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What does that consist of for the East coast. I won't be rock crawling or mud bogging, but if I were to go on one of the organized trail runs in a neighboring state or two, what would I need? I don't know how difficult the trails are or whether you split into groups of roughly the same capabilities. Obviously locked 37's and armor out the wazoo is better than stock, but I'm looking for a starting point.
for a beginner rig i would shoot for 31-33" tires, assuming you are on a budget here is what i would do
For 31's I would:
-3" RC Series II lift with Full leaf packs
-15x8 Cragar D-Windows
-31x10.50xR15 Mud Terrains of your choice
-Light Fender Trimming
For 33's I would:
-4.5" RC Longarm Kit w/ Full Leaf Packs
-Re-gear HP30 to 4.10
-Replace rear end with Ford 8.8" w/ factory 4.10's and disk brakes (possibly LSD)
-SYE
-33x12.50x15 Mud-Terrains of your choice on 15x8 Cragar D-Windows
For Either:
-JCR Stage 1 Sliders
-JCR T-Case Skid
-JCR Gas Tank Skid
-IRO Front Tow Hooks (or JCR Stage 4 Front Bumper)
-Rear Hitch Receiver (or JCR Stage 2 Rear Bumper)
-Transmission Cooler
-F&R Lunchbox Lockers (if you have the money)
those to me would be fairly capable rigs and still DD friendly
Option 2: run it stock and use that as a baseline to figure out what areas you need to address for the types of trails you want to run. The above list is a good rundown, though.
Having said that: recovery points. Definitely have them before hitting the trails. Tow hooks at the front and a rear hitch with a receiver shackle for getting those on there quickly and relatively easily.
33's allow you to retain much of the stock running gear without issue, thus keeping costs down.
they can fit comfortably on a 3" lift
axle upgrades arent 100% necessary, though gears and lockers are nice and will double your rigs capability. if you get an earlier xj with the 260 sized u joints in the dana30 front end i reccomend a cheap upgrade to the newer 297 sized u joints and axle shafts.
for a rear axle avoid the dana35. 27 spline 8.25 is sufficient, but a 29 spline 8.25 or dana44 are both cheap bolt in upgrades.
If you play in the rocks steering is worth every penny, be it spare parts or a nice one ton setup.
and of course skid plates if you wheel in any rocks.t-case and rock sliders are the most beneficial and i wouldnt hit a hard trail without them. gas tank skid comes next. or instead of the t-case skid go all out and get a nice belly skid.
recovery points are basically a necessity. a class 3 hitch in back with a receiver hook or d-ring and in front tow hooks would be the cheapest suitable options
Best advice is to go to local events and parks and see what guys are running. Skids and tow points are the first thing anyone needs. Usually 4.5 with 31-33 is norm for XJs. Short arms with be fine but you will want longarms eventually so if you can budget for them now, do it.
I know i'm not on the east coast but i agree with what they're saying. A lot of all this will depend on your money situation. I ran 33's at 4.5" for years with open diffs and stock axles before regearing and knowing what i know now i wasn't even close to wheeling it at it's full potential. These are very capable rigs, even at a budget boost and 31s. It's all about where you want to go with your rig, although being able to go on trail runs with the guys and not be left behind is a good goal, there are guys in every area of the US with everywhere from 30's to 37's. So finding guys to wheel with shouldn't dictate the severity of modifications you want to do to your jeep. But, then again, thats just my opinion
Thanks for the replies. Lots of good info, but what I'm specifically after is what the norm is on the runs in my area? For example, the anti valentines snow run that just went on in the North Atlantic chapter. NH is a little far for me, but PA could be doable. In short, what do you need for the average run without being permanently attached to another vehicle. Will a stocker with recovery points be enough, or is there a minimum lift and tire requirement? I've never been on a trail run, but I recently found out how much a lift helps when it gets deep. Got stuck trying to get out of the driveway.
Edit: A few posts came in while I was posting, I get the whole moving up gradually etc.. I just don't want to try to show up to an event and get left behind or hold anyone back. I'm already set up for recovery, just don't want to be recovered more than driving.
Option 2: run it stock and use that as a baseline to figure out what areas you need to address for the types of trails you want to run. The above list is a good rundown, though.
Having said that: recovery points. Definitely have them before hitting the trails. Tow hooks at the front and a rear hitch with a receiver shackle for getting those on there quickly and relatively easily.
Pretty much any organized trail run should have a group suitable for a stock XJ. Other than recovery points front and rear and a full size spare you shouldn't NEED anything else. Running stock for a while will not only help you figure out what upgrades are appropriate for your desired level of trail but you will also learn a ton about not only wheeling in general, but wheeling in an XJ. I've gone from a stock YJ to a YJ on 31s, to a stock TJ Rubicon to 33's on the some rig, back to a stock XJ and now I'm on 33's getting ready for an 8.8 swap and lockers this spring (hopefully). Sorry for the rambling, but my point is that every step I've taken has been a great learning experience on the trail. Plus you'd be surprised what a stock or even slightly modded XJ can do offroad with a skillful driver.
Option 2: run it stock and use that as a baseline to figure out what areas you need to address for the types of trails you want to run. The above list is a good rundown, though.
Very good advice.
Having said that: recovery points. Definitely have them before hitting the trails. Tow hooks at the front and a rear hitch with a receiver shackle for getting those on there quickly and relatively easily.
Even better advice, and on some organized runs you won't be allowed to take part without them.
I agree with the above comment about running it stock to learn the vehicles limits before you go crazy.
FWIW yes, big tires will go on the hardcore trails, but I run 30x9.5 Cooper STTs on 3" of lift and most everyone in the Maine 4x4 club runs in the 31-35 range so I have the smallest tires. I've learned how to choose lines wisely and I can go places I personally don't even think I could have done!
Funny thing is some trails had a guideline of "31s absolute minimum" but then they changed it to 30s once I ran it. :roll:
It should have been based on driver ability not tire size. I have done some stuff on 235's i didn't think were possible. I just utilized my skids and rails a lot more than the bigger tire guys! Now I have 31's on the new rig. we'll see what she does!
Option 2: run it stock and use that as a baseline to figure out what areas you need to address for the types of trails you want to run. The above list is a good rundown, though.
Having said that: recovery points. Definitely have them before hitting the trails. Tow hooks at the front and a rear hitch with a receiver shackle for getting those on there quickly and relatively easily.
I second this motion. Wheel it and figure out where your shortcomings are and upgrade from there. I'd recommend skids and armor for sure, but other than that a stock or close to stock XJ can go a lot of places.
Where at in WV are you? I know a lot of people from the North Central part of the State that wheel A LOT and are a great bunch of guys and gals, I'll shoot ya PM so we don't clutter up your build question thread.
IMO, you shouldn't do any lift or bigger tires until you go out a few times and see what it is capable of stock.
After that, I'm a big fan of ~4" of lift, trimmed fenders, and 33's. 33's will get you through most stuff that 35's can go through if you know how to drive. Then if you want to move up from 33's, its time to look at 37" tires or taller with new axles and a hardcore rig.
I've been running an XJ ten years now but before that ran CJ's exclusively and still have two I'm building. As for mods - I couldn't agree with the earlier post of run it stock and see how it goes first. These are GREAT vehicles and very capable off road, right off the lot. Mods are great but nothing replaces skillful driving. I've seen stockers run around lifted and heavily modified rigs - ground clearance does not substitute brains and I've seen drivers with significantly more of one than the other. (of course they're not necessarily running Jeeps either!! note - read Hummer!)
So my point is this - don't wait until you've got all the mods you'll ever want - you never will. Get out today and wheel her! The mods will come and you'll appreciate them more. We were all beginers one day and I was pulled out plenty. As you can tell from this forum, we're all here to help each other out, and that applies equally well to out on the trail!
guys and not be left behind is a good goal, there are guys in every area of the US with everywhere from 30's to 37's. So finding guys to wheel with shouldn't dictate the severity of modifications you want to do to your jeep. But, then again, thats just my opinion 
