planb wrote:gq axle parts are also far cheaper to replace when they do break than dana gear here in aus.
the hb260 gu axles are massive (44mm od axles from memory) and cv's designed to carry a 3 tonne vehicle. the ring gears are bigger than a dana 70 !
unless you drive like birdy/winch challenge style, where he doesn't even use low range, coz he cant get the wheel speed high enough, then fitting gu's would be an over capitalisation, especially on a tj built for the rocks.
there are plenty of rigs running gq axles and 38s.
in a perfect world (or in the us) you guys would swap in junkyard D60s for spare change but in aus, the gq is still an upgrade from the d30/d44 combo
GQ is stronger than Dana30 front, I will give you that
GQ is about the same as Dana44 rear, and I don't think there is much in it.
The upgrade is marginal and maddog is lucky enough to have a lowered install price for all the custom work.
If I had to pay for fitting of custom axles I would be making sure it was the last time I needed to do it.
Can you give us prices for GQ parts so we can make a comparison?
I can get a full set of inner and outer axles plus unis for a dana30 for around $400.
They do have to come from the US, but at those prices it is pretty cheap to break.
I am sure however the ring gear is cheaper for nissan
Don't get me wrong the Gq's are definitely better, but just not by enough for me to see the value, given the work and cost involved.
The front pumpkin is also on the wrong side, so you either need to change transfer cases to an atlas/dana300/etc or get the GQ diff retubed to the other side.
I don't think GU's would be overkill for a TJ if you are considering running 39" plus tyres and comps such as Tuff truck.
Did you notice how much breakage there was??
How many GU CV's broke?
How many GQ CV's??
I wish someone had a tally of breakages
I believe if anything you are probably less likely to break with high wheel speed. Especially in high range as there is far less torque multiplication at the wheels.
Shane broke a spicer dana 60 35 spline uni joint, crawling with 38.5's at tuff truck and it was just because the right hand front tyre had so much grip on a rock. No bouncing, very little throttle, just too much traction at that time...
I am definitely looking forward to maddogs install and seeing how they hold up in real world application. The TJ is a lot lighter than the GQ and given the inclusion of upgrading the CV's they should be pretty good.
But will they be good enough??
Are there upgrades for the rear GQ diffs?
Dana44's can be upgraded to a 35 spline, 1.5" axle if you want to spend the dollars
More nissan axle tech always welcomed as I am just a jeep/dana dude
cheers
z