Ford 8.8 or Dana 44?

[ktm racer 419]

dana44

because its cooler and easier to say when people ask you

flows off the tongue easier

 

[jeeperguy21]

dana44

because its cooler and easier to say when people ask you

flows off the tongue easier

And it's sexier

 

[1990heepxj]

just to say it, the ford ranger uses the same size u joints at our jeeps the 1310, and has the same bolt size/pattern as the 8.8s flange

 

[stockerwithalocker]

Run the 4.10 8.8, grab a 4cyl 5 speed cherokee front which will have 4.10's and you are done.

Oh and those that say c-clips are the devil, I had my shaft in my Dana 44 slide out shortly after breaking it (I was going less than 5 mph when this happened.)

 

[jeeperjohn]

IMHO, the only difference between a D44 and an 8.25 that really matters is the c-clip thing. Strength wise there's not alot of difference.

 

[Lowrange2]

IMHO, the only difference between a D44 and an 8.8 that really matters is the c-clip thing. Strength wise there's not alot of difference.

We knew what you meant.



I've had an 8.8 in mine on 35s for 3 years and never had an issue out of it. Tho, I did mold a piece of sheet steel to the bottom to make sort of a ramp over the lip. I couldn't imagine dragging that thing everywhere on 31s.

 

[Lowrange2]

Hey, that looks very similar to mine. and by similar I mean that it's the same color. Country Edition?

 

[Snake2083]

The ford is sitting in my truck bed as I speak. Down here in FL there aren't many places to go rockcrawling that I know of. Most of my wheeling will be general off road and mud. I already have the gears and install kit for the front because, as I said originally, I had planned on getting the ford from the beginning. Just with having a 44 fall in my lap made me stop for a sec and think to make sure I still wanted the ford. Plus with having to rebuild it the 44 was going to be regeared anyway if I used it since I wanted the gears for the larger tires. I know the 8.25 would handle them, I just really wanted disc brakes and the taller gears. A couple quick questions about the swap though. Anyone think that xj front brake lines will work for the soft lines to the calipers in the rear? I was looking at getting two explorer passenger side lines to use then I remembered I have the front lines that were replaced with the lift. Also, I was originally planning on getting a Tom woods shaft, but in the interest of saving a little cash, think using a front shaft might work with the ford axle, 4.5" of lift, and a jb conversions super short sye?

 

[1990heepxj]

We knew what you meant.



I've had an 8.8 in mine on 35s for 3 years and never had an issue out of it. Tho, I did mold a piece of sheet steel to the bottom to make sort of a ramp over the lip. I couldn't imagine dragging that thing everywhere on 31s.

for one why would you need an 8.8 for 31s, suuuper overkill. and no the 8.8 has quite a few strengths over the 44.

larger ring gear, same size pinion shaft as d60, stronger shafts, stronger housing, and of course the disc brakes are a good bonus

 

[ktm racer 419]

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

stock 8.8 carriers bring the suck, and ya gotta weld the tubes to the housing.

build it up and the 8.8 is a stout axle. but if you are talkin about building stuff up you can now stuff 33 and 35 spline shafts in a 44. this makes the gearset the weak link, but you can do things like cryro treating, and make sure you get them set up RIGHT and i would rock it.

 

[CTeunuch]

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

stock 8.8 carriers bring the suck, and ya gotta weld the tubes to the housing.

build it up and the 8.8 is a stout axle. but if you are talkin about building stuff up you can now stuff 33 and 35 spline shafts in a 44. this makes the gearset the weak link, but you can do things like cryro treating, and make sure you get them set up RIGHT and i would rock it.

Everyone says that 8.8 carriers suck, and that the tubes spin even if you have a 4cyl, blah blah blah. I have an 8.8 with 4.10s and a double packed L/S in the rear of my F150 on 33's and I've never had any problems. That being said, I did weld the tubes on the one going in my XJ just to be on the safe side. As far as the carrier being terribly weak, I've hit 3rd gear doing smoke shows, wheeled it hard, and DD'd for over 3 years in a fullsize truck with more power and more weight than 95% of XJ's without any issues. Also, there are ways to get 33 and 35 spline 8.8 shafts, it's just expensive. My vote goes for 8.8, then upgrade to a detriot/super88 kit if you go with 35's or bigger.

 

[87manche]

a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

stock 8.8 carriers bring the suck, and ya gotta weld the tubes to the housing.

build it up and the 8.8 is a stout axle. but if you are talkin about building stuff up you can now stuff 33 and 35 spline shafts in a 44. this makes the gearset the weak link, but you can do things like cryro treating, and make sure you get them set up RIGHT and i would rock it.

welding the tubes is not a big deal, and I've been bagging on a stock carrier both open and mini spooled on 34's for a while with no issues. I am not an easy wheeler.

For the money that you will eventually spend upgrading axles I feel that the 8.8 is the best bang for the buck. You can take the money that you would have spent doing a disk brake upgrade to the D44 and put it into a new carrier. The stock 31 spline shafts are plenty stout for anything up to 35's.
Larger diameter tubes, bigger bearings, bigger gearset.

Like was said, on 31's it's going to suck because it will be a boat anchor, but if you're planning on going bigger later on down the line I think the 8.8 has a better/cheaper upgrade path than the D44. Factory disk brakes are worth every bit of the "drawbacks" to the 8.8, especially down in Florida, where I hear it's all muddy or some such.

 

[Silver60th]

for one why would you need an 8.8 for 31s, suuuper overkill. and no the 8.8 has quite a few strengths over the 44.

larger ring gear, same size pinion shaft as d60, stronger shafts, stronger housing, and of course the disc brakes are a good bonus

Aww man, so I guess I better swap out my 8.8 for a D35 since I have 31's. But in all honesty, it is a bit overkill, but it was cheaper for me to buy an 8.8 with 4.10's than it was to regear. The clearance (or lack there-of) is noticeable though lol

Oh, and another perk about the 8.8...there are a lot of old school Ford guys around here that will replace bearings and gears in the 8.8. Almost no Jeep support (aside from your typical autoshop chain)

 

[1990heepxj]

Aww man, so I guess I better swap out my 8.8 for a D35 since I have 31's. But in all honesty, it is a bit overkill, but it was cheaper for me to buy an 8.8 with 4.10's than it was to regear. The clearance (or lack there-of) is noticeable though lol

Oh, and another perk about the 8.8...there are a lot of old school Ford guys around here that will replace bearings and gears in the 8.8. Almost no Jeep support (aside from your typical autoshop chain)

in your case an 8.8 was good because of a good deal, my point is its just more then needed for 31s. its a good anchor on my 33s right now too and hopefully wont be bad when i get 35s. not saying you shouldnt run it just that it was more then needed for your tire size

 

[CTeunuch]

There is a good amount of material that can be removed/beveled on the lip of the 8.8 to make it less of an anchor.