Anyone using a Strange S-trac Diff?

[DCguy]

......especially on an 8.8 solid axle with their eliminator kit? If so please sound off, I have a couple questions for you, particularly in regards to their axles fitment.

 

[hatchke]

......especially on an 8.8 solid axle with their eliminator kit? If so please sound off, I have a couple questions for you, particularly in regards to their axles fitment.

I'm running one currently, just had it put in place of the 35-spline spool setup I had. I didn't do the install myself as I'm still finishing a garage build, but happy to answer what I can.

 

[DCguy]

Hey thx not sure what your setup is but i'm on a factory length 99-04 housing, solid axle 8.8....along with the Strac I ordered a set of 99-04 35spline axles as well as their C-Clip eliminators. Cut the housing ends off etc and inserted the axles....well the axle barely made contact with the splines on the diff. I mean by like a centimeter.

The answer I got from Strange was, "with the C-clip eliminators the 99-04 axles are 29inches long" - that's apparently correct length according to them. Ok.....

OEM 99-04 axles length are 30 and 11/16ths inches I believe so their axles are almost 2 full inches shorter, for this application according to them.

So, I went back and remeasured everything to make sure its not a mistake on my end....sure enough, yep, 99-04 housing.

Ok, so they sent me replacement axles, this time for an 05-14 which are slightly longer.....30.25inches to be exact. I insert those and I get exactly 1in of spline engagement.

I go back to Strange again and they tell me that the spline depth on the Strac is 1.420 inches, so my spline engagement of 1in is correct.......

Firstly, i'd rather use the full spline depth that the differential has to offer.....so that's issue number one.

Secondly, if my spline depth is "correct" using a 30.25in 05-14 axle how can the unusably short 29in 99-04 also be "correct for this application" according to them......those two things can't simultaneously be true......

So now i'm basically at a point where i'm ordering/exchanging for a third set of "custom" axles at a length of 31in so I can make sure I get the axles seated all the way into the diff.

With all that context, i'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced oddities in their axle lengths with this setup and if i'm missing anything here....

 

[hatchke]

Hey thx not sure what your setup is but i'm on a factory length 99-04 housing, solid axle 8.8....along with the Strac I ordered a set of 99-04 35spline axles as well as their C-Clip eliminators. Cut the housing ends off etc and inserted the axles....well the axle barely made contact with the splines on the diff. I mean by like a centimeter.

The answer I got from Strange was, "with the C-clip eliminators the 99-04 axles are 29inches long" - that's apparently correct length according to them. Ok.....

OEM 99-04 axles length are 30 and 11/16ths inches I believe so their axles are almost 2 full inches shorter, for this application according to them.

So, I went back and remeasured everything to make sure its not a mistake on my end....sure enough, yep, 99-04 housing.

Ok, so they sent me replacement axles, this time for an 05-14 which are slightly longer.....30.25inches to be exact. I insert those and I get exactly 1in of spline engagement.

I go back to Strange again and they tell me that the spline depth on the Strac is 1.420 inches, so my spline engagement of 1in is correct.......

Firstly, i'd rather use the full spline depth that the differential has to offer.....so that's issue number one.

Secondly, if my spline depth is "correct" using a 30.25in 05-14 axle how can the unusably short 29in 99-04 also be "correct for this application" according to them......those two things can't simultaneously be true......

So now i'm basically at a point where i'm ordering/exchanging for a third set of "custom" axles at a length of 31in so I can make sure I get the axles seated all the way into the diff.

With all that context, i'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced oddities in their axle lengths with this setup and if i'm missing anything here....

Oooo YES, I went through this SAME shit with them the week before last. They're trying to send you the axles for their 35-spline spool setup, which is what they did to me too.

The spool axles are 29" and the correct axles are indeed longer and OEM length.

Edit: Also FYI, the shop that I had work with me said they actually had to shave down the end of one of the axles a tiny bit because it was a touch too long. Just a little grinding and didn't need to be machined.

 

[DCguy]

Very interesting and good info. Youd think theyd know that…cant count on anything these days.

So do you happen to remember what length axles you went with and then had to shave down a bit?….were they OEM length 30 and 11/16in or something longer?

 

[hatchke]

Very interesting and good info. Youd think theyd know that…cant count on anything these days.

So do you happen to remember what length axles you went with and then had to shave down a bit?….were they OEM length 30 and 11/16in or something longer?

Yeah I was very frustrated with it. I used their online ordering system and specified exactly what I had/needed and they still sent the 29" spool axles despite selecting that I had their s-trac diff.

I believe they were intended to be OEM length 30" and some change and it was just one of them that needed a little shaving. All a little anecdotal since this was coming from the shop, so I'm not 100% sure.

It took me a couple phone calls with them to get it resolved, but they ended up rushing the shipment out and taking the 29" ones back at no cost. I can't fault them too too much even though the s-trac is their product too lol.