BoogeymanXJ

working on getting my xj up and ready for some weekend fun with the kiddos this summer and have hit a snag when it comes to axles

from what i can tell i have the d30 in front and d35 in the back

im currently running 31's and it seems to be working fine besides it taking forever to get up to highway speeds

now i plan on running tires between 33 and 35 inches and regearing to either 4.27 or 4.56 however i plan on swapping the rear axle to a chrysler 8.25 in the back before doing so

ive seen some people say that 30 in the front and 8.25 in the back is plenty strong unless youre doing extreme trails/climbing but my question is if the d30/8.25 combo with regearing will be strong enough for trails and safe enough/practical for city/highway use during the week?

if it was just me i would just throw whatever in it and trial and error but i dont want an axel blowing up on me while im on the highway with my kids.

if the d30 isnt going to cut it can someone please recommend an axle comparable in strength to the 8.25 or better. also what mods would have to be done to swap a front axel if it is needed?

heydockyle

Been covered a lot in last week. Google d30 on 35s.

33s without beating hard and you'll be alright. Otherwise get yourself a good truss and gussets and axles if you want extra insurance and most people have good luck. 8.25 is strong but if beating on it with 35s it wouldn't hurt to truss it also.

BoogeymanXJ

ill try it again but everytime i google it all i find are people saying to upgrade rear axels to ford 8.8's or d44's lol not too concerned with the rear axles but the fronts seem to be an enigma.

heydockyle

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/everyone-35s-still-d30-130223/

BoogeymanXJ

apparently i was just way over thinking what i was typing in google lol thanks

question now is that since i have an 89 cherokee and im pretty sure its stock axle wise, does it have a hp d30? if it does i suppose i could just rebuild/regear it unless it would be chaeper to buy new

heydockyle

It should, check. If the yoke is offset to the top of the axle it's hp. If the yoke is offset to the bottom it's lp. As far as I know tho all Cherokees came with hp until 2000.

Im running 33x12.50 on a trail rig that gets beat pretty hard. I'm going to do an artec truss and gussets on mine and a lokka locker. Then I'm going to run it til I have the extra money for axles.

BoogeymanXJ

yeah my budget it pretty slim at the moment but want to get everything done for summer. trying to keep it as stock as possible to cut costs but i already feel the jeep straining to get speed with 31's on stock gears -.-

how do you like the 33's? im having trouble deciding what to get. as i said its my dd but i want to have more clearance than im getting with the 31's however i feel like the 35's are gonna be a pain to ride without more mods on my rig. i have a 4.5 inch lift but i feel 35s would be a little snug haha

Mcameron

EDIT: wrong thread

Lyanheart

My XJ on 31's has no problems getting up to speed with the stock 3.55 gears; it actually feels snappy compared to my DD 2012 Silverado... maybe you need a tune-up? Also, you might want to just try a locker in the back and see how you do with the 31's before spending the bucks on big tires. My current setup impressed the hell out of a lot of people the other day.

A locker, aggressive 31's, and skid plates will do a lot more than you think!

heydockyle

I Went 33x12.50s and a long arm kit all at the same time. Absolutely love it and am amazed by what it can do compared to the locked wranglers I wheel with.

BoogeymanXJ

well i just bought it and did a full tune up. only thing left to do is oil and tranny fluid change since miles are unknown on fluids. im sure itll pep up a bit after that. oil looks good right now but it cant hurt

i really like the 31's that are on it right now even if they are prettu worn and i have quite a bit of clearance considering that i can slide under it with a craler without jacking it up any lol but i really wanted bigger tires to fill the wheel wells a little better. idk either way it wouldnt be for a while if i have to regear/swap axels so ill probably stay at 31 for a while

Lyanheart

If you can't swing the bigger tires and gears right now, I'd stick with 31's and get a new set of those. By the time you wear through another set you'll probably be able to get those gears and a better axle! The d30 up should be fine, it's the d35 people worry about.

kirknd4spd

I wouldn't worry about the D30 front, it can handle a lot more than the D35 rear. I'm on 35's with a locked D30 front and welded D35 rear. I've broken one rear axleshaft, haven't hurt the D30 yet. I know guys running HP30 front axles with Ford 8.8 rears on 35's with no problems at all. I can't say much about the 8.25, I've never had one and don't wheel with anyone who has one anymore.

Which engine and transmission do you have? Shouldnt be slow on 31's unless you have a 2.5. I'd be looking at 4.56-4.88 gears as well, for 33"+ tires.

Atmos

the D30/8.25 is plenty strong, even for some very hard rock crawling. they will hold up to 35's if they're fully built. how often you break something depends on who's behind the steering wheel

for you, I would just get 33" tires, a zj tie rod, and a front axle locker. then start saving up for gears and an 8.25 rear swap with another locker maybe. then go from there. 4.56 gears will make it streetable again, but I never felt that my 35's definitely weren't daily driver worthy no matter what upgrades I threw at it. 33's are much more manageable.

good luck!

BoogeymanXJ

4.0l L6 5-speed