Big tires, no lift?

[gcam]

Is anybody doing this?

Is there a "tummy tucker" skid plate for the XJ like there is for the TJ? Those are supposed to give over 3" of extra underbody clearance.

How big a tire can you fit with no lift, and some good ol' fender trimming on a '96 four door?

See, I was just wondering....

If I could save the cost of a lift, SYE, and driveshafts, and SPEND money on a high clearance trans/t-case skid, lockers, move the shock mounts up, and smooth the diffs with a grinder, I'd probably have a pretty good trail vehicle.

I thought I'd get the underbody clearance you get with a lift like that, and the diff clearance just comes from the bigger tires.

Thanks,
Geoff

[cccj]

I had 33x10.50s on my '84 with no lift. The biggest problem was they rubbed the lower control arms.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290447975&p=4220243730&idx=14

[etaniyani]

its doable but not that practicle. i once saw a cherokee 4 door, on 33's, no lift, but extreme fender cutting. the problem is you now have zero articulation. if you only do mudding, then you dont really need flex. so it depends on what you will use it for.

Etan Miller

[big cherokee]

i had 33 12.50 on mine at stock height with stock wheels and spidertracks spacers. would rub when turning. could flex a little. have the hack the crap out of the body thougth. but makes for nice clearence for 37 when you get the lift.

[woody431]

I had 33x10.50s on my '84 with no lift. The biggest problem was they rubbed the lower control arms.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290447975&p=4220243730&idx=14


What size tires are on that blue 2 door xj? 38's?

[Buck Jackson]

Is anybody doing this?
Is there a "tummy tucker" skid plate for the XJ like there is for the TJ? Those are supposed to give over 3" of extra underbody clearance.
How big a tire can you fit with no lift, and some good ol' fender trimming on a '96 four door?
See, I was just wondering....
If I could save the cost of a lift, SYE, and driveshafts, and SPEND money on a high clearance trans/t-case skid, lockers, move the shock mounts up, and smooth the diffs with a grinder, I'd probably have a pretty good trail vehicle.
I thought I'd get the underbody clearance you get with a lift like that, and the diff clearance just comes from the bigger tires.Thanks, Geoff
Hey Geoff, good thinking. Where I wheel, there is a definite advantage for having a lower center of gravity, while still getting the pumpkins off the ground. For ages I have been advocating lifting less and cutting more. My suggestions for you are these:
Don't bother with a tummy tucker, there is not much hanging down on the XJ anyway, just make sure you have good smooth skids covering your engine, tranny, t-case, and gas tank, as well as a heavy duty set of rock sliders. You might want to consider protecting your catalytic converter as well ( I crushed mine pretty good once, not a pretty sight). Diff skids are an idea, but you will lose a bit of clearance. Move your lower rear shock mounts up on the axle tube (you have to cut and reweld to do this). Then cut your fenders as high as you can stand to see them cut. I suggest putting on the tires you want to run and then flex the suspension as much as possible to see where to cut and how much. Over the years I have run bushwackers, relocated flares and TJ flares (there are pros and cons to each - I won't go into it here, you can search for more info). You can also run flareless, and hopefully you won't get into any trouble with your local PD. Don't forget to adjust your bumpstops to the optimum articulation points. Once you have it cut and skidded, consider adding a budget boost type of lift, maybe an inch or two. You can easily fab it up yourself, by adding a spacer above your front coils and an extra top leaf from an XJ pack. Round it all off with a winch bumper and a winch and some lockers, and you will go damn near anywhere that anyone else can, without sacrificing highway ride. This is basically what i am running right now. Mind you, I can't articulate the way the big boys can, but I have done some trails on this setup that surprised the big boys at the top. I currently run 32's and 33's depending on where i am going, but I can probably even fit 35's but they are too big for my axles and they will cut back my articulation a bit much. Good luck eh?
Buck :canada: