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New Member New Jeep. Have a question.

sc6988

NAXJA Forum User
Location
long island
Hello All.

I just bought a 2000 Cherokee Sport last night. Its got 160k on it. The pervious owner lifted it 3 inches and just bought brand new 33x12.5 tires for it. He also put on wheel spacers.

I dont plan on offroading all that often. i feel that the 33s are way to big for this lift and because they are so wide the spacers had to be used. Gearing is stock and i feel like im killing my transmission Because the rpms are always so low. Would going to a 32 or 31 inch tire be a good idea.? If so could i ditch the wheel spacers?

Thanks alot
Scott

http://s755.photobucket.com/user/sc6988/media/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20150220_134040.jpg.html?filters[user]=104512673&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
IMG_20150220_134040.jpg.html
 
Go with a 31x10.50". You can probably ditch the spacers after. They will put less wear and tear on the trans. I would add a cooler just to be safe anyway. Low rpms with a 33" tire and stock gears does not make sense.
 
My MJ has 3" and 31's. They'll easily fit with no rubbing. 32's will require cutting or leaving the spacers. Definitely ditch the spacers. Spacers can actually damage your axles over time. And if you won't be wheeling much, i'd recommend a cool looking AT. I dont get the use out of my MT's that i was hoping to. And they(especially Mickey Thompsons) will wear super quick. I have maybe 15,000 miles on my Mickey Thompsons and i'm already well past the wear line.
 
This is a tough decision. I feel like I am destroying the transmission and I am not liking the the mileage so far. It looks like I will be getting around 8 to 10 mpg. But it does look good. However if I take it off road the fenders would get destroyed from the tires

Thank you for the input.
 
Do you know what rear axle you have? And what your gearing is? with 3.73 gears, I would imagine it would have trouble with the 33's. And if you have a D35 rear, then you could have axle trouble down the road. Haven't personally experienced it, butI've heard stories of D35's practically falling apart driving down the road.
 
As far as I know its all stock so I think it would be the 3.55 gears it is a 2000. My speedo is way off too but I figured at 46 on the speedo im going 55 and my RPMs are below 1500.
 
If you plan to hold off on gears for a while. Two first things to do are

1. Get a propper speedo gear for 33" tires and 3.55 axle gears. 30 tooth is right for this combo. Some will argue this bit i found that the trans shifted differently when i got the right gear in. Thus improving mileage. And they are not that expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AEWAH34/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/182-8829188-6530669

2. Dont drive it in D. Leave it in 3. The tourque converter will still lock and your final drive on the freeway will put you in the proper rpm range. You will also find that your mileage will increase doing this as well. The aw4 trans is quite stout so i wouldnt fret to much about it.

Off road is what it is until you regear. Unless you're doing technical rock crawling you should be fine. Its not going to hurt the trans as long as you are not pushing it.

Ps. Check the vendor section. Rwkhaussupply is having a sale right now on gears. Front and rear gears and install kits for 399$. Even if you dont get them installed right now that is an awesome deal so jump on it if you can.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1118541


Keep in mind when buying your gears what you will be doing with the jeep in the future. If you are going to get into more technical crawling then go as deep as you can. 4.88s you will need a new carrier for the front rwkhaussupply sells those as well.
The other thing to think about is possibly swapping your front axle for a stronger high pinion unit. If you see this in your future then get gears for a hp30 now.
However if you end up wanting tons this is all a mute point. Just do as i mentioned earlier and youll be fine until that point.
 
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Do you have any details about the installed lift? Namely whether or not it has any adjustable components (track bar, control arms), and whether it's spacers/blocks or springs? Do the shocks look stock?

If it's on 33's with wheel spacers, I'm getting the feeling that it was done as cheaply and horribly as possible. That being said...

You say you don't plan on offroading all that often. To me, that means you'll be using it when necessary to get to a desirable location, rather than offroading as a destination/activity? If this is correct, I'd say do the following:

  1. Ditch the wheel spacers immediately.
  2. Drop to 30" or 31" tires. For stock gearing on a vehicle that is just used to get to cool places, I'd go with 245/75R16 tires (or equivalent rotational diameter). Goodyear DuraTracs are fantastic tires for all-around use, especially if you see snow and don't plan on rock crawling. I'm on my second set, but will likely going to pure mud terrain tires now that it's purely a toy and sees way more rocks than I thought it would.
  3. Look at the lift components and see if they're worth anything. If it's all spacers with stock control arms, track bar, and shocks, find a friend with tools to help you remove the lift. The fenders are trimmed plenty to accommodate the smaller tires at stock height.
When lifting vehicles, there are many, many corners that can be cut (and frequently will be) and will only detract from your ownership experience. It sounds like you have a pretty clear idea of what you want to do with this thing, so definitely chime in if we've missed any points.

If you want any help answering the above questions, take pictures of the following:

  • The front suspension from a low angle at the front of the vehicle, framed in by the inner edges of the tires and the lower lip of the bumper.
  • An angled shot (again, from a low angle) of the back side of the front axle, taken from around the B-pillar of the vehicle.
  • Same location as above, but looking back at the rear axle.
  • Full shot of the rear axle, framed as described for the first requested picture.
Sometimes it's worth reverting the vehicle to a known-good state that yields a comfortable ride as you decide what you want to do with it, as its purpose will change with use and experience.
 
I have already ordered 31 inch tires. I went with General Grabbar AT2. I do not have an adjustable track bar but I know I need one. I will be getting that very soon. The lift is a Rough County 3" with the full leaf springs in the rear. The lift is only 7 months old and installed professionally. I am not sure why the track bar is stock the front axle is clearly not centered, but somehow it drives very well but I am sure it will be better after I get the track bar on. I think after I get the 31x10.5s and the track bar I will get the correct speedo gear and I should be set for a while.

I had a friend look at the jeep today who is very familiar with Jeeps and he just said I needed the track bar. I should be able to sell the 33s for not much of a loss since they are brand new and look it.

Thank you all for all of the info.
 
My MJ also didn't have an adjustable trac-bar even though it already had a 3" lift. Most people either don't know, or don't care. Just know that you'll need an angle drill to bore out the upper trac-bar bracket mount to accommodate a 5/8" bolt on the aftermarket trac-bar. i had to remove the upper bracket from the unibody as i didn't have a big enough angle drill. It's just 2 bolts anyways. But be sure to use red loc-tite and torque them to 110lbs when you reinstall the bracket. the centering is easy just use a tape measure and something straight like a 2x4 to gauge the distance when you install. Took me maybe 3 hours including welding a new lower bracket to my axle. And that was my first time really working on my jeep, so I was still overly-cautious(not necessarily a bad thing though). Good luck man. Keep us updated on build progress. With pictures! you never know who else you'll help out.
 
So i am supposed to get my tires installed today. I wanted to keep the aftermarket wheels on but i just measured them at 9 inches wide. I have the original xj wheels which are 8 inches wide. Would it be smarter to install the tires on the original xj wheels? My main concern is being able to remove the spacers without any problems. Im getting 31x10.5x15 general grabbar at2
Thank you
 
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