Texasjeep01
New member
So my axles are all stock with stock gearing (3.07) and I'm running on 33's. Is it ok to put a Dana 44 in the rear with 4.11 gearing and keep the front stock? Or do I have to upgrade the front axle and regear it too? Thanks
I only wheel about once every month so I'm trying to get something that will last and will not break. I think I'm stopping at 33's
if you plan on using 4 wheel drive ever then you need the front dif and the rear dif to have the same gear ratio.
d44 is stronger the a d35. d35's are pretty weak because they have a "c" clip design that holds the axle shafts in which breaks a lot when you start putting bigger tires on and lockers. swapping a d44 in for 33's would be well worth it especially if you might go to 35s down the road.
The c-clip is not what makes the axle weak. Ford 8.8 axles use a c-clip and they are as strong or stronger than Dana 44's. The 27 spline axle shafts and small internal parts (carrier, ring and pinion, spider gears) are what make the Dana 35 a weak axle.
4.10 gearing still isn't ideal for 33" tires.