FC - is the 8.8 worth it for drifting?
 

I see a lot of 8.8 conversions out there and just confused as to its real worth. Is throwing a 2 way in a factory pumpkin not okay for this chassis? Looking to push 450ish HP with a LS1 and in the market for a diff. If a 8.8 swap is necessity, I will be reconsidering my decisions.

At that power level the 8.8 swap is predominately about being able to select whatever gearing you want. While the swap is not cheap neither is the aftermarket diff, however, be very careful where you source the 8.8 from as it'll likely need an extensive rebuild, or even all new internals.

With a 450 HP V8 the stock 4.10 gearing is too short. You'll be shifting too often, and it will show you down.

Well, I won't be doing 80MPH entries most likely in this chassis. It's more of a fuck around chassis with 60MPH entries TOPS. It's more or less a PROAM car. I just didn't know if it was necessary to swap the rear end with something different for something like that or if getting a 2-way for the TII pumpkin will suffice.

You'll spend almost as much getting a 2 way installed and rebuilding the turbo diff.

With a gearing change you'll be a lot less likely to shift during a run. With the 4.10s you'll be at redline at 60 mph, and have to shift into 4th before 90.

You should not need to do that with a V8.

So the 8.8 swap is pretty much a must-do.

Not at all. Map out your gear vs. speed and see if its acceptable to you or not. Do a cost analysis yourself. Etc. Basically, see if it's worth it or not. To you.

At your power level with a T56, and what you want to do with the car, yes.

You are already going to spend money on diff work, so to put it another way - Why would you dump any money into a T2 diff that locks you into a single (2 if you count the 4.30 option) gear ratio that is not ideal and is oppressively expensive to rebuild?

Well the plan was to buy a 2-way and throw it in the T2 pumpkin. I see a lot of those out there swapping to a 8.8 and I'm just seeing what makes it feasible for a drift build. I don't expect the car to be perfect but obviously I don't want it to be shit either.

A few more thoughts in favor of an 8.8... Mazda's factory diff setup tends to wheel hop badly. A Ronin 8.8 solves that. Wheel hop tends to be worst from a standstill off the line, but it's still a consideration anytime.

T2 stub axles and rear end bits are also becoming more and more rare so costs are up significantly on spare parts, especially in the past couple years. Ford stuff is still dirt cheap by comparison.

Price out the 2 way and a full rebuild of the Turbo II Rear end.. It's not cheap.

Don't forget to factor in the cost of a rebuild and 2-way for the 8.8 as well.

$65 shipped for all the 8.8 hard parts to rebuild it. Most rear end shops will do the work for $150-$250.

Throw in a Detroit Locker and rock and roll. I if you want a cheap locker put a Spartan Locker in an open diff carrier. This will yield the cheapest way to do the conversion. You can just get an Explorer rear end with an open diff and but the Spartan Locker in it.

So you suggest what is essentially a 1-way style of diff which is known for fairly violent unlocking under decel to a guy who wants a 2-way and are doing so when I mention that he should make sure he's factoring in all the costs for as close to an apples to apples comparison as possible such that he can make an informed decision...

I was suggesting cheaper alternatives. The beauty of the 8.8 is that it provides worlds more choice over the stock setup. A Spartan Locker can get him going coupled with an open 8.8 diff. A Detroit Locker is not a one way diff. Its default position is locked at rest and it allows the outer wheel to spin faster than the case in a turn (ratcheting), while keeping the inner wheel locked at case (ring gear) speed. It is not as smooth as a clutch 2 way LSD, I don't even know if that would matter for drifting. It is certainly better than a welded diff or a spool. It is probably the most durable differential you can run.

He is going to have $2000-$2500 into rebuilding a Turbo diff with a less than ideal gear ratio. He can have $2000-$3000 into an 8.8 depending on what diff he chooses to use.

I have $2300 in my 8.8 with a $450 Dertrot Truetrac. An Auburn Pro Series is in the same price range and is an agressive 1.5 way. It might be able to be set up for full 2 way operation, I don't know for sure. The OS Giken for the 8.8 (or any application) can be set up from 1 to 1.5 to full 2 way.
If he thinks 4.10s are acceptable for what he wants to do, he should keep the T2 diff. The OS Giken diffs for either rear end are $1600 or so. At that price for the 8.8 I'd get a Wavetrac instead for around $1k.