duneslider

When the jk first came out the 2wd had a dana 35 rear end. Is that still the case? If it is then I wouldn't want much bigger than 33's with the dana 35. If it does have a 44 I would still think that 37's would give you problems with the dana 44. The rubi dana 44 is more stout than the regular 44 and would handle a larger tire with fewer issues. I don't think I would risk going bigger than 35 with the 44. A 4x4 will be able to transfer power to another two tires where the 2wd will be putting everything to one end and I could see problems happening sooner.

If it were me lifting my 2wd and it had a dana 44 in back I would put in the teraflex 2.5" spring lift and run 35's. The lift will get you close to 3" of lift and clear the 35's no problem. If you have tons of money upgrade the rear with stronger shafts and go for a 4 inch lift and run 37's.

Piginajeep

no offense but that ruby must not have went anywhere hard

ranwitscissorz

D44 rear

10char

superduperman86

i know that mine has the dana 44 rear axle. do you guys agree with duneslider? i didnt know that the rubican has a diferent dana 44. one thing i do not agree with is that a 4wd unit can handle 37's any better, cause for lots of jeep owners they will have it in 2wd mode quite a bit.

ranwitscissorz

The rear axle is the same as 4x4 non-rubicon, w/o locker. Rubicon I believe has upgraded drive lines in the axle. But as you said, running 37's would be the exact same as running them on a non-rubicon 4x4.

duneslider

It is a pretty well accepted opinion that 37's are pushing the limits with the rubicon dana 44's. The rubicon 44's have heavier duty axle shafts. So, I would have reservations running 37's on the lighter duty dana 44. If you keep an open diff and really have no intentions of ever doing any offroad driving you may be okay with the stock 44. I would think you would want to upgrade the axle shafts to heavier duty units if you really wanted to run 37's. Plus, since you will have to be gearing it to run 37s it would be a good time to do the shafts anyway. Since it is all open at that time it would seem wise to put a switchable locker or LS Locker in at the same time too.

Its all about how much money you want to spend. To me, it seems like a lot of money just to achieve a "look" that is just a little different than the 2.5" lift and 35" tires. I have the 2.5" spacer lift and 33's and think it looks great, wheels great, and drives great. For my personal uses it suits me perfect. If/when the jeep isn't the wife's daily driver with kids, I do plan on going bigger and making it much more capable offroad. However, the 4 wheeling I have done hasn't pushed my setup past its limits.

Piginajeep

non-rubicon 44's. 30 spline axle shafts

rubicon 44's 32 spline axle shaft...different carriers

I dont think any of this matters to him, he wont be wheeling it.

greenjeep

Why buy a minivan if you don't have kids??

superduperman86

guys i think i am going to take most of your advice and start with a 2.5" BB and 35's and go from there. if you guys have any more thoughts on the topic though i would love to hear them. thank you guys for all your help.

superduperman86

you wouldnt buy a minivan cause they dont look cool. jeeps look cool. so quit hating its kinda sad.