what to do ....

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Spunnn

Guest
9 yrs ago I bought the vehicle of my dreams, a 2 door black Cherokee

My dad had 4 jeeps while I was growing up...always loved em.

This vehicle is now our 3rd car. Part of me wants to sell it. I have since bought a newer Jeep, but another part really wants to make this sexy grocery getter into a head turner. It's very clean and almost no rust.

Realistically what can I count on spending to get this thing 4 inches higher (properly) and what mods do you suggest? I won't ever be hardcore...
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Kunker

Kunker

Administrator
Club Member
Welcome to OVO.

I'll let the resident XJ experts handle the detailed responses, but from what research I did, a 4" lift isn't the easiest thing on an XJ. It's right at the boarder line of where you need a lot of extra work to pull it off (rear driveshaft/SYE being one).

What is your idea of "reasonably crazy conditions"? In most cases, adding a locker will get you out of regular "stuck" situations.
 
D

DoctorPhate

Guest
Well I'd suggest 4 inches from Rubicon Express. For that it would be the 3.5 inch kit.

With that kit you could fit 33s with minor mods and it would be a good all around rig for local trails.

not getting stuck isn't very fun. Especially for others who like to watch you get stuck.

Thats why I'm the life of the party with my 98 2dr Cherokee stock except for a bumper lol.

You're free to check out my build thread under the build up section labelled "Project Minivan"
 
mucovich

mucovich

Till Valhalla!
like was stated already there is a limit before you get into serious geometry problems therefore more parts need to be replaced and that is 3.5 inches. At that lift you can comfortably run 31's (33's if you trim your sheetmetal) and utilize a 1 inch transfer case drop to negate any driveline vibes. At 3.5 inches of lift the kits only replace a few suspension components keeping many parts still stock saving you $ and usually cost from $800 to $1500 depending on company which in many cases equls quality.
 
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Root Moose

Guest
Define how you want to use the Jeep.

Best thing to do is decide what tire size you need to do the obstacles you want to do balanced against what you expect in terms of ride quality and vehicle stability.

A build for 31s vs 33s vs 35s or larger can be very different depending on your goals, even within a spec of a tire size.

Make sure you do lots of research before starting to buy parts. Normally I'd recommend spending some time at naxja.org but it seems that the signal to noise ratio over there has gone into the toilet the last year or so. What's the "go to" web site these days?

$0.02
 
Billygoat

Billygoat

Well-known member
I've been gravitating to the jeepforum.com site for XJ info, but there is alot of static there as well.

Good friendly starting point though...

Welcome Spunnn!
 
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Spunnn

Guest
Thanks for the feedback so far...

My goal (at first) is to get it a little higher and thrown some nice tires on it.

31's with no rubbing would be great. I have them now and I get the rub on tight cornering.

I would sell the vehicle, but its worth more to me than it is to anyone intertested in buying it. That being said, I'd like to keep the modification costs low. What are my lift options if 4 is too much?

What kind of tires could be run if I only lift it 2"? Also, what is the best place to get this work done? (in West end, West carleton preferably)
 
Cochise

Cochise

Well-known member




http://www.800-923-jeep.com/techCorner/tire_fitment.cfm



Model 0" 1" 2"- 2?" 3"- 3?" 4"- 4?"
Grand Cherokee 29" 30" 31" 32" 32"
Cherokee/Comanche 29" 30" 31" 32" 33"
TJ Wrangler 31" 31" 32" 33" 33"
YJ Wrangler 30" 30" 32" 33" 33"
CJ 5/6/7/8 31" 31" 32" 33" 33"
CJ 2A/3A/3B 31" 31" 33" 33" 35"
Full-Size Cherokee/
Wagoneer/J Trucks 30" 30" 31" 31" 33"
These figures represent tire size recommendations only.
They are NOT lift recommendations.


http://www.billhughes.com/TireRimFitLift/

http://www.jeepfan.com/tech/whatfits.php


From http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/xj/xjlifts.html


Tire Size1 (CLICK SIZE BELOW) Budget to work with2 Minimum Lift height3 Ground clearance increase4 Recommended Wheel Backspacing5 Minimum Wheel Backspacing5 Max Wheel width
30" x 9.5" (CLICK HERE) <$50 2.0" 2.75" 5.25" 4.5" 8"
31" x 10.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$200 2.0" 3.0" 5.00" 4.0" 8"
265/75R15 (CLICK HERE) ~$200 2.0" 3.5" 5.00" 4.0" 8"
31" x 10.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$400 1.25" to 3.25" 3.5" 4.50" 4.0" 8"
265/75R15 (CLICK HERE) ~$400 1.25" to 3.25" 3.5" 4.50" 4.0" 8"
32" x 11.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$400 2.50" to 3.25" 5.0" 4.25" 4.0" 8"
32" x 11.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$700 3.5" 5.0" 4.25" 4.0" 8"
33" x 10.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$700 3.5" 5.5" 4.00" 3.75" 8"
265/75R15 (CLICK HERE) ~$700 3.5" 5.5" 4.00" 3.75" 8"
33" x 12.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$1200 4.5" * 6.5" 4.00" 3.75" 8"
265/85R15 (CLICK HERE) ~$1200 4.5" * 6.5" 4.00" 3.75" 8"
35" x 12.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$2000** 7.0" ** 10.0" 4.00" 3.75" 8"
36" x 12.5" (CLICK HERE) ~$2000** 7.5" ** 11.0" 4.00" 3.75" 8"
 
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chunkytrunks

chunkytrunks

That's MR.EX Pres to you!
Club Member
depending on what your doing i may be able to help do the work. I'm in west Carleton.:beer::beer:
 
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whitejeepxj

Guest
I just finished a summer build that cost me roughly 7000$... but this was because I did lift, tires, rims, floors, sye and driveshaft, new beefier rear axle, brakes.. etc..

This put me at 6" and 35s.. It's pretty awesome I gotta admit.. but when you do things right lifting a rig isn't cheap.
 
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blair_b

Guest
My first Jeep was an XJ, 4.5" Rough Country lift, managed to squeeze 33's under it, with some trimming. The kit comes with a transfer case drop and in all the time I had it I never experienced any ill driveline issues- no slip yoke eliminator. In my opinion in the realm of low budget, Rough Country is a decent kit that shouldn't be overlooked... especially if you don't plan on wheeling much. If money grew on trees BDS might make an appearance.

BTW if you do lift and get bigger boots... expect the overpowering urge to do more, all the time. This is a sickness.
 
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