Testament

Hi I've been reading the forum for a while as I've been looking to buy a Cherokee with the intent of setting it up for offroading here in New Zealand.

Typically the trails in the area where I live are thick muddy bogs through the forsest or loose pumice (heavy sand more or less) on more open ground. Most of the 4x4's on the tracks are beam axle front/rear (like the cherokee) with 33's or 35's typically toyota landcruiser/hilux or nissan patrol/safari and a few suzuki's. What tends to happen is you just get the two big wheel ruts with a little diff notch in the middle, hence you have to run big tires, 31's just wont cut it. Articulation isn't a bad thing, but doesn't matter that much - diff to ground clearance is really #1.

My question is that while there is alot of talk of breaking diffs and axles with big tires on standard xj's, it seems like most of your wheeling in North America is on rocky ground and often with lockers front and rear? Do you think the diffs will live a little longer with big tires on loose/slippery surfaces with an open front diff?

Are they really that weak? you can break anything if you treat it bad enough, but then again 7.1" and 7.5" diffs are smaller than alot of the japanese stuff which is common here. the jap stuff does usually tend to be the same style housing as a ford 9" as opposed to the dana style with the removeable cover - is the dana style an inherently stronger design for the same crownwheel diameter?

Anyway I look forward to your thoughts, thanks in advance and here are a few pics of some typical new zeland tracks/trails

G_P

If you plan on doing anything like those pics show then ditch the 35 and look for a 29 spline 8.25 or D44 out of a cherokee for a direct bolt in upgrade. Especially if you plan on locking the rear.

The front 30 is a pretty stout axle and can be made stronger with aftermarket shafts. I believe it was the 96+ D30's that had the larger U-joints as well which are stronger.

offroadnut36

Are those tires in the last pic called simex or something like that? And it all depends, i know a guy that wheeled the crap out of his jeep, he had 37s and built d30/35. he didnt snap any shafts while he owned it, and he owned it for a couple years. But theres a couple other guys i know that busted shafts like nothing when then were on 33s and 35s so I guess it just depends. if you wheeled cautiously with open/open diffs then you might be fine.

93gc40

D30 and D35 combo will do fine. The HYPE you hear about D35 is mainly BS when it comes to any use short of Competition. 35" tire and a locker are the absolute max for the D35, it is after-all a car axel. I ran the 30/35 combo in my ZJ for over 200K miles, In much rougher stuff that that shown, See "Dusy Ershim and Rubicon Trails", But I never went above 31" tires. I have to say I have seem just as many or more GOOD Strong axels break as I have the puny D35. Jeep used these axels in its models for almost 30 years, they can't be that bad.

Testament

I don't think we got any XJ's with the D44 here in NZ, and I'm unsure if we got any with the 8.25" either - most of them are ABS (= D35) as they were mostly sold as a more upmarket vehicle if you can beleive it. now they are getting old and they are not japanese (most cars in NZ are jap) people are scared that they are unreliable gass guzzlers so the prices are getting quite low.


Yeah Simexes or silverstones (simex copys), they are about the best mud tyres around.

4.3L XJ

The thing that kills the D35 is a locker. Don't run a locker and you won't have any problems. You can use a Detroit True Trac for mud and the situations you have shown in your pics and get very good results and that won't take out the D35. That is also a good solution for the front also.

Cherokee

what part of new zealand mate?

looks like a blast. i cant wait to go back. ill have to pick up a good xj of course too haha.

mean as. theres another guy on here from around christchurch.

Testament

Cheers guys, just confirms more or less what I was thinking, drive like a maniac and you'll break stuff, drive with your brain and it should be ok. May not get quite as far before having to pull out the winch but thats not a big deal for me.

Cherokee - I'm in Taupo in the central north island

Cherokee

mm, i spent a good bit of time studying on Pureora and Ruapehu.

love it.

ckysodkorn_xj

thats what i call ruts! has anyone ever herd of tread lightly? haha

Testament

Yeah those first 3 pics are from Pureora, there are alot of tracks there.


Haha, yeah we have heard of that but there are a few places where its ok to give it some beans - the track in the 2nd and 3rd pics is also alot steeper than it looks (you can hardly walk up it if its been raining) and being quite old it has got quite deep.