question about on hwy performance after lifting and running bigger tires

so im considering buying a set of wagoneer dana 44s and installing around 5in of lift and running 35s on my 95XJ

im wondering how the on hwy performance would be with this set up?

i plan on using my XJ as a daily driver, but wheeling it pretty hard when i get a chance. I also plan on going on fairly long road trips with the jeep

will i consume noticably more fuel running bigger tires and bigger axles? will i be able to drive the jeep at fairly high speeds, 110kms or so?

if im using it as a daily driver am I better off just throwing a 3.5in lift and 31s or 32s on the stock dana30/chrysler 8.25?

get some deeper gears in the axles and it will be fine.

fuel milage won't be stock but i still attain 15-16mpg in my xj on 35's.

i run 5.38's and it see's mostly highway miles

so would the only thing i would have to change is the ring and pinion gear?

depending on what gears the waggy axles have you may have to get new carriers. dana axles have a cut off for them. im not sure the numbers, but i think its 3 73 and down for one carrier and 4 10 and up for the others

I'm running 33's on a 3.27 rear-end (Ford 8.8, yet to re-gear) with the AX-15. Highway mileage and performance have definitely taken a hit over stock. Most hills require an extra downshift than before, and 5th is good for straight and flat, or straight with a small grade. Still does alright on the freeway for mileage all things considered, I'm currently 122.7 miles to a little more than a third of a tank (I did top it up to the filler cap however) after a run down the freeway at 60-65mph, so it should (keyword) average out to around 18-19mpg. It'll maintain speed well enough too, no constant rowing between gears to keep up the speed. Granted getting up to speed takes a bit longer, but it'll get there

I have yet to run a full tank through since my tune-up, but prior to it I was getting between 220-240mi/tank (12.7mpg), mostly rural/city (I commute to the base from outskirts, so it's between 45 and 50mph) and some freeway. Around town it's still fine as I'm pretty much in the powerband and torque-curve (even with it moved around due to the tires) the entire time. And it's got enough balls to stomp on those lil' buzzy imports between lights should the need arise.

Long story short, it's a set-up that, while not ideal, can be lived with. Especially if/once you gear for the tire size you plan on sticking with, you should be fine. As ktm pointed out, he runs about 15-16mpg and that's what most of my geared friends end up with as well (33's and 35's, geared accordingly).

If you want a smooth ride on the highway at those speeds, with that amount of lift .... you'll most likely want good longarms, a good track bar, a good solid steering set-up, good shocks, and very well balanced tires. And make sure your geometry is all set properly.

If you do all that, I don't see why you can't run it on long highway trips.

Your mileage is gonna stink though. Low teens mist likely.

one thing you will notice on an Automatic is that the truck will drop a gear more often going up hills

if i went with dana 44s but kept the tires to say 32s and 4inches of lift would i need to regear?

I think the current gears are 3.73

There's a sticky about gearing at the top of this forum, or under the FAQs. Gearing gets brought up a lot on here as well. I'm running 4.88s with my 33s. It's largely a subjective decision, but you want to make sure you don't bog the engine down too much.

There's no reason you can't DD an XJ on 5" with 35s. I DD mine on 5.5" and 33s with 4.88s.

the reason i am so concerned is im planning a big road trip this summer and I need to be able to figure out exactly what doing the swap will cost me as I am on a limited budget as I am also rebuilding the engine, lifting it and getting new tires before the road trip

if you have to ask, keep it on the lower notch until you are sure. you can allways sell what youve got to fund stage 2 later on.

have you built a full on rock crawler before? if not, i wouldnt recommend doing it to a vehicle you have to DD. axle swaps take time and money.

At the very least, I'd wait on going big until you've done the engine rebuild. Make sure you get that done before you start throwin money at other stuff. You want the engine strong before a road trip.

ya im leaning towards not doing the axle swap. i know its going to cost more then i can expect.

it just need to replace steering components, brakes shocks ect and buy new tires before the road trip and it feels kinda pointless to do it now then do it again once i im ready to throw the dana 44s under the jeep..

but on the other hand i have a limited budget and this is my first real build so I know its going to end up being pricy

i'd do it.

build the 44s, get everything you need to put it all together in a weekend. have a spare car on standy if you dont finish by monday to get to work.

i'm putting in a cage, 44/60, RK 4-link kit, unibody reinforcement.. etc on my jeep... and it's my dd. do what i can after work and on weekends. i'm starting the cage soon bc its getting warmer out, i dont care if i drive to work with some pieces of tube tacked on here and there. gonna have everything i need to swap the axles & suspension in over a weekend.. it can def be done.