Dana 60 on a 3rd gen???

Really I had no idea what I was getting into with the D60(and why I came to ask). Thats what ECGS recommended and I'm now seeing its not the way to go. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

I agree I need to offroad more for sure before upgading. Like I said, I'm adding 35s, 3 inch lift, new bumpers etc etc, and really just want to make sure I'm safe adding all of that and then going to actually use it. Again, thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm still a newbie.

 

My best advice is don't be stupid. Take it easy on the pedal, if you bounce while trying to climb, it may be too late but if not, get off it...bouncing kills parts (doesn't matter if you have 2.5T rockwells under your rig, you'll find the weak link) . Second best advice is just enjoy your rig. You'll learn the more you get out, what you really need vs. want to make your rig more capable.

 

Add gears to your list. 35's will require them. If you keep stock gearing you will have to 4x4 with the lead foot method and break stuff. Think of 4wheeling as the race between the turtle and the hare, the turtle wins because he goes slow and he doesn't break his shit all over the trail.

 

Yeah I already priced 4.88 Nitro gears and installation. I'm doing suspension, then gearing, and last tires/wheels.

and thats just the beginning

 

You sure? I thought my dad's old 90's Ram had 60's. Maybe not.

 

Ahh, I thought you meant the modern day "Ram" that dropped the Dodge brand. Yes older Dodge Rams used all sorts of different Dana axles.

 

OP, if you are planning to wheel stuff hard enough that you might break axle shafts, you should be carrying at least one spare rear axle, front axle and rear driveshaft. You should also have the tools and knowledge with you on the truck to replace those parts. If you dont have that much experience, make sure you are wheeling with people who know you, are willing to help or in the least wont leave you stranded. If are just going to put 35s on and test it a little, you'll be fine on the stock axles just be smart and never go alone.

 

Sweet thanks!

 

I'm curious why you considered a D60 but then opted for a 4.88? I would think that if you are going to consider serious wheeling you would look into a 5.29 or similar.

You would fair better performing an SAS

At a certain point things break, whether its ujoints,or you start smacking body panels. There's limits to everything.

 

A Dana 60 is a bit overkill.

 

Didn't you recently post that you wanted to make sure you get 17-19 mpg for your 2hr commute? If that's your hope and priority, 35s and the rest of these mods really aren't going to work well for you. Without any experience at all, as well as an extremely long commute with a desire for good mpg, I would strongly consider going a different route with your mods.

 

ECGS said 4.88 is the only common ratio b/t the rear 60 and clamshell. But either way I do plan on doing 4.88 since I don’t plan on getting super duper heavy with a tent and other stuff.

Lol yeah I think I caught the taco bug. Trying to find that sweet spot between a decent commuter and off-road ability. But thanks for the input

 

Wait, you have never even wheeled the truck ? And you are talking about axle upgrades?

 

The gears aren’t for weight, though it helps, the gears are for crawling and reduction to better control and power over obstacles and rocks. This is why you see ultra low gears and reduction gears on offroad rigs.

Even 2500lb samurais run 5.38 gears, 4:1 transfer cases for 35s. Many Tacoma’s are dual cased.

There is no magic number for crawl ratio but ideally you want something around 100:1

In all honesty man I would wheel what you have and look at upgrading later.

 

I know 2 people who have had issues wheeling with the 8". I'm just looking at options. Like I said, I'm a newbie. I'm researching because I want this to be a long term build. I do plan on eventually wheeling with it. Just want to make sure I do it right. Thats why I made this thread

 

Yeah I am gonna wheel this first. Thanks

 

This is true.

 

14B>D60, saying that I agree with the others a 1 ton axle is over kill and not worth it at this point unless you are HARDCORE crawling this thing. A rear axle swap is nothing revolutionary anyway, so I wouldn't get too excited unless ECGS is giving you the axle for free and doing all the work, for free. Even then you would now have to think SAS swap and or how to get 37s on there since they wont want pictures of it sitting at the mall.

Run the 8" and focus on driving smooth offroad and it will last you a long time.