I was wondering if someone could look at this pic and tell me what axles this is under my '99 xj. I couldn't find or read the markings on it and I know a lot of you can probably tell just by looking.

 

8.25

 

thanx for the quick response I thought it was because of the rounded edges on the cover and the flat bottom but wanted to be 100% sure. how much stronger is this than the d35? will it handle 33's and a locker with a stroked 4.0? (those are my plans) or should I start looking for a wrecked explorer for the rearend?

 

id get a better axle for the stroker or get different gearing

 

I'm planning on running 4.56 gears with ARB lockers front and rear with 33's. I just want to make sure this combo won't grenade with this axle before I spend the money.

 

I read somewhere that if you beef up that 8.25 with some alloy shafts and all that expensive stuff, that it can be as strong as a dana 44. don't hold me to that. Wish i could remember where i seen that writeup. Thats what im planning to do with mine to try it out. No stroker but with 35s. I can already hear ppl laughing.

 

Dont be skeered on the 8.25

You will be just fine with the 8.25 & 33's I have not broken a rear axel in any of my XJ's but I carry spares just in case.. In all my years (15YRS) wheeling with Cherokee's running 8.25 we experiened one broken axle They are as strong as thye D44. Do not waste your time & money on the d-35
As for the stroker--- Not many will pass emessions FY

 

Thats what i needed to hear.

 

i read a article at naxja i guy wrote a crap load about all the axles... there strength, weaknesses, tires sizes, what to do what not to do... so in depth i started not to know what he was talking about... sounds like all he even knew was just axles... should check it out... was a great guide for learning what setup you may want to run... i know what i want now anyway

 

responsible wheeling and you wont break stuff..
its when you say: Hey yall watch this..... is when things break...



Mark

 

You can throw a lot of money into a 8.25 axle and make very strong, but you still end up with the weak point of having c-clip shafts. So if you snap one on the trail you could have a tire come off.

 

Lemme guess - written by a fella, called himself CRASH? I know him - he doesn't know just axles. He actually knows a good deal about fabricating pretty much anything (powertrain and electrical are my things.)

The comment on C-clips is entirely correct - if you're going to go to the trouble to do any upgrading on the C8.25, get the C-clip eliminator kit first! Then, upgrade at will. If you're going to get stronger shafts, make sure they fit with the C-clip eliminators, or get the eliminator kit along with the shafts.

That's a large part of why I want to run 44/44 (I'm building more for a "go-anywhere working truck" than anything else...) - I know the 44 rather well, I know its capabilities and limitations, and it's in my comfort zone (I've built more than a few of them for street/strip rods. If they wanted something heavier, it was usually a D60 or a Ford 9", depending on the vehicle.) C-clips may make things easier for production, but what is easier for production isn't necessarily better for use or service (just ask anyone who has had to deal with Torx or E-Torx-headed screws. They work very well for production - but suck when you're actually working on the thing afterwards. Fortunately, they're invariably standard SAE or ISO threads...)

 

i cant remember his name... did a write up on acouple things front axles, back axles, yatt yatta... im sure he could do alot more i was just saying by reading that it seems like he just sits and studys nothing but axles... lol... was trying to get the point out that he seems like he knows what hes talkin about and i would read it and "do what he said"...lol

 

Probably was - I've got his writeups on file around here in my Archives, and he do certainly know what he's about.

Mainly, those writeups came about because he got tired of being asked the same questions over and over again - which is why I need to sit down and do writeups of more than a few things (for the same reason.)

 

Yeah i just went back there and re-found it... its him... probly gonna have to regear this dana44 i just got and my 30 to match up and wanted to double check with what he/i am gonna run... lol... im stuck between 4.88's and 4.56's... i plan right now to only run 33's but i may want 35's later and wouldnt want to regear... so im thinkin 4.88's now... but i can see where you guys that are high tech into this stuff would get ill repeating yourselves... thats why im stickin with reading and only writting low tech stuff