• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Wheelbase question! 101.4" vs 104"

The_Punisher

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Kodiak, AK
Hello all!

I am building a '97 XJ you might call a "pre-runner" style rig. Deaver coils/leafs and fox shocks so on and so forth. 33x10.50 Toyo MT's

Stock wheelbase is 101.4". I was going to swap in a HP dana 44 and rear 9" (I already have the axles, but might run a crate dana 30 from ECGS along with my 9")

Anyway original plan was to push the front axle forward 2", and the rear axle back 1" for a 3" increase in wheelbase. Two secondary reason for moving the front axle forward: To help with weight distribution rearward, and my control arms would be 2" longer (short arms with drop brackets)

So would there be ANY noticeable performance difference, going fast down a trail, between 101.4" and about 104.5"???

I'm asking specifically about the merits of stretching the rig 3". I know how I'll do it and what's involved.
 
Last edited:
I don't think you'll notice much of a difference, but 3" isn't that much.

I stretched mine out to 104" and I think it climbs a little better, but I don't think the difference is huge.
 
Depending how you do it, there can be some performance difference yes.

Longer control arms will perform a bit better. Longer leafs will perform a bit better.

Just relocating things to push the axles won't do a lot.
 
Thanks fellas. Front would be moved by moving the coil spring perches on the axle. I'm sure you know the coil sits forward of the axle tube and I would just be moving it more in line with the tube. This would give me 2" longer control arms. I have the DOM and rod ends to make my own control arms, originally planning this mild stretch.

Rear stretch is only 1" or so by using Ruff Stuff spring perches on my 9". There's 3 holes each an inch apart. Could be 1" fore or aft of center, or center.

The rear stretch will probably only account for the wheelbase lost at ride height after the lift.
 
Back
Top