I had a '91 Renegade with a Dana 35. I know a lot of guys hated the early '90's Renegade package, but I liked it because it was different. I ran 31" BFGs, and never had any issues (and I ran it onroad and offroad all over Northern California). To qualify this, I have to be honest, I never took it rock crawling or mudding. The 4.0 engine doesn't make as much horsepower or torque as the current sixes, but it does make more torque at a lower rpm, as is inherent in a straight six versus a v six. This is a trait especially suited for an offroad vehicle. Street vehicles typically make more horsepower than torque, at higher rpms, and are better suited for street applications, as is the newer JK/JL v six. It comes down to low end grunt, which all Jeeps took advantage of, until the release of the JK/JL. I was a regional field engineer at the time for the Northern California IRS offices, and the Renegade was my daily driver. While it was paid for, I had no intention of thrashing on it hard enough to cause serious damage. It was fine for running through the more remote national forests for light camping and shooting. I thought about swapping out the Dana 35 for a Dana 44 on principal, but never got around to it, and finally traded it in '95 for a new turbo all wheel drive Eagle Talon. I was oncall a lot, and flying around the country so much, I just didn't have time to go camping or shooting for a few years. My point is, it depends on how you drive a Jeep with a Dana 35, and where you take it. There were a number of Jeeps sold with Dana 35s (take the X models for example), and not every Jeep equipped with a Dana 35 suffered a failure. I accept that some people had issues with them, but it depended largely on how you modified the Jeep, how you drove it, and where you ran it. I knew a guy that took a brand new Wrangler to the Rubicon the first weekend he got it, and scrapped off most of the right side on a boulder. He was fine with the damage, as "this is what I bought it for" he said. In my opinion, how you run your gear is your decision. It just depends on a) is it paid for b) is it your daily driver, and c) how hard are you on your equipment. I say this, because I think a new Jeeper should consider all these issues before getting themselves in over their head. Hey, I'm older, and aren't looking to upset anyone, but to someone that's justing getting their first Jeep, or into offroading in general, these are factors that should be taken into consideration while modifying their Jeep, and how difficult a terrain they decide to take on. Be smart, learn the art of offroading, and modify your Jeep the right way the first time around.
