Thread: 32s" vs axle damage

Originally Posted by squidsd1

I know this has been done to death but I'm keen on hearing people's experiences with 32s on factory 24spline axles . Is it a lot of stress in them or with mechanical sympathy is it safe ?

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In the last 8 years of ownership i have gone from stock 235/70's to 245/70's to 265/70 muds and now 265/75 muds and have never broken an axle or CV joint.
Even in my 2 previous RRC's on 10 splines i had never broken anything on 265/70's or 31/10.5's , all that over a 20 year period so mechanical sympathy goes a long way to longevity.

Its not the power, its the way its applied.
A heavy boot will send shock loads thru the drive train and something will give, an auto will cushion the load to an extent but there are still plenty here that have broken axles or cv joints with stock power trains.

If you only drive around on road then your comments hold and bigger wheels are more likely to stress the clutch and gearbox than axles.

However offroad, the bigger the wheels, the more mass, momentum and torque (/moment) is acting on the axle. Think of a big wheel spinning and stopping suddenly on ground contact, or driving up against a step that tries to oppose motion.

I have seen the most careful drivers in the world break rover axles when running big tyres. Even a stock na diesel puts out enough torque in 1st low to snap axles if you had perfect traction.

That said, 32's should be OK if unlocked. Even though disco/rrc 24 spliners are made of cheese...

It was not a personal attack, sorry if you took it that way. Your statements are 100% wrong though. Anyone who has done high school physics can demonstrate that bigger wheels put more stress on axles.

Originally Posted by squidsd1

I know this has been done to death but I'm keen on hearing people's experiences with 32s on factory 24spline axles . Is it a lot of stress in them or with mechanical sympathy is it safe ?

Sent from my HTC_0P6B using AULRO mobile app

My experiences

300 Tdi Manual, rear locked, front unlocked, 32' BFG old style muddies
"Jase" intercooler and fuel turned up.
No breakages in 4 years, but when I upgraded the CV's were all but thrashed.

Ashcroft's testing showed that a stock 24 spline rear will snap at around 3358 ft.lbs of torque. A stock 3.5 rrc v8 can produce about 10500 ft.lbs of torque at the wheels in first low.

Now anyone who says that is *always* divided by 4 axle shafts does not know what serious off-roading is in my book.

The bigger tyres provide better traction and more leverage to allow higher torque input. Even with open diffs, with the center diff locked, 100% of the torque can be split to two wheels, which puts the math beyond the axle's strength. Nevermind the much weaker shafts where they go into the CV joints.

Anyway, I've seen stock trucks break diffs, shafts and CV joints. My suggestion is if off roading carry spares shafts and a CV joint at least. They are pretty cheap to find.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

It was not a personal attack, sorry if you took it that way. Your statements are 100% wrong though. Anyone who has done high school physics can demonstrate that bigger wheels put more stress on axles.

Nice apology then re-insult.!

Anyone who's gone to school knows that your comments are a touch harsh.