97 explorer

The Ford Explorer 8.8-Inch rear axle has found homes in numerous vehicles besides the Explorer. It has been swapped in to Ford Rangers, Bronco II's, Jeeps, Chevy S-10's and even some cars.

The 8.8-Inch axle used in the Explorer is highly desirable because it came with 31-spline axles over the typical 28-spline found in the Ranger version. There’s a 20-25 percent difference in strength between this Explorer 8.8 and the Ranger 8.8. The bigger 31-spline axle accounts for most of that, but the 3.25-inch tubes also help. The 1991-1994 versions had 10-Inch drum brakes and the 1995 and newer models come with disc brakes.

Not all Ford Rangers came with 8.8-Inch rears. The base rear end in the Ranger has been the Ford 7.5-Inch. When Ford introduced the 4.0 V-6 into the Ranger in 1990, it came with a 8.8-Inch, 28-spline rear axle. The Ford 7.5-Inch axle was standard on the non 4.0 V-6 models.

To this day, the Ranger can still be found with either the Ford 7.5 or 8.8 inch axles. The base model 8.8-inch axle is still a 28-spline, but the FX4's come with a 31-spline 8.8-Inch rear axle.

The majority of these axles came with 3.73 gears and a Traction-Lok differential. The Traction-Lok can work very well and almost like a full locker if you apply a little brake pressure with your left foot while accelerating with the right.