pavement. If things get serious enough that you're worrying about clearance, I'd want the extra beef of a 44 - even with a small engine. Stepping up to the much larger & heavier 60 is where I'd say you reached the point of "overkill".

TEX

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Got Mud?
G.U.M.B.O. Mud Racing

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338

· #12 · Mar 29, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

This is getting confusing,it seems like your talking about the D30 in a rear axle set up. The D35 is used in the rear and almost any axle swap is an improvement over the D35. The D30 up front is an adequate axle and with some high strength upgrades can be built nearly as strong as a D44(but its expensive and really not cost effective). The Ford 8.8 for the rear is a C clip axle,but with the Disc brake versions the disc brake backing plate holds the axle in place with 4 3/8" bolts if the c clip should let go. The D44 would have to be the best swap for the front,unless you want to go to a custom built,but you will still most likely need to do spring perch modifications no matter what axle you want to.

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CJDave

· #13 · Mar 30, 2000

Re: can\'t decide which axle and gears

/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif Pete....if you don't quit with the math, you'll wreck the economy. If everybody did the numbers before they did anything, nobody would trade cars for a little piece of crap gas-saver when gas goes up ten cents per gallon, and they wouldn't pay too much money for a house so they could live ten miles closer to work. ANYWAY.....back to the question of axles. NOBODY has mentioned "unsprung" weight/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif....so I thought I had better mention that, since it seems like this Jeep does see pavement from time to time./wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

CJDave
I never believe any statistics unless my moonguys /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif made 'em up themselves.

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