Can A Dana 35 Handle 35” Tires?

ByKern Campbell

The Danna 35 axle has been in production since 1985 and is commonly used on Jeeps, Fords, Dodges, and other vehicles. 

They’re known to be reliable when used for normal daily use but do not hold up well when used for more rigorous applications. 

But if you want to put 35-inch tires on yours, you may need to reconsider.

Can a Dana 35 handle 35” tires?

A Dana 35 cannot handle 35-inch tires. Dana 35 wheel axles typically have 31-inch tires but can accommodate up to a 33-inch tire. Using 35-inch tires on a Dana 35 will damage this already finicky drive train.

Now that you know more about the Danna 35 and what tire sizes you should and shouldn’t use with it, let’s discuss this axel’s specs, usage, pros, and cons. 

The Basics of a Dana 35

Before you attempt to change your tires, you need to know the specific features of your Dana 35. 

The general features are: 

  • Ring Gear: 7.5” diameter (191 mm)
  • OEM 27 spline count on the inner axle shaft: 27
  • Splines on the pinion shaft: 26
  • Spline Diameter: 1.18”
  • Rear-axle ratios: between 2.21:1 and 4.88:1
  • TTB vehicle axle ratios: between 3.07:1 and 4.88:1
  • IFS axle ratios: between 3.08:1 and 5:13:1.
  • Carrier breaks: 2.21 – 3.31:1 and 3.55 – 4.88:1
  • Diameter of the rear axle shaft: 1.09” (28 mm) (30 splines)

FAQs

How to Change Your Tires

Now that we’ve talked a bit about the Dana 35 and which tires can and cannot be fixed to it, let’s talk about changing those tires. 

How do you change them when you need to?

If you want to, you can take your vehicle to a garage and have them changed by a professional, but if you choose to do it by yourself, we’ll walk you through the basics. 

First, you want to make sure that you have all the right tools. 

The most important of these are a jack, a lug wrench, and your new set of tires. 

Jack

A jack is a hoisting device that can be used to produce high force or lift large objects.

Scissor jacks and floor jacks are the two major types of automobile jacks available for use at home on your vehicle. 

While they both perform the same action (raising your car), they feature different designs and benefits, so think about how you’ll use it before deciding which one to go with.

The most common type of car jack is the floor jack, which provides structural support when lifting large and heavy objects.

They usually feature four wheels so you can move them around, as well as a long handle that allows the user to lift the automobile off the ground by pumping the forklift. 

On the other hand, scissor jacks are compact and lightweight, making them ideal for roadside repairs.

Lug Wrench

A lug wrench is a socket wrench that is used to loosen and tighten lug nuts on car tires.

The Process

First, find out where your car’s safe lift points are before you begin jacking it up. 

Next, you’ll want to lift the jack by pumping the height adjustment arm. 

When the base plate approaches the car, go slowly and carefully so that you can properly line it and distribute the weight equally.

Continue to lift the automobile off the ground by pumping the height adjustment arm. 

When it has reached the necessary height, loosen all of the lug nuts on the hubcap with the lug wrench. 

To avoid damaging the wheel studs, remove the lug nuts and pull the wheel straight away from the car. 

Make sure not to lose your lug nuts or get them dirty!

Next, replace the old tire with the new one and perform the steps in reverse to secure the wheel to your vehicle.

Using your lug wrench again, tighten the lug nuts securely, and you’re good to go. 

What are the Pros and Cons of a Dana 35?

Pros

  • It comes in a variety of ratios for both fixed and flexible suspension axles, ranging from 3.07:1 to 4.88:1 for the TTB axle and 3.08:1 to 5.13:1 for the IFS axle.
  • It’s a very reliable axle for everyday driving

Cons

  • Axle tubes are thin and prone to breaking and bending. Off-roaders often add ribbing to their tubes. That works well, although it is a more specialist alteration because heat distortion is a possibility.
  • It has a lot of flaws when abused. It will not be able to withstand harsh off-road driving without significant reinforcement.
  • It has smaller and less rugged differential and side shafts.

Dana 35 vs. Dana 44: Which Should You Choose?

Dana 44, is also manufactured by the same brand and is an improved version of the Dana 45. 

However, it is no longer manufactured. 

The Dana 44 seems to have several features that are better than the 35:

  • The ring gear on the front axle is 8.5” (216 mm) in diameter.
  • The ring gear on the back axle measures 8.9” (226 mm) in diameter.
  • Off-roaders will like the wide range of gear ratios available, ranging from 2.72:1 to 5.89:1.
  • There are a number of different side shaft sizes available, all of which are significantly larger than the Dana 35: 1.175”, 1.20”, 1.30”, 1.31”, and 1.41” are the sizes available. 
  • To accommodate varied applications, these have spline ranges of 10, 19, 30, and 32.
  • The Dana 44 is significantly tougher than the Dana 35. The axle tubes aren’t fragile. Instead, the passenger side axle is a beam with a short tube.
  • It has a larger crown wheel and pinion, which reduces gear breakage and collisions.

Whichever axle you chose depends on how you like to drive your vehicle.

If you plan on doing a lot of off-roading or operating your car on a farm or in another outdoor setting, or if you simply want a very quiet and durable axle, I believe the Dana 44 is preferable. 

However, if you don’t plan to do either of those, then you may want to choose the Dana 35. 

What’s the Advantage of using Dana Axles?

The Dana brand has been around for over six decades. 

This is a testament to the high quality of their products. 

In fact, they have made wheel axles for big brands such as Chevrolet, Ford, and Land Rover among others.

The brand’s rating is ranked very high on the list of superior wheel axles companies. 

Before purchasing, make sure that whichever axle you chose is tailored to your car’s needs. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have established that using a Dana 35 axle with 35” tires should be avoided lest you risk breaking your spider gears apart. 

We’ve also explored the other options and processes of changing your tires by yourself. 

And we’ve explored alternative options from the same brand, just in case the Dana 35 doesn’t suit your needs.