Hmmmm, what to do?

[JeepAddict85]

I say go 8.8, just weld the tubes to the center (ill be doing this soon). Its stronger, and 31 spline (over 29). Many come with a limited slip which can be rebuilt or repacked tighter. Whats a rear axle at pull a part...80 bux? Save your money for the gears. 4.56, and 33x10.5 would be great. I still DD mine most days with a combo similar to that. Upgrade your front shafts to ones from a later model XJ with the bigger U-joints (as Ghost said), and keep your old ones as spares. 1 selectable locker would also make a world of difference. Ive only got an Aussie up front, but i made it through stuff a bunch of rubicon tjs/jks couldnt make it up locked front/rear.

 

[JeepAddict85]

If you are running an 8.25, then your choices are only 4.10 or 4.56....not a huge difference. If you've added steel...bumpers, skids, rails...go 4.56...all that steel adds weight...and that needs more gearing. I was headed that way with 32's...eventual plan was to move up to 33's when the 32's wore out.:wave1:

actually 4.88's are now made for the 8.25 axle

http://www.justdifferentials.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_33_103&products_id=2684

 

[Ghost]

actually 4.88's are now made for the 8.25 axle

http://www.justdifferentials.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_33_103&products_id=2684

But they suck!

 

[PacificEd]

But they suck!

The Nitro brand or the ratio?

 

[bigalpha]

Tack the caps!

There's a place in another chapter that was selling specialized retainers for those u-joints that covered teh cap so if it broke, it wouldn't spit the joint out.

 

[Ghost]

The Nitro brand or the ratio?

Every one I have come across has said the 4.88 in the 8.25 are noisey and some have even broken them. Not shure on who was running what but that is generally speaking what I have heard. By the way I have a line on a xj D44 for $400.

 

[Team Willys]

My .02 is to do option 2 without alloys but make sure you have factory shafts with the 297 joints. Tack the caps! Either run the 8.25 or an xj D44. Disk brakes for the 8.25 or D44 is easy with GC D35 disks that can be gotten at a pull a part cheap. I have been around enough Fords mudding in Florida and in other high stress areas to know to stay away from the 8.8. Don't believe me ask Lennie! Run a 33x10.50 tire. It is a great tire and offers height over rocks and obstacles but doe snot have the weight and contact patch that will snap an axle in a skinny minute.

The 8.8 is bomb proof, don't believe me? Ask me (Truck and car both have one, car has 425+Hp/470+LbFt Tq, and handles 28x10.50 drag slicks and the hammer being dropped on it at 3K RPM pretty frequently. The truck has a 5.0 and 35s, and it does get beat on. I have never had any problems whatsoever). Still not good enough? Well, look at Tim's jeep, you all saw how I drove it, and he drives it like that on every trip, if not harder. He's broken a lot of things in that jeep driving it like that, but the 8.8 is the one thing that just won't die. The only problem the 8.8 has is the tubes spinning in the housing, but I have never seen it happen unless it is in a wrecked vehicle. So, you weld the tubes to the cast and there you go. A bombproof axle that will out do any C8.25 or Moderate 44. Especially an XJ 44... the housings are too weak in those things IMHO. Such as why I have bent 2 rear 44 housings in the willys. They are the same thing, just offset pumpkin. That's why I had to build a new housing and sleeve it.

Ghost, not everyone has to be on 60's and 42 TSL SX 2s to have a bombproof rig lol.

Im in agreeance with Doug on this one, I would comfortably run 37's on a stock 31 spline exploder 8.8 with a moderate driving style. With the superior super 88 kit; 38s and hammer down...

8.8 FTW!!!

 

[High2by]

Here, here my good man. I think the 8.8 is a better choice also.

Ed you know the reasons why.

 

[muddyrocks]

There's always these little gems just so ya know where the weak point will be'

 

[PacificEd]

I e-mailed an Online 4x4 retailer and he recommented the D30/8.8 combo over the 8.25.

That is one reason I put the 8.8 on the poll is because I know it is a good option for my XJ. I've seen them in action and they all seem to do great. Juan's rig was on 38's and he walked the trails.

 

[PacificEd]

There's always these little gems just so ya know where the weak point will be'

They don't do well on a DD rig, though. Definately strong but I'd have to grease them daily....or spend another $1200 on the Warn locking hub kit.

 

[muddyrocks]

I do enjoy my 8.8, 4:56, and 35's... it's still very quick off the line too.

 

[muddyrocks]

Weekly or monthly maintinence, depends on the mileage, which you don't do a ton of.

 

[xjtrailrider]

Every one I have come across has said the 4.88 in the 8.25 are noisey and some have even broken them. Not shure on who was running what but that is generally speaking what I have heard. By the way I have a line on a xj D44 for $400.

Where are they breaking at Glenn? I am trussing my axle and tying the RuffStuff cover into the truss to reduce ring gear deflection. Hopefully this will deter any issues.

 

[Ghost]

The 8.8 is bomb proof, don't believe me? Ask me (Truck and car both have one, car has 425+Hp/470+LbFt Tq, and handles 28x10.50 drag slicks and the hammer being dropped on it at 3K RPM pretty frequently. The truck has a 5.0 and 35s, and it does get beat on. I have never had any problems whatsoever). Still not good enough? Well, look at Tim's jeep, you all saw how I drove it, and he drives it like that on every trip, if not harder. He's broken a lot of things in that jeep driving it like that, but the 8.8 is the one thing that just won't die. The only problem the 8.8 has is the tubes spinning in the housing, but I have never seen it happen unless it is in a wrecked vehicle. So, you weld the tubes to the cast and there you go. A bombproof axle that will out do any C8.25 or Moderate 44. Especially an XJ 44... the housings are too weak in those things IMHO. Such as why I have bent 2 rear 44 housings in the willys. They are the same thing, just offset pumpkin. That's why I had to build a new housing and sleeve it.

Ghost, not everyone has to be on 60's and 42 TSL SX 2s to have a bombproof rig lol.

Im in agreeance with Doug on this one, I would comfortably run 37's on a stock 31 spline exploder 8.8 with a moderate driving style. With the superior super 88 kit; 38s and hammer down...

8.8 FTW!!!

At what point did I say everyone had to be on 60's and 42's? I have seen enough broken 8.8's that I do not recomend them especially over an axle that can be found for reasonable $$$$ that is non c-clip. I have watched a previous owner beat on a 8.25 with the 27 spline shafts on 35's and a welded diff at tellico for 3 days straight and not break a thing. Nothing is bomb proof, you can put any axle in a situation where it will break. Out of curiosity what gears are in the truck and what gears are in the car? Is the car locked or limited slip? What about the truck?

 

[Ghost]

Where are they breaking at Glenn? I am trussing my axle and tying the RuffStuff cover into the truss to reduce ring gear deflection. Hopefully this will deter any issues.

The broken ones I heard about were the cheap gear maker. I forget the name. So it was no surprise there. Gunion maybe? Do they make a set? I have forgoten it was a few years ago.

 

[trail rate this]

There's always these little gems just so ya know where the weak point will be'

What is that little gem

 

[shortxjdoug]

What is that little gem

it looks like an ox u-joint

 

[shortxjdoug]

At what point did I say everyone had to be on 60's and 42's? I have seen enough broken 8.8's that I do not recomend them especially over an axle that can be found for reasonable $$$$ that is non c-clip. I have watched a previous owner beat on a 8.25 with the 27 spline shafts on 35's and a welded diff at tellico for 3 days straight and not break a thing. Nothing is bomb proof, you can put any axle in a situation where it will break. Out of curiosity what gears are in the truck and what gears are in the car? Is the car locked or limited slip? What about the truck?

i'll agree that nothing is bombproof, and the 8.25 is a good axle, i had 29 spline yukon shafts and a detroit in one on 35's and beat the snot out of it. the 8.8 is an upgrade though it always will be... why has it become so popular then? You think people would spend their time swapping in a junk axle? im not sure of the circumstances of your experience with 8.8's (fullsize trucks mudding whatnot?) Both tims and tyler's in the truck are running 4.56's and ARB's and they get ridden pretty hard, along with a lot of the other 8.8 swaps ive seen firsthand. bigger tubes, bigger shafts bigger carrier bigger ring&pinion better brakes. having run an xj 44 in a jeep i would pick the 8.8 over that 44 any day of the week. Nothing is bombproof, but id put the 8.8 in the worry free department, ive just had too much firsthand experience with them to believe that 8.8's are crapping out all over the place. also do you consider 400$ a reasonably priced non c clip axle. the last fully dressed 8.8 i got i dropped a whopping 67$ on, the xj 44 is overrated (Very good, but still overrated and overpriced)

 

[Ghost]

i'll agree that nothing is bombproof, and the 8.25 is a good axle, i had 29 spline yukon shafts and a detroit in one on 35's and beat the snot out of it. the 8.8 is an upgrade though it always will be... why has it become so popular then? You think people would spend their time swapping in a junk axle? im not sure of the circumstances of your experience with 8.8's (fullsize trucks mudding whatnot?) Both tims and tyler's in the truck are running 4.56's and ARB's and they get ridden pretty hard, along with a lot of the other 8.8 swaps ive seen firsthand. bigger tubes, bigger shafts bigger carrier bigger ring&pinion better brakes. having run an xj 44 in a jeep i would pick the 8.8 over that 44 any day of the week. Nothing is bombproof, but id put the 8.8 in the worry free department, ive just had too much firsthand experience with them to believe that 8.8's are crapping out all over the place. also do you consider 400$ a reasonably priced non c clip axle. the last fully dressed 8.8 i got i dropped a whopping 67$ on, the xj 44 is overrated (Very good, but still overrated and overpriced)

Actually around here we dont have pull a parts. All privately owned junk yards. The D35's cost $500 here. So you tell me what is a "good" deal? The closest pull a part is probalby in Columbia, an hour drive from here. FActor in the core charge and the gas and your $70 rear has gone to close to $200 really quick. I never said the 8.8 was junk either I said originally that I would do the xj d44 or 8.25 over the 8.8 when you consider the tire size I posted. 33 x 10.50. The last article I read with a comparison of the 8.8 put it marginally better then the 8.25 and the D44 was about the same as the 8.25. If it were me building an xj for dd and trail use I would chose the D44 or 8.25 over all the work that has to be done to get the 8.8 in an xj. Maybe you guys do not understand and maybe that is a little easyer to digest. I guess my point got lost in all this dribble.