I was just wondering if this aplies to all 8.8 rear axles
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member...8_225_full.gif

I found this article regarding the 8.8 in a 4x4 magazine
 

my guess would be not to worry about it. i know that some of the guys on this site, and others, have put there axles through a lot and haven't had a problem. well only one problem comes to mind, but that was an odd situation.

We also have one in our ranks that broke the living crap out of one!

Ya but he had a locker(if you are talking about bucknarly).. when you are spinning 2 tires and one suddenly grabs(with a locker)... the other one puts ALOT of stress on everything .

Oh and they state its a weak axle for FULL SIZE TRUCKS..
The axleshafts are the weak point mainly which is why the fx4 lev2 has the 8.8 with 31 spline shafts... (33% stronger according to ford)

Rand

can an edge 8.8 28 or 26 (i think) spline axle be swapped for an FX4 33 spline?

fx4 33spline?

umm Rangers have 28 spline while explorers and fx4 II have 31 splines.

Gil, are you talking about teh axle shaft itself? or the entire axle? I'm sure you could order the parts needed for the FX4II rear cause the explorer rears (and axle shafts) are longer by 1.5 inches than a reg Ranger.

Hope this helps, I remeber me and Eric talking about this the other night.

The FX4 has a 31 splined axle. I've destroyed 3 axles and 3 differentials. The 28 splined axles in out Rangers are good for ( maybe ) 250hp.. beyond that, I would say their life is very short lived.

An 8.8 axle CAN be built to take abuse. 31 splined axles are a start BUT.. they have to connect to something somewhere.

Sir Issac Newton stated in his 3rd law of Physics ...

" For every action, there is an equal and OPPOSITE reaction "

.. His theory has yet to be proven false.

BuckGnarly ( Carl ) torques a 28spline axle in Centralia.. It twisted like Liquorish ( sp? ) and literally exploded from the inside out. This was due to a very poor manufacturing process on the stock axles. http://www.moserengineering.com/ is a good place to start if you want solid axles. I would rate their 28 splined axles as being stronger then fords 31 splined axles.. Bang for the buck.. Their pretty tough.
heres some rough info on just how stroung their items are --- >>

The torque rating of Moser Engineering Custom Alloy Axles are as follows:
30 Spline - 6,200 ft. lbs. (per axle)
31 spline - 7,000 ft. lbs. (per axle)
33 spline - 8,200 ft. lbs. (per axle)
35 spline - 9,600 ft. lbs. (per axle)
40 spline - 12,000 ft. lbs. (per axle)

Those axles are pretty light as well. They are hard forged and treated to boot. I have yet to see one break in ANY of the plow trucks used to clear Buffalo winters ( and they arent a joke! ).

D.

which could you put in the 8.8s though, im not sure whats compatible as ive never really talked nor heard much about them.


EDIT: just checked that website, D, and it says race only.

can they be used in off road conditions?

Yes. if it says 'race only' you could STILL use them offroading. Race vehicals are extreemly punished. I broke an auburn differential in Detroit, Broke it before that at the first summit meet I went too.. went to a powertrax.. broke that... I'm using an Eaton now and its been severely punished.

It would work quite well for offroad, Buck uses one now as well and hes DEFINETLY and offroad guy.

A racing diff on an offroad truck...

D.

FYI, "race-only" products are also known as "off-road". That description implies the parts aren't to be used on public roads and highways, etc.

The calculator on Moser's site to figure out rear-axle torque is specifically meant for 2wd vehicles. Four-wheel drive vehicles with transfer cases significantly increase torque output, therefore warranting the need for a tougher axle.

For my truck, producing 185 ft-lbs torque, a 2.47 first gear ratio, a 4.10 rear axle ratio, the transfer case ratio requires me to have an axle that can support 2.5 TIMES the torque that a plain 2wd axle sees.

Using Moser's example, I calculated that I need an axle that can withstand 4200-ft lbs of torque. I haven't busted an axle yet, and I've done some pretty serious stuff.

What will Moser's 28 spline axles support? 5400 ft-lbs? How much is a set of those? If Ford claims that a 31-spline 8.8 axle is 33% stronger than the 28-spline, that means the 31-spline Ford OE unit supports around 5500-5600 ft-lbs, OR MORE, considering the power output of a 4.0L equipped truck. If you have a manual transmission and transfer case mated to your 4.0L, the calculated power output is MUCH more. The transmission ratio is a whopping 3.91:1, calculated with all the other features of the truck including 238 ft-lbs of torque, you're going to need to support a little over 8500 ft-lbs at the rear. Output calculated, Ford is putting their 31-spline axles behind this and they are being supported by the OE units! I guess that means each shaft is supporting 4250+ ft-lbs apiece whereas Moser claims 7000 ft-lbs apiece. I am just using Moser's equation for this, so in theory these numbers should be correct. If mine aren't, their's aren't, either.

Is Moser really worth it? How much are these axles? Depending on cost, I'd just upgrade to the FX4/Explorer rear vs buying 28T Moser shafts. Then if you need to, you can upgrade to 31-spline Moser shafts if you are still having problems.

Definition of Race only/Off-road only parts:

You go (off-roading/racing/general truck abusing) and on the way home (the part) explodes, you wreck and die a horrible firey death. You family sues Ford. Ford investigates and determines the aftermarket part was the cause. Family sues the part manufacturer. Manufacturer part states for "off-road" use only. You died on a public road. Part didn't pass or was even submitted to DOT approval. End of story.

Some parts get the "Off-road" badge because of emission requirements. I installed an "off-road" H-Pipe on my friends Mustang GT, and he sure as hell doesn't take it in the dirt. Has the overall meaning of "not street legal".

didnt we just decide that moser axles wont break and thats the point? ide rather have more a chance of not dying a fiery death than my family getting to win a law suit over ford.

Read the article under sturdy fix. It seems it's referring to pre-87 axles. If any our trucks have pre-87 axles we have some issues with Ford :biggrin:

But stronger is probably still possible from what D was saying

lol! It has to do with the axle shaft itself, and how it was tempered -- or not tempered if I recall correctly. That's been talked about on Ford sites for years and is not something new. The 8.8 obviously isn't the strongest axle, but it's not "weak" per-se. Shock loading can break about anything, which is what happened to Carl.

The concern about the tubes spinning is valid but how hard is it to tac weld them? 10 15 minutes at the most or if you can't weld buy someone a six pack.

DST-- IRRC my 31 spline mosers were around $400 installed.

I'm So Confused

Advice: drive your truck, and enjoy. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain... :smile: