dana 44 or ford 8.8

[tjbuggie]

dana 44 or ford 8.8 that is the question??? which is better for real wheeling, don't want to go tons, so which would be the better axle to put in my 97 xj?? Plans are to run 33-35" tires with lockers front and rear. Might even do a mini spool in the rear so what do ya'll think is the better axle??

[bluedragon436]

If you are referring to a Dana 44 out of an XJ I would go with that.. as it is a good axle, plenty of aftermarket support for it.. and it is completely bolt in... The awesome thing about a Ford 8.8 is because you can find them out of an Explorer with 4.10 gears, and an LSD which would be good to run with 33's... and although it isn't a locker.. it will be better than an open rear end.. just my $.02!!

[bigjim350]

Either one would be fine with 35's and a locker. The easiest to swap would be the D44 but they are hard to find, but is a good axle. The 8.8 is cheap and easy to find, most with disc brakes. However you have to weld new perches on, they are 1" narrower, and still use c-clips. So basicly it comes down to, how much money you wanna spend, or how much work you wanna do to do the swap.

[XJ Wheeler]

I'm gonna have to go with what James said.

Haha

[4.3LXJ]

D44. More gear ratios and lockers etc available and 35 spline axles and lockers are easy to come by

[bluedragon436]

D44. More gear ratios and lockers etc available and 35 spline axles and lockers are easy to come by

Thanks... now you got me wanting to replace my 29 spline with the D44 that I just had a friend offer me a deal on.. LOL.. maybe I'll just pick it up as an upgrade/replacement for when something breaks in my Ch. 8.25

[tjbuggie]

Thanks for the info, git a line on a xj44 so I think I will go that way. Did a disk brake 8.8 swap on a tj I had a few years ago, so just wondered if the extra work was worth it. Sounds like the 44 it is!!!!