Hello all
I was just wondering which axles yall thinks is stronger a dana 44 rear end out of a rubicon, or a 8.8 ford axle? Because I am thinking of putting the front and rear axles under my XJ out of an rubicon TJ what are yall thoughts?

 

Both are going to be coil sprung, so fab work will need to be done to get the correct axle mounts.

The 8.8 and D44 are fairly close in strength.

So really close to equal. The 8.8 may have disc brakes and 4.10 gears with a limited slip tho.

I think the D44 has better after market support.

 

The rubi D44s aren't as strong as a traditional D44, front is a D30 with a D44 center section, low pinion and not worth the swap unless it's free and your high pinion D30 is broken. If you're talking about the JK versions the front is known for tubes breaking at the inner Cs.

 

The explorer 8.8 is super cheap but you have to weld on new spring perches and shock mounts.But if you truss it and get the super 88 kit it will be almost bullet proof.

 

Get the 8.8 just because spare parts are so easy to come by

 

8.8 over a Rubicon 44 any day.
Thicker shafts, 1 more spline, bigger tubes.

Adding perches is easy.
http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.co...y-Ford-8.8-Kit

 

Thanks fellas for the info. I was thinking about going front and rear rubicon D44 out of TJ but yall answered my question about the rear so what about the front?

 

well, as someone else said, the tj rubi 44s are a d30 housing with 44 centers and shafts. but the front is a direct bolt in and i say if you can get it for a good price, take it. i sure would if i had the opportunity. and as a plus, it will already have an electronic locker

 

Rubi front D44 IS NOT A REAL D44 and is a waste of money. It's low pinion vs your high pinion so you loose ground clearance and get a steeper drive shaft angle, it's a D30 from the center section out and they sell for crazy prices. The factory air lockers aren't the greatest and you have to use the factory air pump.

 

Which true dana 44s will fit with out sticking way out?

 

up front? none will be stock width unless you shorten the tubes. JK44s aren't "true" 44s but are better in a few ways.. just need to truss the hell out of em. they are like 3-4" wider. waggy LP44s are 3-4" wider as well.

 

Ok xjmarc and 93XJLI I see both you guys have D44 under your rigs where did you get them? Did you buy or build and make fit? So it looks like the 8.8 in the rear and might keep the D30 in the front I just want it to hold up when i hit the skinny pedal lol. I plan on putting on a lift for 33 to 35 haven't made my mind up yet so with the jeep stock i would start on the axles then go from there. Thanx for the info guys I do appreciate it. :-)

 

Mine is a full width D44 out of a 78 F250 and if I had it to do over I would skip and it and go with a D60 but I'm also running a larger tire than you plan to.
Just an FYI the waggy D44 is barely and inch wider than your D30 and you can get a Rodeo or Honda Pilot D44 rear that factory with disc, and they sell cheaper than 8.8s, to match the front bolt pattern (6 lug). The Rodeo/Pilot D44s came with 4.10s, 4.27s and 4.56s so you wouldn't even have to regear it.

 

So the pilot is a Dana 44? But with 6 lug? I never knew that, how hard are they to make work?

 

Really gotta look at what terrain you plan on playing in, and tire size. I'm going to build up a ford hp dana 44 front for mine, and max size I plan on ever running is 37s locked. Rear is either going to be a ford 9 or an 8.8 with super 88 kit. There is a lot of good info out there on axles, search a bit on naxja or pirate. I'm not even considering a 44 rear, they just don't seen worth the money for the strength.

I like to have peace of mind, plus you never know when you'll get the itch to go bigger. I thought id be happy at 31s, but soon as I ordered my long arms I started planning the jump to 35s and lockers.