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8.8 width?

B

bails85

NAXJA Forum User
Location
phelan
ok so i have an 8.8 going in my xj now and they are 5/8 narrower per side than the d35. what do you guys do as far as widening it to match the front? wheel spacers? i want the front to be the same as the back. the rear tires are pretty close to the leaf springs right now. im guessing that its because im on stock rims. i am getting new rims so i should get away from the leaf. do you guys with 8.8s in your rig space them out so you can have the d35 width or do you just leave it alone and whell it as the 8.8 width?
 
Most leave it as is. JIM.
 
ive done some measuring and the only problem is running a 12.50 wide tire on stock backspacing (5.25"). 10.50 wide or a 12.50 with 4" of backspacing should fit fine.

a lot of the wrangler guys center the diff and use a spacer on just one side as the diff is offset (one tube is shorter than the other). but they also run a MUCH shorter rear shaft than us XJ guys, so we dont see the same driveline problems as them.

the 8.8 being a bit narrower in the rear is a non issue. it will not hurt your turning radius or anything like that. some will argue rubbing in the fender wells will be an problem, but thats negligible IMHO.





long story short... get wheels with more backspacing or run spacers if you like your stock rims depending on tire size.
 
I've got the 8.8 w/35's on 15x8" rims w/ 4"BS, no spacers and they don't rub at all in fact I can fit 2 fingers between the tire and the leaf spring. They don't rub the inner fenderwells either even at full stuff. Having the rear narrower will actually help with your turning radius just to be clear. Unless you tell someone the rear is narrower they will never be able to tell just by looking at it, it's hardly noticeable and really a none issue.
 
total width is 5/8in more narrow. the diff is offset to the pass. side (i think) by a little over 2in. you're better off centering the axle under the jeep as opposed to centering the dif. the offset diff won't affect much at all
 
thanks guys. the rims im getting are 3.75 backspace. im going to center the axle under the xj so the rear doesnt dog track. i was planning on just running the 8.8 as is with no wheel spacers. so thanks for your opinions. it helped reassure my frist take on the matter.
 
A very good way is to upgrade to the Super8.8 kit from Superior. It adds 1 inch per side, gets rid of the c-clips, and comes with dual-drilled alloy shafts. The main upgrade I like is that since it uses Set 20 outer bearings (like a 9 inch or SF 60) and the shafts is thicker, it doesn't have issues with the flanges bending.
 
I have an 8.8 and run it with 4.88's and a lockrite with 35s on a 8" wide wheel with no spacers and runs fine...and havent broken any thing.. I wouldnt upgrade shafts just pick up an extra set from a junk yard if your that worried and save a few dollars.

sorry for the crappy cell phone shot.


attachment.php
 
i looked for the super 88 kit and rustys seems to be the chepest i found. summit and others were 100 bucks higher than rustys.
 
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