Locked VS Unlocked Rubicon Strength
01-05-2010, 12:56 PM
#1
JK Newbie
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Locked VS Unlocked Rubicon Strength
If I were to run a Rubicon unlocked on the trail in 4LO would the axles be as strong as a cherokee open 30 front, 8.25 rear? Or does the strength of the 44 axles come from when they are locked? I know the Cherokee doesn't have as big of axles. I am just trying to get an idea of the strength of the Rubicon 44's when running them unlocked.
01-05-2010, 01:06 PM
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01-05-2010, 02:00 PM
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JK Super Freak
I guess I'm missing the point of how a differential being locked or unlocked changes the axle strength? The only thing that is happening when the diff is locked is the spider is turned into a spool, of sorts. If anything, the axle is "weaker", or at least is more exposed to breakage when the diff is locked. Is that what you are driving at?
01-05-2010, 03:04 PM
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An open axle is kinda like a safety valve. If so much torque is applied, then the wheel that has less traction will begin to spin, thus relieving the internal stresses.
If the diff was locked and say one wheel was up in the air, all of the torque would then go to only to the one wheel on the ground, and if that wheel caught a rock, it could snap. So a locked diff (all other factors being the same) is more likely to fail (when locked) than an open diff.
The JK D44s are the strongest Jeep D44s yet. Especially the rear, where the ring gear is 8.9" rather than 8.5".
If the diff was locked and say one wheel was up in the air, all of the torque would then go to only to the one wheel on the ground, and if that wheel caught a rock, it could snap. So a locked diff (all other factors being the same) is more likely to fail (when locked) than an open diff.
The JK D44s are the strongest Jeep D44s yet. Especially the rear, where the ring gear is 8.9" rather than 8.5".
01-05-2010, 04:57 PM
#7
An open axle is kinda like a safety valve. If so much torque is applied, then the wheel that has less traction will begin to spin, thus relieving the internal stresses.
If the diff was locked and say one wheel was up in the air, all of the torque would then go to only to the one wheel on the ground, and if that wheel caught a rock, it could snap. So a locked diff (all other factors being the same) is more likely to fail (when locked) than an open diff.
The JK D44s are the strongest Jeep D44s yet. Especially the rear, where the ring gear is 8.9" rather than 8.5".
If the diff was locked and say one wheel was up in the air, all of the torque would then go to only to the one wheel on the ground, and if that wheel caught a rock, it could snap. So a locked diff (all other factors being the same) is more likely to fail (when locked) than an open diff.
The JK D44s are the strongest Jeep D44s yet. Especially the rear, where the ring gear is 8.9" rather than 8.5".
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01-06-2010, 07:44 AM
#8
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I guess I'm missing the point of how a differential being locked or unlocked changes the axle strength? The only thing that is happening when the diff is locked is the spider is turned into a spool, of sorts. If anything, the axle is "weaker", or at least is more exposed to breakage when the diff is locked. Is that what you are driving at?
01-06-2010, 07:52 AM
#9
JK Junkie
it goes both ways... needing to bounce your self up over an obstacle is a recipe for disaster, where if you were locked you have a better chance of crawling over it. The way I see it is the less skinny pedal you need the better off you are.
01-06-2010, 08:52 AM
#10
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Exactly. The application of the skinny pedal is, in most cases, directly responsible for the breakage.