Okey so i wanna swap my rear end in the near future. My question is which swap is the best(strongest/performance wise)/cheapest(cost of swap)/easiest(to swap in) out of them nd what are the pros nd cons of all three swaps
I know someones gonna ask what im trying to do with my rig, its gonna be a trial only rig will nvr see street time nd will be towed out to the wheeling spot
All sugestions/opinions are welcome thank u

 

The 8.8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Very easy to.swap in. And most come stock with 4.10's and a lsd depending on where you get it off.

 

8.8 is easier to find and it's cheaper to build. Gears, lockers, install kits etc are more expensive for D44
Tubes are bigger, spline count is higher, comes with factory disc brakes
The only upside to the D44 is that it's semi floating. I've seen the abuse an 8.8 can take (a lot)
If you want to run locked 35's some day get the 8.8

 

X2

 

8.8. enough said. I have one in my xj and I love it.

 

Chrysler 8.25 is going to be the easiest to swap but can be harder to find. A Dana 44 would be easy too swap, but can be extremely difficult to find one. The 8.8 would be preferred but will take a little extra work to swap it in. Still not a very complicated process though.

 

Strength wise out of the box:
8.8
D44
8.25

The D44 and 8.25 are pretty close strength wise though.

Cheapest to swap:
8.25
D44
8.8

D44 and 8.25 are bolt in. However, 8.25 is probably the cheapest to buy, than the 8.8, and finally the made o' gold D44.

Easiest to swap:
D44 - 8.25
8.8

The 8.8 will require a welder and welding on new shock/leaf mounts. Not a big deal for everyone, but is for some.

 

Ruffstuff makes the beefiest 8.8 swap kit for $130 and you'll need a yoke adapter for $30
8.8 swap isn't exactly fun but it's not that hard if you have the tools
But personally I'd rather go onto NAXJA or CL and buy a rear end that's already built with gears and a locker

Here just reference pirate4x4 it's all been said
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/archi...p/t-24854.html

 

8.8. ran them in my last 2 xjs.. love having rear disc. jy here sells them for $100.

 

the 8.8 is the best bargain if you can fab. you get discs, 4.10s and potentially LSD in one deal.

on a side note, you don't always have to run a different flange for the driveshaft, if you salvage the explorer flange you can use a conversion u-joint

 

For strength, 8.8

 

Thanks evryone for the input nd thanks emptypockets thats what i was looking for...well the swap will happen after march nxt year so i have untill then to get my hands on a 8.8, what am i lookin to spend for a pretty much bolt in unit like atmos was talking about

 

I agree that the 8.8 is stronger and has the huge benefit of rear disc's. I dont have a welder so the 8.8 was out of the question with me. I managed to find a d44 out of an xj though, which was nice...direct bolt in.

 

An 8.25 can de directly swapped for about $150. Everything is bolt on, no fab required. And if you take the time at a JY, the disc brakes can be had for $50.


D44s usually go for $300.