8.25 or 8.8 axle???

I have a stock 8.25 27 spline I think and I have been reading allll day about how the 8.8 is a better choice than a d44.I did post this in modified tech section but now I want your opinion on this.I am leaning towards the 8.8 with an arb and superior axle shaft.Do you think the 8.25 would work just fine for me?

8.8 is the strongest out of the 3. And you can find them with disc brakes.

Chowderr said:

8.8 is the strongest out of the 3. And you can find them with disc brakes.

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Yes from a 95-01 explorer I have read a lot about this axle but started to second guess my self and think maybe a my stick 8.25 with upgraded shafts and re geared might be ok got me.

Stick with the 8.25 until you can get enought money for gears and lockers, then buy a dana 44. Unless you can get a 8.8 dirt cheap, I wouldnt go that route, only because of all the fab parts and labor to get it to bolt in. I think the parts were around $100 just to get it to bolt up.

What are you going to do with Your Jeep? An 8.25 is a good axle for 33's, but if Your plans include 35's or up and Your going to wheel it hard a d44 or the 8.8 is a good choice.
ZJ discs are almost a bolt up, clearance on the center hole was all I needed to do. And if You plan on an ARB and axles, as far as I know thats all You'd need to replace to make it a 29 spline.

Dana 60 or go home ;P

Chip Clip said:

Stick with the 8.25 until you can get enought money for gears and lockers, then buy a dana 44. Unless you can get a 8.8 dirt cheap, I wouldnt go that route, only because of all the fab parts and labor to get it to bolt in. I think the parts were around $100 just to get it to bolt up.

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Perches cost 100?

Its going to cost roughly the same to set up an axle with gears/locker/alloys, so why not end up with a stronger axle in the end?

I would think you could skip the alloys if you go 8.8, the 31 spl shafts are pretty beefy, and with an ARB, it will only be locked when you need it vs. taking constant abuse with an auto locker

I said I think and it is for perches and shock mounts. 44 bolts right in no work, 1 spline axle less and no c_clips.

There are a variety of options:

later model 8.25
Cherokee D44
Isuzu D44 (requires different wheels and some fabbing like the 8.8)
Ford 8.8 (later model Explorer, requires fabbing)
Corporate 12 bolt (also requires fabbing and new wheels)
Ford 9 (fabbing, again, possible wheel change)
Dana 60 (if you have to ask...)
and on and on


Personally, if I were you, I would try and find a 29 spline 8.25 or a Cherokee 44. They will require no fabbing aside from possible driveshaft length issues. If you can't find one of those, and can weld, get an 8.8 with the gearing that you want. They tend to be cheap and plentiful. I did this, mostly because the cost of regearing my old axle was more than buying an 8.8. It all depends on how creative you want to get.

(you want to be unique? Get a Corporate 12 bolt and a front Wagoneer 44. That will get you cool kid points. Bonus is they have the same bolt pattern)

if you want bolt in... go D44 or 8.25 and just rebuild some brakes. youll have far less money into in than if you swapped in an 8.8. lots of people will say "oh, the 8.8 swap is cheap. i did mine for $100" wrong. if your as anal as i am, its going to be a $500 job. and then you also have to consider what ratio 8.8 your getting. do you get one that matches your current ratio so you can run it right away? do you get 4.10s and regear your front to match? do you regear the 8.8, and then your front to match? now we are talking big bucks.

this is why i scrapped my 8.8 build.

has your 27 spline failed you yet, or are you worked up over internet talk?
do you want/need a new axle in NOW, or can it wait?
are rear disks important?
do you see yourself going past 4.88?
do you want to do the front at the same time?

what im doing/did...
swapped 3.55s into my manual (stock was 3.07) and am using my old stockers to polish.
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1049987

but now im getting the itch for a 44 front.

I built a 8.25 but only because I had 5 housings sitting around, a set of YUKON alloys, an Aussie Locker, Crown Vic disc brake set-up and a set of Nitro 4.88's looking for a home. All of which cost me very little(I'm a wheeler dealer)

If I were starting out with nothing I would save money and do the 8.8

That being said, I beat on the 8.25 hard with 35's and have not broken it yet, can't say the same for the polished turd in the front.

I want to go D-60 f/r but since I do not plan on going bigger than 35's, ground clearance is a issue. It all depends on where/what you wheel, your right foot and how deep your pockets are!

I have seen more than one 8.25 w/29 splines on 35's MTs (open axles) with twisted/broken CV shaft instead of breaking an inner shaft.....
the 8.25/29 splines is really underrated as far as my limited knowledge, however I have seen some 8.25/27 splines damaged in the trails.


search for a 8.25/29s already built .....
if want to go trough the "learning experience" the 8.8 would be a no brainer...waaay less $$$ than a D44 and stronger in stock version; yes, it has a C clip, but I have yet to see a broken shaft out a 8.8 when running 37 and smaller rubber.

if you can not salvage the brakets from the explorer (will require a plasma cutter) then the installation kit is $110 with all you need,
grab additionals explorer pass side flexible brake line and pass side ebrake line form the from the YJ (one each), if you're cheap like I'm grab a yoke adapter from a Grand Marquis too (for the 1310s, $28 new) and reuse your 8.25 brake hard line.
can you wrench and weld?? you're all set....you can't?? then invite your local club guys to a wrench party...granted will be more expensive that paying a shop due to all the beer you'll end buying and cleaning the mess, but more fun.
arty:

boostamante said:

Dana 60 or go home ;P

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X2 if you are going to spend the money then spend the money and do it once.
You can build a custom D60 with 35spline chrome molly shafts 5 on 4.5 or 5 on 5.5 the correct width, for less then a $1000 if you do it yourself.

If I had my choice I would go with the d44 over the 8.8.
The gears are very close to the same strength.
The gears look smaller that is because the D44 hypoid offset is closer to the center line the straighter the gear is the further you get from the center the more slanted and wider the gears need to get look at 9inch vs a D60 gear.

also 8.8 are c-clip axles, snap an axle you loose your tire just like the D35 and the 8.25 you can always buy a c-clip eliminator but that is just added money and work. This will at least get you off the trail without the tire falling off. Still not drive able to get drivable on a broken axle you need a full floater. Those start getting expensive not and You cannot get one in 5x4.5 so you would need to got to at least 5x5.5

axles are one place you should spend money, the other is safety.

Hope this helps
~Justin

customcreationsllc said:

X2 if you are going to spend the money then spend the money and do it once.
You can build a custom D60 with 35spline chrome molly shafts 5 on 4.5 or 5 on 5.5 the correct width, for less then a $1000 if you do it yourself.

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You just have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of tools, or find that one-in-a-million stock 35 spline rear D60, and buy the shafts used, etc...


Or he could just find a used built axle on Pirate.

Or buy a stock 29sp carrier for nothing, chromoly 8.25 shafts for $200 and an Aussie for $300 and run 35" tires all day long. Then no fab work is needed at all.

Or you could buy an E-250 D60 rear out of a '99 or newer.

Semi-float c-clip with disc brakes.

35-spline shafts stock.

Smooth bottom.

If you need it to be 5 x whatever bolt pattern, you can order new shafts or see if you can turn down the flange/redrill bolt pattern or something.

xjtrailrider said:

I built a 8.25 but only because I had 5 housings sitting around, a set of YUKON alloys, an Aussie Locker, Crown Vic disc brake set-up and a set of Nitro 4.88's looking for a home. All of which cost me very little(I'm a wheeler dealer)

If I were starting out with nothing I would save money and do the 8.8

That being said, I beat on the 8.25 hard with 35's and have not broken it yet, can't say the same for the polished turd in the front.

I want to go D-60 f/r but since I do not plan on going bigger than 35's, ground clearance is a issue. It all depends on where/what you wheel, your right foot and how deep your pockets are!

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I would sugest you not go to the 60's unless you go to 37's or bigger. Your front is an easy fix. HP44 with flat top knuckles and rcv's cut long side down to make it waggy width. If you ever have any questions on 60's just let me know.

OP: The xj D44 or 8.25 imho is a better choice then the 8.8. Both xj axles can be swapped to disk brakes for quite cheap now days and they dont like to spin tudes. Reguardless of the 8.8's rep I have seen them with broken shafts and they can walk out even with disc breaks. The D44 can be upgraded to 33 spline shafts if you feel its needed too.

FWIW: If I were to start over I'd build a driver on 35's with factory axles and upgraded shafts. I believe I would wheel more if I had the option to drive to the trail.

You can pretzel just about any axle if you abuse it. The only advantage of a D44 over the 8.25 (IMO) is gear selection. The D44 has more options. The D44 has an 8.5" gear. Strength wise, not a huge improvement over the Chryco axle. BTW, Chryco also built 8.375" and 8.75" axles, plus a number of axles in the 9" range.

I am moving from my 8.25 to what is called a Ford 9". The Currie axle actually uses the 8.8" gear set in the high pinion application. Made sense to me that if I was going to upgrade, make it worth the while.

As this axle is going to cost me about the same as doing a regear and locker add on my existing 8.25, common sense won out. The members here are not gready and let parts go for reasonable prices. Someone is always upgrading. watch for the axles to show up in your local chapter For Sale area.

That is where my new to me Currie is coming from... Come to think of it, so did my springs, shocks, trackbar...

sunburned said:

You just have to buy hundreds of dollars worth of tools, or find that one-in-a-million stock 35 spline rear D60, and buy the shafts used, etc...


Or he could just find a used built axle on Pirate.

Or buy a stock 29sp carrier for nothing, chromoly 8.25 shafts for $200 and an Aussie for $300 and run 35" tires all day long. Then no fab work is needed at all.

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Hundred of dollars worth of tools is what most people have. Just need a welder and a sawsall.

Just another option, it is worth it to me to have the insurance of not breaking 2hrs from home.
Just need any d60 housing and some weld on flanges, then buy TJ/XJ 35 spline shafts. Not expensive but not as cheap either.

It is all how you wheel chromo 8.25 and aussie wouldn't last for me. I just snap my 5th stock D60 shafts on 35s and a tired old 4cly. Saving for 35 chromo outers.

If he's staying @ 35's or below, he has no need to upgrade the shafts of any full float Dana 60. A stock rear 60 with stock shafts and 4.10 gear can be had for $1-200 in my area all day long. The front axle is the 1 that will take some cash to get right, the rear is easy.