BlessedAnger
New member
This! What he said I totally concur.
let me start by saying I recently made the jump into 37's, actually just finishing it up now, so my perspective is somewhat educated, and somewhat not. The cost is substantial, and depending on what you want out of it, can fluctuate. I wanted to know I had the peace of mind of a strong build, and at this point had the money to do all that I wanted in pretty much one go short of a Hydro Assist, or big bore box which is shortly on the list in the near future.
You could throw 37's on your stock JK right now if you want, but you would be limited in what you could get out of them without breaking stuff. So realistically you could say the cost of going to 37's are really just the cost on tires and wheels. Now everything after that is insurance.
There are a few different perspectives on how it is done, which parts you want weaker or stronger, what you want to break first etc.
If new axles are out of range for you, and you have some welding skills, you are way ahead of the game. You can build up your stock axles to an acceptable level, I have seen some Dana 30 build ups online that I am convinced are prepared to handle 37's. Now the cost of trusses, gussets, improved axles, are substantially cheaper, but when you add in paying someone to do the welding, and getting them installed, you might as well purchase a new upgraded housing all together. If you have the skills to do all that labor you can save quite a bit of money, even if you arent a great mechanic but have welding skills there are some petty good videos online detailing how to do it. Now that is probably pretty extreme, and I would bet the veterans here would highly suggest not trying to do such a thing. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, but just saying it has been, and could be done if you got the skills.
After that, to really be in what I would consider the realm of actually safely doing 37's, you are going to need a new big break setup, regearing, and at minimum rear drive shafts, and I still upgraded my front also. All of those things can bring other upgrades such as breaks may need bigger reservoirs, may need to relocate some items etc.
Now short of having any skills or being a semi skilled shade mechanic which is where I find myself. I can work on some things, but I prefer having someone around I can refer to. I didn't want to screw something up, and like I said I am fortunate to be able to afford my ideal build up, I wanted warranties, and I wanted peace of mind that it is as strong as possible, I went the expensive route, and bought all the axles, housings, breaks, shafts, etc. etc., and had some installed, some I do myself. I think plus or minus around 15k can get it done as good as anyone could ever want it.
After that though you are left with big tires on a rig capable to getting you out far enough to get yourself in trouble. You start factoring that in you really need front bumpers, and winches, which I think a lot of people don't roll in the cost of getting to 37's, but you really need that if you plan on wheeling where those tires have the potential to take you. Ohh and don't forget flat fenders, and lift kits.
Axles and housings can come in allover the board. I think it is a you get what you pay for type of thing, but some products have huge price gaps, with no competitors in the middle. Its the difference of paying 600$ for a good item, or paying $1200 for the best, and no option in between on some things. Check chromolly shafts vs. the RCV's. I think most people would say you are justified in getting RCV's if you can, but not everyone can justify the price on their build. That can make a huge difference in your costs.
My best advice is to set a realistic budget for yourself, and then start pricing things. I got a whole quote from one of the big boys for 16k ( didn't take it ) which included axles, housings, drive shafts, bead locks, and tires.
My best advice is start with a reasonable budget, think about what work you can do, go through and price it beginning to end trying to stay within your budget, not just your dream build, but within your realistic budget. Then add 20% to your budget, because your not gonna stay in there.
if you dont know what you need on your list, maybe someone can add here, but I would price the following items:
Axle Housings: DANA 44, or DANA 60, I would definitely not want the 30 up front IMO. Dynatrac, and Teraflex seem to be making the most desired housings right now, but there are a few other manufacturers. The 44 rear I think is reasonable to work with.
Trusses, and Gussets: Depending on if you wanna stick with a stock axle or not, or if you want to maybe just upgrade the 30 to a 44... I dunno there are several routes to go. ECGS has some pretty neat options.
Axles: Chromoly, RCV's, there are a few great brands out there.
Drive Shafts: You can get custom shafts from a few different places, or get a standard shaft, just make sure it is going to fit well with whatever lift and angles you got.
Wheels: You want Beadlocks or going for style. The best beadlocks are pretty pricey upwards of 500 a wheel. There are some reasonable others at around 300 a wheel, maybe even lower. You can get non beadlocks for much much cheaper obviously.
Tires: Again you can pay 200 or 400 a wheel. Depends on what you want. Least amount of noise, and best road manners are at the higher end. If you can handle a bit more noise, and quicker wear you can cut your cost quite a bit here as well.
This post got much longer than I intended, and like I said I am no expert, but this is my perspective from having just done it. When you ask how much it is, there is really a lot to consider when giving an answer.
