Hey all I had a question concerning rear axles, what are the differences between them? what is the best one for street and the best one for off-road? Thanks ahead of time.

 

well basically the only differences between them is strength, and C clips. the D44 is the strongest axle out of the ones you mentioned, with the D35 being the worst. 8.25s can be good if they're the 29 spline version. IMO 29 splines are the best "bang for your buck". you can find them way cheaper than D44s and they have comparable strength to the D44. the only downside to them is the C clips, which isnt that big a deal since 8.25 shafts dont break nearly as easily as D35s.

 

X2

 

x3 for 8.25 with 29 spline look for 96+ axles

 

Ford 8.8!

 

And by this he means 97 and newer. 96's still had 27 spline.

 

Not to highjack the thread but, my '98 8.25 should be the 29 spline then?

 

yes.

also pretty sure 96 was a mixed year for the 8.25. It could come with 27 or 29 spline shafts so you should check before you buy one, or attempt to buy a locker or spiders for one you alredy have.

x4 on the 8.25. I did a swap from a d35 earlier this year. I went through it all and couldn't justify the d44. Could get a bolt in 8.25 for ~1/3 the price as the d44. They are almost as stong and if i did break it (which i havent), I can add a set of alloy shafts and still be cheaper and stronger than if i bought a d44 in the first place.

8.25 or d44 if you can afford it. I would stay away from d35 for sure. And I think 27 spline 8.25s actually have smaller shafts then d35s, but they break less because the housing is stronger and doesn't flex as much. Still probably not worth swapping in though

you would be pretty safe with any of the axles with 31 or smaller tires and open. Ligher would be better for street use, but i doubt you'd notice it.

 

You are one of the only people on here that has taken the time to look at how good the 8.25 really is with a shaft upgrade.
First, it has larger pinion gear and bearings. They are in the Dana 60 pinion size neighborhood.
Second, the axle tubes on the Chrysler 8.25 are much larger and stronger than the Dana 44
Third, with a set of 29 spline 1541H axle shafts the 8.25 is cheaper and stronger than a stock Dana 44.
Plus, you can upgrade the 27 spline axle as easy as buying the 29 spline shafts and a lunch box and putting them in the 27 spline axle.
Of course if you want to spend 2500 bucks or so for a Dynatrac trail 44 it would be stronger than a 8.25

 

shop around i bought a d30 an d44 for 150 bucks

 

This is all great info guys, thanks big time. So basically I should get rid of my stock D35 in the rear because anything is better than that haha.... well I'll start shopping around then

 

+1
I got an ARB locked D44 for $900 with a running, driving, well working truck still attached.

 

for the street the dana 35 because its the lightest, for a rock crawler a dana 44 and for a daily driver/weekend wheeler the chrysler 8.25 even the 27 splines are stong and way lighter then a dana 44

 

That really helped me, I plan on mine being a DD/weekend "light" wheeler. After all the work I put into it, I don't want to go crawlin' and start breaking everything.

 

I have looked around, I guess where I'm at they just don't give stuff away.
Anyway my Chrysler 8.25 with aftermarket shafts is much stronger than a stock Dana 44. Cost was less than 245.00 with shipping.