I only got 40 seconds into the video and I am already thinking that these race courses is where Dana 30's go to die. None of that was a leisurely jaunt through the bush. I'm placing my bet now, if you follow through with your plan of beefing up the axle with gussets and upgrade the axle's to rcv's and then throw in an ARB, that you will blow up the ring and pinion. I guess you can go about your build however you want but it seems to me that if you have the money for the jeep, the tow rig, the trailer, the atlas TC, 37's w/2.5 inch lift, that you should have a couple of couch cushions that you could dig into and find some money to at least buy a front 44 out of a Rubicon or ProRock 44. Could you just save up for a little bit and buy a front axle that can handle the abuse that you are going to put it through?

 

Thanks for your reply.

this has been going around in my head The pr or currie option are great but a lot of coin just for a larger r&p. It also means i need new gearing for the rear plus I have not been able to find the gearing i would like. 3.21 or 3.73.

My fingers are crossed that a high pinion Dana 30 ring and pinion in 3.73 gearing are strong.

For interest Here is a pick of my current axil after bracing.

 

Like I said I don't think bracing will be the issue. I think that you will probably shear teeth off the ring gear. But would it be possible for you to find a wrecked Rubicon to pull the axles out of. Or are there any Jeep guys near you that are upgrading a Rubicon and dumping the stock axles. Maybe you could find someone parting out or returning a rig to stock and pick up an aftermarket axle that way. Do you really need a 4 speed Atlas transfer case? Just thinking out loud.

 

That's no trailer queen. That thing is pretty bad-ass. I would be more worried about the dana 30 axles bending,twisting or breaking then the ring and pinion failing. You will have a lot of torque going to the axles to turn 37's and you will probably be going from a dead stop to heavy throttle often in a race vehicle. Even if you take action to strengthen the axle tubes you still have the axles as a weak link, and I think if you go to steeper gears in the dana 30 with/without lockers you will make the ring weaker, causing even more trouble. I agree with the previous statement that you should look into forking out the dough for a prorock or something similar. I think you'll be glad you did in the end. Also if you go to taller gears you will lower the strain on the pinion/drivetrain, but will transfer that strain to the axle. You'll likely twist or break one at some point in a high traction/high throttle situation.

 

That is also a good point, with the transfer case doing the gearing it puts load on the r&p.

 

Dose anyone know how to work out the strength of a ring and pinion

Cheers

Dave

 

Still have no answers related to ring and pinion. If anyone could sheer some light. It would be much appreciated .

 

I'm no JK expert for sure but from what I've read on here guys feel comfortable running a Dana 30 with up to 35 inch tires for casual offloading. Your thoughts on using 37's and in a race environment point towards using a Dana 44. If it were me in your situation I wouldn't waste a dollar on the 30, just buy a 44 and sell your stock, still in one piece, 30 to recoup the costs. It is probably worth more now than a modified, but broken 30 would be down the road.