The cv shaft is actually the yoke on the NP231. There is a standard sized one on there now, so I am replacing it with the super short for a gain of about an 1" and an angle reduction to boot. I really like the SOLID and Rock Krusher diff covers, but they aren't in my budget. The Badapples are only rings, but they are only $55 each! I did find a Rock Krusher diff cover for the 8.8 on ebay for $65 including shipping, so I am considering that versus the ring cover. I might do that instead.