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The Dana 44 across Jeeps

Cast iron or aluminum, the family's strong axle

The Dana 44 is, for many, the sweet spot between strength and weight: tougher than a Dana 35 but without the bulk of a full-size axle. It shows up across half the Jeep range, factory or swapped, in several distinct forms.

The cast-iron Dana 44

This is the "classic" 44: cast-iron housing, 30-spline shafts, that recognizable cover shape. It was a factory option on some U.S. Cherokee XJ (1987–1990) and, above all, the rear axle of the South American XJs (Venezuela and the late Córdoba cars) with Trac-Lok limited slip. It also appeared as an option on some Wrangler YJ.

Its big moment came with the Wrangler TJ Rubicon and the JK Rubicon: there the Dana 44 runs front and rear, with a 4.10 ratio and factory electronic Tru-Lok lockers at both axles. It's the gold standard of the stock crawling Jeep.

The aluminum Dana 44a (Grand Cherokee)

A different beast: the V8 Grand Cherokee used a Dana 44 with an aluminum center (C-clip, one-piece shafts, 30-spline), the only aluminum-housing Dana 44 in a Jeep and a close relative of the Dodge Viper's rear axle. It ran in the ZJ V8 and the better-equipped WJs, typically with a 3.73 ratio and Trac-Lok limited slip (or Vari-Lok in the WJ).

It's lighter than the cast-iron unit and perfect for a fast street SUV; for extreme off-road use, though, the Rubicon's cast-iron 44 rules.

Which one fits your XJ?

For anyone with a Cherokee XJ dreaming of a Dana 44, the summary is simple: the cast-iron one yes, the WJ's aluminum one no. The cast-iron Dana 44 —the factory XJ tow-package unit, the YJ's, or a custom-built one— is a bolt-in with the perches at the XJ's spacing, and it takes lockers and gears of every kind. It's the one you want if you're building it up seriously.

The aluminum Dana 44a from the ZJ fits width and pattern (5×4.5") but is C-clip, aluminum-centered and won't take the common Dana 44 limited-slips/lockers —fine for the street, not for hard crawling. And the WJ's Dana 44a (1999–2004) simply won't fit: it's wider and has a different bolt pattern (5×5), so you'd need to redrill and adjust the track. Simple rule: for real off-road, go cast iron.

Specifications