Best source for axles?

[Ionstorm66]

Where is the best place to get axles?

Rebooting my old ones is over half the cost of new ones.

Napa was where I got my last ones, but now the remans are 65 vs 75 for new.

On rock auto there are some "Heavy Duty" axles for the same money as the napa. Are these any better?

[idosubaru]

No they all suck. 

Rebooting originals gives 10x better product. Anything else is a waste of time and garbage.  

Granted, easy train is so enticing you won’t be able to resist until one cuts loose on the interstate and you’re stranded and learn by experience, like many of us have done.  So, ignore me, but keep your originals for when the “new” ones fail. 

“Heavy Duty” on Subaru axles is marketing click bait. It’s nonsense for so many reasons but chiefly old Subaru’s don’t support a market for quality axles. Cheap people will buy cheap and wise owners of reliable daily drivers will reboot Subaru axles.   There’s nearly zero market for more expensive quality axles. If there was I’d buy 100 OEM and rebuild them myself and sell them. But it doesn’t exist. Companies know this better than me.

The last “heavy duty” axles new to the market I said there’s no possible way they’re any good. Someone on here swore they were worth trying and wanted them to be all that.   they were garbage and he had issues with them. Maybe the same trash you’re looking at.  HD something or the other.

ive seen brand new axles blow up in less than 100 miles multiple times, or click, clack, or vibrate, they’re terrible. I wouldn’t trust one or feel good about it if it did install and had no symptoms at first.  
 

The good Subaru specialty shops buy Subaru OEM axles from the dealer or rebuild or buy used OEM ones. 

[pa9213]

I have a 1981 DL.  I am getting it back on the road.  I have replaced the boots and the axles.  Most people will tell you to replace the axles.  The cost is not that much different.  My experience is the only thing that goes is the boot and the bearing on the axle at the wheel.  Good luck with the replacement. 

I use Rock Auto a lot.  I like them.

Paul  

Edited October 17, 2020 by pa9213

[DaveT]

If you have OEM axles, clean, re-grease, reboot.  All of the aftermarket are junk.

 

[ferp420]

Any new axle will have those rubber boots that dont hold up to heat or being stretched at all there cheap so axle makers use them

When i need a axle i go to orealys or where ever the axles are cheap and have a warranty then i test them in the store by twisting them back and forth to make sure there not loose from the factory you realy have to check them as ive had about half fail from just the twist test those are the ones that fail within the first 100 miles after i find a good one i reboot it with high quality silicone boots and lots of high quality greese ive gotten new axles with no greese at all several times so They atleast need to be checked before there instaled

Rebooting new axles with quality boots and greese is the next best thing to factory axles ive found yet

Sure silicone boots arent cheap but labor isent ether even if doin the job yourself

[1 Lucky Texan]

local tuner gets new FEQ brand 'HD' (which only gets you better rubber boot at the wheel end 'I THINK') from some distributer called Worldpac, but I have seen them offered at Amazon, etc. I think. Might be worth running backwards from the FEQ website - maybe find the part number for the HD axle for the car in question, then find a retailer...?

 

Does anyone still get axles from Raxles ? VW guys seem to like them.

[idosubaru]

6 hours ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

local tuner gets new FEQ brand 'HD' (which only gets you better rubber boot at the wheel end 'I THINK') from some distributer called Worldpac, but I have seen them offered at Amazon, etc. I think. Might be worth running backwards from the FEQ website - maybe find the part number for the HD axle for the car in question, then find a retailer...?

 

Does anyone still get axles from Raxles ? VW guys seem to like them.

I think FEQ are the ones I eluded to.  Do the shops use them on Subaru’s or mostly other manufacturers?

If Raxles is the company im thinking of that’s a good suggestion.  Good option to check. I think I’ve heard good things about them. downside is pricey and shipping can land them in no mans land.  

[GeneralDisorder]

6 hours ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

local tuner gets new FEQ brand 'HD' (which only gets you better rubber boot at the wheel end 'I THINK') from some distributer called Worldpac, but I have seen them offered at Amazon, etc. I think. Might be worth running backwards from the FEQ website - maybe find the part number for the HD axle for the car in question, then find a retailer...?

 

Does anyone still get axles from Raxles ? VW guys seem to like them.

The FEQ axles are garbage in our experience. Even my Worldpac sales rep tells me not to buy them. They don't meet with my standards anyway. Tried a few - they pop out of the box.

We use OEM Subaru (Subaru no longer produces remans), or we have had some limited success with a brand I get from another distributor - IMC - SureTrak I think is the brand. But they have cheap boots and the OEM boots don't fit.... we give people a choice if they are concerned about the price and I tell them they are good for maybe a couple years if they are lucky and we won't install them in anything lifted or that may see off-road use. They simply aren't appropriate for that. 

On lifted EJ vehicles we will install Group-N mounts and then move the outer clamp of the inner boot up the shaft to relieve some of the strain on them. 

GD

[1 Lucky Texan]

I wish we could find an NTN discounter.....

[GeneralDisorder]

17 minutes ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

I wish we could find an NTN discounter.....

NTN won't sell axles through the grey market. Their axle division has an exclusive deal with Subaru. Trust me I've asked about it and my sales rep at Worldpac would sell his children to get NTN as an axle supplier. 

GD

[Ionstorm66]

4 hours ago, GeneralDisorder said:

NTN won't sell axles through the grey market. Their axle division has an exclusive deal with Subaru. Trust me I've asked about it and my sales rep at Worldpac would sell his children to get NTN as an axle supplier. 

GD

Is there a good way to tell if an axle is a subaru/ntn axle from looking at it?

[DaveT]

All of the OEM ones I have are painted a deep dark green on the outer surface of the cups, especially the outer end.

 

[idosubaru]

12 hours ago, Ionstorm66 said:

Is there a good way to tell if an axle is a subaru/ntn axle from looking at it?

All older Subaru axles have big green unmistakable inner cups.  Or if you’re in CO, and they’re blue, you’ve got an old MWE axle which is equally worth keeping.

if aftermarket they also often don’t match from side to side. unless of course they were both replaced but left being difffemrt from the right is a quick and easy telltale sign

Edited October 20, 2020 by idosubaru

[idosubaru]

17 hours ago, GeneralDisorder said:

NTN won't sell axles through the grey market. Their axle division has an exclusive deal with Subaru. Trust me I've asked about it and my sales rep at Worldpac would sell his children to get NTN as an axle supplier. 

GD

Nice recon. Is that standard industry practice or unique to Subaru?

[GeneralDisorder]

5 hours ago, idosubaru said:

Nice recon. Is that standard industry practice or unique to Subaru?

Since you can't get NTN axles for anything in the grey market it seems to be industry practice. NTN makes axles for a TON of manufactures. I've seen them on Fords even. I believe that essentially their entire production capacity is used up just supplying OEM's so they likely don't care. 

GD

[Ionstorm66]

6 hours ago, idosubaru said:

All older Subaru axles have big green unmistakable inner cups.  Or if you’re in CO, and they’re blue, you’ve got an old MWE axle which is equally worth keeping.

if aftermarket they also often don’t match from side to side. unless of course they were both replaced but left being difffemrt from the right is a quick and easy telltale sign

So I have my car and a parts car. Both match side to side, but they don't match each other. 

Left is parts car, right is mine.

[GeneralDisorder]

Do they have the same inner spline count? Often the one's with the ribbed inner cup are 25 spline. But perhaps not all of them. Distant and foggy memories of EA stuff.....

GD

[Ionstorm66]

10 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said:

Do they have the same inner spline count? Often the one's with the ribbed inner cup are 25 spline. But perhaps not all of them. Distant and foggy memories of EA stuff.....

GD

The ribbed one is off my 92 Loyale. The nonribbed is off a 86 GL-10. Both are NA 5MT 4WDs. The GL-10 has 200K+ miles so I don't think they are factory, as the boots have no cracks. Mine is right under 140K so I think those are factory.

 

What are good boots to use? I order some the Beck boots online, and picked up the dorman universals locally. The Dormans are the same boot, but the inner is silicone.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Ionstorm66

[idosubaru]

1 hour ago, Ionstorm66 said:

So I have my car and a parts car. Both match side to side, but they don't match each other. 

Left is parts car, right is mine.

Hmm, unsure.  Hard to tell but the left one looks aftermarket, right I'm unsure.  

I would just get whatever boots you want.  OEM last longer than aftermarkets so if I'm going aftermarket I just avoid no name stuff and get a Beck Arnley or something familiar sounding.  I've never seen a difference between aftermarket but I don't use the same ones often enough to compare - I haven't had a chance to use 10 Dormans and 10 Beck Arnleys over many years/miles, to really say.  There are few who can except shop owners.  I dont' think this is normal or average, but I've definitely seen some aftermarkets, including Beck Arnleys, fail in like 3 years give or take a year, OEM never fail that soon. 

But keep in mind - Beck Arnley isn't always supplying the same boot.   I've bought the same part from Beck Arnley before and it's clearly from different manufacturers.  So they can change their suppliers or some other kind of arrangement like that.  Actually i think I have an EA82 example in my garage of this right now.

Edited October 20, 2020 by idosubaru

[Ionstorm66]

11 minutes ago, idosubaru said:

Hmm, unsure.  Hard to tell but the left one looks aftermarket, right I'm unsure.  

I would just get whatever boots you want.  OEM last longer than aftermarkets so if I'm going aftermarket I just avoid no name stuff and get a Beck Arnley or something familiar sounding.  I've never seen a difference between aftermarket but I don't use the same ones often enough to compare - I haven't had a chance to use 10 Dormans and 10 Beck Arnleys over many years/miles, to really say.  There are few who can except shop owners.  I dont' think this is normal or average, but I've definitely seen some aftermarkets, including Beck Arnleys, fail in like 3 years give or take a year, OEM never fail that soon. 

But keep in mind - Beck Arnley isn't always supplying the same boot.   I've bought the same part from Beck Arnley before and it's clearly from different manufacturers.  So they can change their suppliers or some other kind of arrangement like that.  Actually i think I have an EA82 example in my garage of this right now.

My issue is I can get the Beck ones in a day or two from Amazon, getting oem takes ages to ship, and the closest dealer is 2+ hours.

[DaveT]

I have some OEM ones that have the ribs like the one on the left.

I re did a few with generic silicon boots from Amazon, so far so good.

[subaru1988]

Here's a mind bender..What do you do with clicking/somewhat noisy on turns aftermarket axles that have lasted nearly 100K and for the first 90K worked as good as OEM ?

Edited October 20, 2020 by subaru1988

[idosubaru]

6 hours ago, Ionstorm66 said:

My issue is I can get the Beck ones in a day or two from Amazon, getting oem takes ages to ship, and the closest dealer is 2+ hours.

Run the broken boot axle until the dealer boots arrive. 
 

ive put 50k on front and 100k on rear broken boot clicking axles.  Of course they were probably all OEM which won’t fail. But I wouldn’t care to run an old noisy axles a couple weeks. 

[Hex1]

Good thing I read this before putting in an order. I have two torn boots so I guess I will replace those only. Though the chassis has 300k so it’s likely not OEM axles?

[idosubaru]

1 hour ago, Hex1 said:

Good thing I read this before putting in an order. I have two torn boots so I guess I will replace those only. Though the chassis has 300k so it’s likely not OEM axles?

Hard to say. If they’re rebooted with Subaru boots they can last. Only takes one or two Subaru OEM reboots to make 300k. But cheap axles are so common there’s no way to say.