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Hmmm 8.8 or 9"???

KwikBrik245

KwikBrik245

Damaged Goods
300+ Club
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Location
NE Ohio
I will be upgrading the axle in the twin turbo car here shortly but am still undecided about what unit will be going in.
I know the 8.8 will be adequate for what the car and I will be doing, but I really like the idea of a 9" and having a different gear set/ratio on standby just in case.
What say you?
 
Existing thread for reference

I'm likely going to use an 8.8 with my V8 conversion, but mine is NA, and it seems I may have ready access to a early 2K Explorer. I'm still unclear on whether the axle casing has to be altered / widened with the 8.8, and what fitment issues there may be going with the 9"....
 
does the 9” 96-02? Ford not take two left shafts. Yes, cut right tube by the 1.5” or whatever, install 2nd left
 
Depends on what you’re asking it to do I guess.

8.8 diffs are far from cheap now, and the c-clips and axle plunge is pretty annoying. Plus if the wheel bearing goes bad it usually destroys the axle shaft since the axle shaft is one of the bearing races.

I’ve owned vehicles with 8.8 diffs, they’re fine. I’ve rebuilt them, they’re easy enough to work on. Yes the factory LSD is cheap and a good option… but that’s about the only perk to them.

You can buy a NEW 9” housing with NEW axles and bearings in any width from 54”+ for about $600-700

The 8.8 disk brake setup will bolt onto a big bearing Ford 9” axle. So there is an upgrade path with some of your parts.
 
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culberro said:
Depends on what you’re asking it to do I guess.

8.8 diffs are far from cheap now, and the c-clips and axle plunge is pretty annoying. Plus if the wheel bearing goes bad it usually destroys the axle shaft since the axle shaft is one of the bearing races.

I’ve owned vehicles with 8.8 diffs, they’re fine. I’ve rebuilt them, they’re easy enough to work on. Yes the factory LSD is cheap and a good option… but that’s about the only perk to them.

You can buy a NEW 9” housing with NEW axles and bearings in any width from 54”+ for about $600-700

The 8.8 disk brake setup will bolt onto a big bearing Ford 9” axle. So there is an upgrade path with some of your parts.
Click to expand...
2manyturbos said:
I would go with the 9" because of all the aftermarket support and the fact you can do a gear change fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

Ya, All signs are pointing to a 9". The 9" can handle far more than I ever plan to throw at it, but the aftermarket is really good. and having a backup unit/ alternate ratio ready to go sounds really nice. I highly doubt there will be any significant issues stuffing the 9" under the 740 either.
 
My first diff in the V8 Wagon was a 1030/3.90 gears, you would break the tires loose first. I now have a 1031/3.31 gears still not a problem. The first motor made 375+ HP wore it out after 200K hard abuse miles, no problem with the diff. With the Powerglide[2 speed] trans it would break the tires loose going into drive @ 65MPH when it shifted out of low.
 
I did a 9” with 35 spline axles and a spool in the rallycar after breaking every limited slip, lots of axles, and wheel studs... five at a time.

Huge axles and 5/8” wheel studs with 1” wheel nuts were the end of breaking things. I gave it a 3.0 final drive ratio as fourth in the Jerico box is 1-1 and the motor made a LOT of torque.

I saw 145 on gravel a number of times.
 
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