Lift+tires for a "ALL-TERRAIN" XJ

[CustomCrawler]

First off, I admire teens that are into vehicles, especially Jeeps. I started working on cars with my dad when I was 12, nothing major, but I learned alot. I have been around the Jeep world for over 4 years now and it's a great place. One thing I learned quickly is that everyone has different opinions and taste as to what is right. The best advice I can give you is to listen to advice, do some research, maybe even take a ride in a few different rigs. Then decide what you want.

I rode in these rigs:
88 ranger 4x4 on 31s, capable, Ford has done a very capable IFS!! :worship: .
88 dakota 4x4 on 31s, dodge should have been shot, chassis is lower then my brothers mustang
91 GMC sierra on 35"s and a lift thats it, very nice, but IFS? Chevy should have been shot for that big of a rig.

There are many options available. Two of the biggest things to know are your budget and your knowledge/ability to work on your Jeep.
Know how much you can spend each time you do an upgrade. Most folks start with a lift and tires, then get armor/tow points, some folks get bumpers or racks, then gears or axles.

I plan on rock armor first thing, cuz Ive been out light wheeling twice driving in my XJ and well I notice that armor would be my best first thing :lecture:

So here's my recommendation:
4-4.5" lift, 33's, rock rails, tow points, gas tank and t-case skids, gears and lockers. Now, all of this does not have to be done at one time, that would be eexpensive.

True, Im really think a Rough Country 4.5" with 33"s now, cuz Im a slow wheeler, not heavy on the throttle, besides one time (Almost got stuck, wheeling, with no tow out vehicle, and its illegal wheeling but not on a trail or anything and on bumpy unused offroad terrain)

Depending on your budget, you can start out at 3.5" and 31 or 32 (trimming) and not have to regear so quickly. You can throw in a lunchbox locker and be set. Do get the armor! Even if you don't go "rock crawling" rocks and stumps seem to find rockers...
I started with 3.5" and 31's and went all over the place. I invested in armor and I am glad I did! I wheeled that set-up for almost 2 years, then I went to 4.5" and 33's, changed both axles, geared and locked them! Huge difference!


Why change both axles? Are you a hard wheeler?


There are many places to get your stuff. I recommend using a sponsor. One like, DPG OFfroad. Dirk has some great prices and complete kits. He is a great guy to deal with as well. He has one of the best gast tank and t-case skids out there!

His site is hard to navigate so I didnt even look at his stuff for very long! :doh:

For brand - Rubicon Express is my choice. I have never had a problem with any of their product.

Tires - MT/R's are awesome, but not good in the mud. I love mine and they work great on the street and trail. A little noisy on the road, but nto too bad.
TruXus tire's seem cool, but I hear they wear extremely fast, but perform well, even in mud. See what folks in your area are running.

Most run MT/Rs for the snow/trail/rock/street

Like other have said, stay away from add-a-leafs. They do provide a little lift, but they fail and wear out faster. The leaf packs are more money, but they are easier to install and last longer.

Okay, I will go a RC 4.5 rear spring, for 700!

You will hear folks bash to D35, with good reason. BUT, I say run it til it breaks, right. Some folks run 33 & 35 inch tires, lockers, alloy shafts, etc.. in their D35 with no issue. Unfortunately, lots of folks have seen failures with no or little mods... I think it's a crap shoot....
Problem with waiting until it breaks, is you don't know when that will be. It could be on a trail and then you have to get it home or it could be on the road, which you still have to get it home. Then you HAVE to find a new axle or rebuild the broken, so your Jeep will be down for a while while your repair it.

I dont plan on lockers, most people in my cluib dont have lockers that have XJs. Plus if i run a D35 and 33s I dont want to put stress on it, so I might put a limited slip locker?

Ok, enough rambling.... learn about your Jeep, your driving style, and what others in your area are running. Determine your budget, find your kit, throw a lift party and have fun!

Good luck!

Thanks

 

[bl87xj]

I just picked up an '88 for my 15-1/2 year old. It is going to be his daily driver, but he will be mostly around town ,beach/school runner. Like 10-15 miles a day.

I put on an RE 3.5 kit, with new leaf springs and I installed the RE track bar. I put BFG AT's 33X x 10.5" on stock rims.

There is no rubbing when driving on the street. You can get the rear of the tires to just barley kiss the lower control arms, but you have to really try to make it happen.

I took it wheeling this past weekend. Nothing extreme. I did hear a few fender flare rubs here ant there, no damage and I couldn't even find the clean spots from the rubbing. Best I can tell the rubbing is limited to the flexable flares and fender linings. The 10.5's tuck in pretty nicely. The XJ seems to be super capable.

The XJ is super street and highway-able too. No steering issues, no driveline vibes.

I plan to add coil spacers and shackles to pick up an extra inch or so as I get into more challenging wheeling.

I think this type of set up strikes a good balance with off-road capability, Street driving ability, without needing introducing other modification issues or stressing the stock systems too much.

Of course a lot depends on how you drive. I prefer a controlled trail crawl exploration over pounding through obsticals.

 

[terryd]

too late for that, get some 3x6 rectangular tubing, remove the dented panels and weld the tubing in it's place!!! cheap and protected. see madxj.com I did it on my first one and loved it. I'll do it on the new one when Michigan road salt wrecks them!

yeah, i'm going to get that fixed and put on a nice set of sliders i've drawn up. they'll tie into sub-frame reinforcements and help strengthen the lower control arms mounts and the front spring hanger buckets. the rocker was one of those stupid newbie mistakes.... i've learned better now!

 

[rpraterxj]

True, Im really think a Rough Country 4.5" with 33"s now, cuz Im a slow wheeler, not heavy on the throttle, besides one time (Almost got stuck, wheeling, with no tow out vehicle, and its illegal wheeling but not on a trail or anything and on bumpy unused offroad terrain)

Why change both axles? Are you a hard wheeler?


Okay, I will go a RC 4.5 rear spring, for 700!

I dont plan on lockers, most people in my cluib dont have lockers that have XJs. Plus if i run a D35 and 33s I dont want to put stress on it, so I might put a limited slip locker?

Nothing wrong with RC kit - good price! Make sure it's complete - brakelines, etc.. does it come with shocks?

I changed the rear to Cherokee D44 and the front for a high-pinion D30. I got them a wrecked 87 XJ. Then I geared and locked them!

When I said put a locker in - I was referring to any type of locking device. LSD is a grea option. Look into the Aussie lockers when the time comes

Best of luck!

 

[CustomCrawler]

The RC kit comes with it ALL, and theres no way in hell the shocks are worse then my stock shocks with 108k miles that are blown to shiz.

How hard was it to put a cherokee dana 44 in? how much did it cost?

I have a High Pinion D30 already .

 

[bl87xj]

I am not an expert at all. I did just go through and are currently working on the same things you are, so I read through the thread and will offer up my suggestions. Of course you needs may be different.

Tires: I went with BFG AT's. Wanted MT's but was a bit concerned about some wet road performance comments. With the new driver, I opted for the better on-road performance of the AT's, I don't think I give up too much off-road performance. (you should research more for your sand and snow needs)

Tire width: If your on the stock wheels. Anything over 10.5" is going to increase your rubbing.

Shocks: Factor them into the cost of your lift.

Trac Bar: I went with a new designed for the lift. Did not want to drill a new hole in the lower mount.

Just say not to add-a-leafs.

Don't over build/lift right out of the gate. Wheel it and you will quickly learn exactly what you need.

You can easily break a D-35. But you can also do a lot with a D-35. I think a lot depends on your driving style. If you are aware of the potential weak link, you should be fine. Maybe just keep your eye out for an XJ 44 in the junk yard. You could slowly build it and have it ready to go just in case.

My auto tranny finds O/D no problem with 33" tires.

Good recovery points should be close to the top of the list.

Remember you are relying on a 20 year old vehicle. Save some of that budget for routine maint. and unforseen repairs. You don't want to have a well built trail rig sitting the driveway because you couldn't afford a mechanical repair.

I went with Rubicon Express gear. Never heard anything bad about them, and I liked the idea of a full line of gear designed to be compatable.

MOST IMPORTANT: If at all possible GO TO COLLEGE. (Trust me in this one)

 

[rpraterxj]

How hard was it to put a cherokee dana 44 in? how much did it cost?

The D44 came out of an XJ, so it was a bolt-in!! I just cleaned the axle housing and had a guy install gears and lockers. we did cut off the spring perches and shock mounts to set the pinion angle and move the shocks up for clearence.

As for price, it was a part of a wrecked Jeep I bought. Me and a buddy bought the wreck, dragged it to my house, took what we wanted, then sold other parts off of it. Then the local junkyard came and gave me $130 bucks for what was left. So I REALLY made out on the deal.

Folks are paying anywhere between $120 to $300 for D44 axles from yards or other folks...

You can also put a Chrysler 8 1/4 in. hat's what I took out of m 2000 XJ. The disadvantage is you can only go as low as 4.56 gears. I wanted (and run) 4.88's. I plan to go to 35's one day....

This was mine with 3.5" lift on 31's, no lockers, stock gears:

Here's what mine looks like now; Almost 6" of lift on 33's, geared and locked:

 

[jeeperjohn]

The local club beats on there dana 35s and he said hes never had a problem with dana 35 rear. They wheel the same stuff as me.

Trust us, the D35 will not handle 33's for long, I'd go with MattyJ and do a mild lift while you learn the in's and out's of four wheeling. You will become a much better driver and when you are ready to go to a bigger lift you will know much better what you want. Also you will have an all around better prepared rig with some armor and recovery points. It will show you are a little smarter than the average kid with a 4WD. People will be much more impressed with good wheeling skills than a big lift. If they give you a hard time about a small lift then their opinion doesn't mean jack anyway.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

FWIW, I'd go with option 4. This is my set up, and I just got my 31's put on two days ago and couldn't be happier. Just the look I was going for...and mine sees about 60-100 miles per day. The only draw back is with a 3" lift and 31's, you'll have some rubbing at full lock on the lower control arms.

Start small, learn all you can, and work your way up gradually, as you get a feel for how your XJ reacts and drives to the lift and tires.