stroker or gears?

I'm looking for some help from those of you that have a stroker already. Would you do it all over again? Or would you go with a new 4.0l and 4.56 gears? I have a 2001 cherokee and I'm trying to decide between getting a 2007 Grand Cherokee or putting a stroker in the cherokee I have now. I love the jeep I have but I want more power for pulling a trailer. I would also up grade the lift that I have now as well as other little things that need attention. Before I make this decision I want to hear from those of you that have traveled the road I'm about to go down. Help please!! Here is a pic of what I have now.

Both

Gears first IMO.

I wish I'd geared before I even went past stock tires.

(no, I don't have a stroker... but putting a stroker in instead of gearing it properly seems like a waste of money and also like solving a problem by solving a different problem)

I should have been more clear about what I have now. It's a 2001 with 5.5 inches of lift, 4.10 gears and 31's. That is why I asked if you would do a new, fresh 4.0l engine and 4.56 gears, or a stroker

Fresh 4.0 and gears.



If you want more "power" ... you can always do a cam swap later on. I know that sounds hypocritical considering I have a stroker motor myself. But that was only because of the situation at the time and the trade my friend offered me.



Otherwise, I would have done another 4.0 and warmed it up.



Joe

i did gears first, then cracked a piston, and talked myself into a stroker.

do gears make a difference? yes. does the stroker make that much better? hell yes

(4.11's on 31's, 4.6 short rod, comp 231 cam, very torquey.) doesn't down shift as much as it used to

my cousin is running 3.55's and a 4.7 top-end cam on 32's and it runs great too.

do a stroker! if your putting a fresh 4.0 in, why not stroke it? lol...

ive got one in the shop right now for $1400 fully built.. i just bought a long block for $100 and brought it to them, the bored it out 0.0400 over. i will eventually put in a roller rocker kit.... oh btw, i still have the stock 3.07 gears.

I love my 4.56 gears. They saved my life after I put on bigger tires.

tomcat said:

i did gears first, then cracked a piston, and talked myself into a stroker.

do gears make a difference? yes. does the stroker make that much better? hell yes

(4.11's on 31's, 4.6 short rod, comp 231 cam, very torquey.) doesn't down shift as much as it used to

my cousin is running 3.55's and a 4.7 top-end cam on 32's and it runs great too.

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is there anything you would have done different with your stroker?

Depends on the position you're in now. Current engine still running well and you have time to play with it? Or current engine toasted on last legs and going to need replaced to drive reliably?

If you can put off the engine, do the gears first. Then buy a block and build up a 4.6/4.7 and swap it in at your leisure. If the engine's shot you probably don't have time for a several week to several month engine build and you'll have to go with a fresh engine. If that's the case, how about buying a used TJ engine with 50-75Kmiles on it, then build your current engine into the stroker, rather then paying through the nose for a re-man?

Since you have an '01, the engine is probably fine, so stick with it. 31's on 5.5" is tiny. I'd say upgrade to at least 33's and then go with 4.56's. Definitely makes a huge difference with bigger tires. I drove with 3.55's and 32's for a while, which wasn't too bad. 4.56's really woke the Jeep up in every type of driving. Also makes offroading easier because you crawl a lot slower.

gears. I can power brake my 31's now with 4.56's

Nice looking xj. Rubis on white looks great!

auto or manuel trans? regardless... 33s, 4.88s, stroker... do work.


stroker and stock 3.07s is fun, but i have smaller than stock tires. it goes hard.


love the rubis and those tires! i dont think they are small, im sure the suspension cycles something feirce. and you dont have any trimming, so its fine in my book.

Semper Fi said:

is there anything you would have done different with your stroker?

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i did the Crower cam-saver lifters that have a groove cut down the side to help with cam oiling. because of this added leak, i figured it would be a good idea to go with the high-volume oil pump. this is not the case, i just put the standard flow pump in this weekend. this also would have eliminated me needing to rearrange my oil pan with a sledge-hammer to make the pump fit. i had a lot of problems with oiling at steep down-hills, i will find out on the 10th if the standard flow pump rectified this.

i also put the stock exhaust back on. i have a header for it, and need to get some $ together to get the S pipe (without dent,) cat, and cat-back for it. that is probably the one major thing holding back it's fullest potential right now.

If your towing, I would say go for stroker. Gears (IMO) are great for crawling. If your hauling (ha) you need power/speed. Just my $.02.

ya need gears anyway . 33's and 456 and it will make a big difference.

Rmart30 said:

ya need gears anyway . 33's and 456 and it will make a big difference.

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Not really. Has anybody realized that he's already geared to 4.10? 4.56 gears and 33's is a wash at the very best considering what he has now (4.10's and 31's).

He also hasn't mentioned upgrading his tires. Do you have plans to upgrade the tire size at all? I would recommend doing the stroker. Upgrading to 4.56 gears will cost you $400-$500 (assuming you get master install kits for both). That's easily the price difference in rebuilding a stroker and a regular 4.0L. Really the only difference in the rebuild is the 258 crank and rods.

If you have a stroker with the 4.10's, you'll have plenty of power. Plus you can keep your revs down with highway driving. I'm almost finished with my stroker build. 4.6L, 5spd, 4.10's, and 32's. I'll let you know how it runs

Thanks for all the comments on the look of my Cherokee. The look is one of the reasons I'm thinking of improving what I have instead of replacing it with a Grand Cherokee.

The engine in my Jeep right now is running fine it just has a few leaks, imagine that. I don't have the time, tools, or know how to build the stroker myself. I would have to have it built for me.

Some of you have said about doing gears now. I have the 4.10's in there now and it does fine and I can power brake my 31's without a problem. Don't you think 4.10's would be fine with 33's and a stroker? It does have an Automatic trans in it.

I think if I went with 4.56's and 33's with the engine I have now, I could just do a rebuild to the engine. Here is the problem with that, will it pull my trailer better than it does now?

The Jeep now is a DD. I use it to pull my trailer when it has 2 motorcycles on it or the trailer is loaded with mulch or stone or whatever. Sometimes the jeep will take me and the Dual Sport motorcycle a state or 2 from home, so it will see highway driving. I do wheel it, and have wheeled it a lot in the past, and if I keep it I will continue to wheel it.

here is the trailer I pull with my motorcycles on it. The trailer is 6 by 10 with 2 x 10 decking, it's heavy.

strokers cost alot of money from the research I've done and aren't really need unless you run alot of tire and want extra juice.. I run 4.5 inches on 31 bfg mt's right now with 3.55 gears and did some bolt-ons (2000 intake manifold, bored TB, DUI igition, APN header, borla catback, hi flow cat, K&N intake) and my jeep with light the tires up!

I think you'd be fine with 4.10's, 33's, and a stroker. Even with a fresh 4.0L, I doubt you'll have better pulling with 4.56's and 33's. What tire are you running now, 31x10.50? You'd probably get 33's and they'd be at least an in wider than 10.50. That's more circumfrence and more weight. That's why I think it'd be a wash with 4.56 and 33's.

Think about it, if you refresh a 4.0L you'll get factory numbers. 195HP and 225lb/ft of torque. A basic stroker will get you around 240HP and 300lb/ft of torque. +45hp & 75lb/ft of torque will make a much bigger difference than gearing. 4.10 gears are a good match for the new power, that's what I'm running.

The only differences between rebuilding a stroker and a 4.0L are the crank and rods. You can pick up a 258 crank/rods for $300 or so. You already have to get your rods resized and the crank polished/ground if you're rebuilding the 4.0L, it's no different with a stroker. The only way it could get expensive is if you start to upgrade the cam/valvetrain. If you want to know what it cost, I'll PM you every detail and price I've paid.

I'm not trying to shove the stroker option down your throat. Just trying to clear up some of the speculation about building one. BTW, my Jeep is white and on Moab wheels too :wave: