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8.8 or 9"in strate axel swap

fangs99

Well-Known Member
i'm looking for places to reserch an axle swap, i know a 8.8 will be easy. but if i go big power i think a 9" inch will hold up better. any ideas/comments
 
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Mustangcwo

Guest
8.8 vs 9.0:

8.8 is shimed rear end. Whenever you swap gears in an 8.8 you have to crush a sleeve for the pinion and adjust axle bearing clearances with shims. Although the process is lengthly, the rear is more efficient compared to the 9"

9.0 is an adjustable rear end that uses bolts to set clearances and makes gear swaping easier. If you want to swap gears often for oval track racing or road courses then the 9" is the way to go.
 

DSGimportslayer

DSG in the hisouse!
Staff member
8.8 can be made bulletproof. with the right diff, gears, and axles, you wont have to worry about anything. + 9" are expensive. you can get a 8.8 at just about any junkyard, build it in your garage, and still be able to drive around on what you got for now. you can make the 8.8 bullet proof for about a grand, a 9" good luck getting one built for that.
 

Daniboy1983

Well-Known Member
Not sure about the weight but for lots of power the 9in is the way to go. If you have the money a 9in is more than worth it. They are bullet proof and really really easy to work with. You really don' need a 9 in unless you have ALOT of power though.
 
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Mustangcwo

Guest
Ok, the only reason to go to a 9" is if you want to swap gears often. Otherwise the 8.8 is all you need. Solid or crushed in the 8.8 doesn't really matter. If you change gears often you'll need to adjust shims often and it's a pain and time consuming. With the 9" rear it's easy to change gears and make adjustments. I'm talking 2-3hrs...8.8 and 20minutes....9".
 

fangs99

Well-Known Member
well i'm looking to do a 5.1-5.3 liter stroker kit and single or twin turbo. so the one that will handle that kind of power and give me the best handling/traction. and i plan to run one gear only. somewhere between 3.50 and 3.73.
 

Daniboy1983

Well-Known Member
Still voting for the 9in. You obviously have the money, so get the stronger one. Ya a 8.8 may work but a 9in is good insurance for when you crank up the boost.
 

02gt

Well-Known Member
the 8.8" can be had for probably cheaper and the parts are easy to find, besides you can get some forged 31 slpine axles and eaton detroit locker, you'll be good to go to handle like 800 lb/tq. The 9" will be more useful in cars that make over 1000 hp to the wheels, do you plan on building a 1000+ hp steet beast?
 

fangs99

Well-Known Member
my goal with this car is 11.1-10.9 et. in 1/4 mi. .99-1.10g on skid pad and 20+ mpg average.
 
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Mustangcwo

Guest
There is another thread in here that explains the axles too. You wont need to upgrade to 31 spline. See detail below:

Ford 8.8 28spline COT: 1250 MOT: 4600
Ford 8.8 31spline COT: 1360 MOT: 5100

Unless your building a monster, money is spent better elsewhere.
 

fangs99

Well-Known Member
Mustangcwo said:
There is another thread in here that explains the axles too. You wont need to upgrade to 31 spline. See detail below:

Ford 8.8 28spline COT: 1250 MOT: 4600
Ford 8.8 31spline COT: 1360 MOT: 5100

Unless your building a monster, money is spent better elsewhere.

thanks for all the info. but i am looking for 700-800 hp so would 31's be better.
 

fangs99

Well-Known Member
Daniboy1983 said:
Still voting for the 9in. You obviously have the money, so get the stronger one. Ya a 8.8 may work but a 9in is good insurance for when you crank up the boost.

well i'm not made of money. but i'm deploying in january and re-enlisting while when we are in tax free zone. but anyway i want to put the right part in the first time, but don't want to spend more then i have to.
 

DSGimportslayer

DSG in the hisouse!
Staff member
IRS FTMFW. theres a guy running high 10s on a stock drive train. the IRS is heavier.....alot heavier but the handleing is superb. but if you do swap it..go with the 8.8, late mod resto has a 8.8 bulletproof kit for like a grand.
 
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