[Lineleader]

Blew the spider gears out of the rear D 44 last week. After limping home over 500 miles, it's time to upgrade.

My current thoughts are to upgrade to 4.56 gears (yes, I plan to go to 35's after this set of 33's wears out and I know that 4.88 would be better, but i'm hoping this will be a decent compromise).

I'm sure this has been covered before and i did search, but I'd welcome your thoughts on make of gears, is there a brand to avoid? Do i need a full install kit for each set as the rig only has 29k miles on it?

I'm planning on putting an ARB in the D44 and probably leaving the Aussie up front for now. Recommendations of who would put a package together of the gears, install kits and ARB and small compressor?

Kids don't need a Christmas, time for Dad to upgrade!

[Ulumanati]

How'd you blow the gears, if you don't mind me asking? I'm just curious lol or maybe thought there'd be an interesting story behind it..

[bmxrules39]

personally I think 4.56's will suit you well.
I would go for an E-locker of an ARB, it's so much more simple, and you don't have to wait at all for it to pump up. Plus price wise it's rather close. I don't know about brand of gears/ kits, but I would also like to hear the story of how you blew the spider gears.

[Knuckelhead]

Go with the 4:88's, with your 4.0L, 35" tires and 6 speed that will work well. The ARB is a given...IMO

[never monday]

4.56 will work for Florida's flat lands. When you start coming north you won't like it much.
I'll vote Detroit and 4.88

[Lineleader]

Originally Posted by Ulumanati

How'd you blow the gears, if you don't mind me asking? I'm just curious lol or maybe thought there'd be an interesting story behind it..

I did post my dilemma last week when it all happened. But for those who don't scour JF for my person escapades...it went something like this:

Wheeled River Rock in Milledgeville, GA last Friday and Sat. Didn't hear or feel anything abnormal until I headed north toward Tallulah Falls (N. GA mountains) the next day. A loud 'pop' occurred when I made a slow, but relatively sharp turn. After finding nothing loose (as suggestions mounted from JF) I decided to have the cover on the rear diff popped to take a look. It was discovered that a tooth on one of the spider gears broke off and wedged in between the gears, effectively creating a "locked diff". One of the mechanics gave me zero percent chance of making the 500 mile trek home while the other gave me 50-50. Not wanting to wait a couple of days for parts and deciding to upgrade, I took the chance and limped home. After my white knuckles were pried off the wheel at about midnight, I was happy to make it back in one piece. It could have been a major issue if the tooth came loose and destroyed all at high speed.

Not that interesting, but you asked. It did ruin my planned vacation and now I'm ready to move on and upgrade. Keep the suggestions coming...

[Unlimited04]

4.88s and E-locker gets my vote. A Detroit, TrueTrac or lunchbox locker would also work...