I think giant tires over 40 inches are ruining more rigs than they help

After watching three guys at Uwharrie last Saturday snap axles on 42s just trying to crawl a simple ledge, I'm convinced people are swapping reliability for looks and nobody wants to admit it. Anyone here actually run 37s daily and feel like your drivetrain lasts twice as long?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_hill4628d agoTop Commenter

Honestly I gotta ask, is it really the size of the tire or just people not upgrading the right stuff? I've been running 37s on my JK for about three years now and my axles are still fine because I actually swapped in some chromoly shafts and regeared the diffs. Those guys snapping on 42s probably had stock Dana 44s or even 35s under there, which is just asking for trouble. Tbh it's not the tire size that's the problem, it's the whole package not being built for it.

the_sean28d ago

Nah, I gotta push back a little. Even with good axles and gearing, 42s put way more leverage on your whole rig than 37s do, it's not just about parts strength. You can have the best shafts in the world but the sheer mass and rotational force from tires that big will find the next weak link, like your knuckles or steering box. Guys running 42s and wheeling hard are gonna break stuff eventually, you're just playing a different game than the 37 crowd.