True, 4.56 may be right where I want to go, but curious if I'm paying for gears that's a small jump, maybe 4.88 at least. Eventually Dana 60's would be pretty fantastic but that's some coin for those babies. I'd thought about doing a truss but not sure if I'd ever even need that, or chromoly axle shafts. I don't do anything crazy or serious enough to make those worth it. I good even balance between mild off roading and daily driver with the Dana 44's is where I'm aiming.
I totally understand. I've been toying with the notion of 60's. Just can't cough up that kind of change right now. There is a wedding ring fund in the works as we speak! If you're going to offroad...C gussets at the minumum never hurt with 35's. My front Rubi is sleeved, trussed, and gusseted, with LCA skids and RCV shafts. I upgraded my Rubi rear to an Auburn Ected with 35 spline chromoly shafts. I know that when I finally do bite that bullet, I'll be able to make money on my axle set, to help offset the cost of the 60's. If you think you're going to eventually take the 60 route, save your money and just go for it when you've saved enough. I probably would've done that from the beginning, but I got a really sweet deal on my Rubi 44's.