Go with a 2012 or newer. 2007-2011, just not a great choice unless you have gobs of cash and are going to tear it down to the frame and throw everything away.
Wow, really? Funny, I have owned 4 JK's, a 2007 Rubicon Unlimited, a 2007 2-door Sahara, a 2009 Unlimited X and a 2012 Rubicon Unlimited. I still own the first and the last and love my 2007 which is running 40" tires and with the factory 3.8L motor, transmission, transfer case, skid plates, etc. Sure, the 3.6L motor is awesome but, it's about the only thing different enough to matter. :rolleyes2:
as for the D30, I don't know if there is any topic with more threads and opinions on the internet.
There are more D30's running trails than all the dana 44's, D60's 9'' etc.. combined. The most vocal about the weakness of the D30 are from people who are not running them. You will hear alot of guys says if you put it in drive the whole diff will implode right there in your driveway, the truth of the matter is, people run 35's 37's 40's etc.. on D30's ALL THE TIME. Most of the naysayers are from internet wheelers simply repeating what they heard from some dude who they think is an authority, they have no personal experience.
You got me pegged, I am just an internet wheeler and have never run a Dana 30 and have NEVER seen one of them break. Hell, the only thing I've been able to break are Dana 44's and a semi-float Dana 60 because they are far inferior to a Dana 30.
Now as with any opinion its subjective and there are lots of variables that come in to play. Tires size matters, vehicle weight matters, terrain matters, air pressure matters, horsepower/torque matters, upgrades to the axle matter, driving style matters, quality of the diff in question matters (sometimes you just get a lemon), it all comes in to play and with so many variables you are bound to get lots of opinions.
Clearly, there is no end to the amount of opinion you seem to have. How about you back some of them up with photos or videos of your rig and on the trails you run.
Me, I have never broken a 30 and I have had 3 vehicles with D30's. I am not always kind to my vehicles but I have always run stock engines and fairly modest tires sizes usually 33's. They took everything I threw at them and then some, jumps high wheel speed etc.. and these were all old D30's.
Ummm, a factory Rubicon tire is 32". A 33 is far from modest, it's small.
...The new D30's are better.
Really?? By all means, please do enlighten us on how the "new D30's are better" :yup:
I also have never once seen a guy with a broken D30 on the trail, ever. That is just my experience.
Clearly, that's because you either never go wheeling or, your idea of a hard trail is NOT the same as mine.
If you have the money, there is no reason not to upgrade the D30 but if you dont, there is no reason to stay at home out of fear your D30 will explode. The greater majority of people who run D30's never have a single problem even on larger tires, but you may always be THAT person. I don't debate that is is the weakest of the standard choices what I do debate is exactly how weak it is. So bottom line is you can beat the crap out of the D30 stock on 33's. Bump up to 35's I would suggest you either be a bit more conservative and or start investing in some upgrades, c's at least. Going to 37's again just be mindful and at this point decide if you want to invest in more upgrades or save the money for a bigger better axle. If you are not doing difficult trails, slap on the 37's and you will may very well be fin forever.
Clearly, whatever greater majority of people you know are not the ones I know. But then, what do I know.
Also FYI there are many jeep forums some have been around A LOT LONGER than others, take a look around get some opinions from folks who have been wheeling jeeps well before the JK was even a vision for jeep......................
:cheesy: You got me there, this little forum is brand new and represents all that I know. Beyond it, I have no experience with Jeeps and or wheeling. I hope that everyone defers to you and of the vast knowledge you've clearly accumulated from spending a lot of time on internet forums. :thumb:
