98 Cherokee Classic

Hey guys I'm 18 years old just got a 98 cherokee classic and looking to do some off road driving and stock just sucks as I learned today in the pouring rain and mud. So lets say I have around $1500 maybe a little more. What would you recommend I do.

You're not going to like this, but I would strongly advise you to spend a bit on skid plates, tow points and rock rails, maybe a rear locker, a set of good A/T or M/T tires, and leave the suspension alone for awhile. Wheel it like that, get used to it, see what its capabilities are (and they are pretty awesome, in fact), and what it needs to go where you want to go.

I could easily give you a $1500 shopping list, but it might not be right for your wheeling conditions and it might be modified enough to just get you in trouble.

have to agree with Eagle

$1500 is easy to spend in one place or two... too easy without a plan.

Where are ya/what sort of wheeling? How much off road vs how many miles of road (& what sort of roads) What transfer case does your Jeep have? a 231 (part time 4x4) or 242 (part and full time) and do you get a lot of snow?

Id advise at minimum getting armor: rocker guards, transfer case skid, gas tank skid, maybe skids for the lower control arms and diff covers. I have found the OEM gas tank skid is OK, but I wouldn't count on the OEM tcase skid to save me a headache. If your jeep is unmolested/unwheeled (undamaged) rocker armor is a very good 1st choice...see ORGS Mfg. or AJ's

After that...I'd think traction: ATs are pretty worthless for SE wheeling...MTs are good, other locales ATs may be fine...

we need more info!

Bill said:

Hey guys I'm 18 years old just got a 98 cherokee classic and looking to do some off road driving and stock just sucks as I learned today in the pouring rain and mud. So lets say I have around $1500 maybe a little more. What would you recommend I do.

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Well, you are 18. That means you need to lift that puppy. An RE 4.5 would be a start. You would still have some $ left for tires if you can do the install yourself. Maybe 32's. If you go 33's you will need to change gear for sure and that is expensive on top of all that. As far as skid plates and all that, dude you are 18....what fun is that? You can get some gears when you got the cash. Congrats on you owning an XJ at your age. You are lucky.

I would lift it.
Curt

I agree with Eagle. I bought a 1999 XJ almost two years ago and asked the same question. I thought people would tell me to lift it and get bigger tires. A few people did. However, many people said to armor it and wheel it as is. The argument was that it would make me a better driver. Plus you can always lift it later once you outgrow it - and the armor helps insure that the vehicle will still be in one piece when that time comes.

You would be very surprised where a stock XJ can go. I know my XJ, sagging springs and all, surprises a lot of people on the trail (including me).

IMO Your first priority should be good strong tow points. You will want people to be able to help you when you get stuck. If you know you can afford after-market bumpers with receiver hitches these work well here. You will also want a hookless tow strap.

Then you will want decent tires. I'm not familiar with 16" rims but get the largest AT or MT tire you can fit without rubbing (for me it was 235/75-15). If you look around you can probably get a set used. I bought a set for my XJ for $50 with rims.

Then armor everything. I bought Tomken front and rear bumpers (both with receiver hitches), tow hook brackets, tow hooks and rock rails. These have protected my XJ from serious damage several times and have more than paid for themselves. They also provide lots of good tow points and surfaces for a jack. A hi-lift jack is a good purchase once you have some surfaces to use it with.

Then wheel the hell out of it. Wheel with other people so you have help when you get stuck. After you know what you can and can't do in the XJ then worry about lifting.

-Brian

Eagle said:

You're not going to like this, but I would strongly advise you to spend a bit on skid plates, tow points and rock rails, maybe a rear locker, a set of good A/T or M/T tires, and leave the suspension alone for awhile. Wheel it like that, get used to it, see what its capabilities are (and they are pretty awesome, in fact), and what it needs to go where you want to go.

I could easily give you a $1500 shopping list, but it might not be right for your wheeling conditions and it might be modified enough to just get you in trouble.

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Thanks guys, I'm in jersey by the way so the weather changes like I change my underwear. Some of the trails are narrow so i want to have decent handling, not many rocks just a lot of dirt and mud, big holes, hills, some small streams. I've increased my budget to $2000 LOL no labor cause my friend who works with jeeps is going to do all the work. I have the Part Time gearing. Look im not terribly concerned with dents and dings cause i know its gonna happen. I like to think of myself as a decnet driver cause my other friend has an xj and he go stuck so i drove his out a lil rockin motion and it was good. I wanna get some bigger tires which will prolly mean a lift. And then ill see what if i can take all your advice and do what is absolutely neccessary. Oh and I definitely need new shocks.

Armor is necessary, but boring, and less necessary if you're not on the rocks all the time. Get a good 3.5" lift ($500), throw some 31's on it using the stock rims ($500), a lunchbox locker in the front axle ($250), and spend the rest on armor, stiffening up the chassis & misc. junk. Stick with a 1/2"-1" T-case drop for now. Lifted 3.5" with 31's and locked in the front will take you quite a few places and not affect your snow handling much. That's how I'd start out because if you go over 3.5" you could spend the entire $2000 just getting everything to work with the new lift (new steering, SYE, drop brackets or a long-arm kit, lower gears for the bigger tires you'd fit, etc.).

So now my next question would be tires. What kind? The car is my only car, and i do street and some highway, when I go offroad its mostly gonna me mud and dirt maybe some rocks but nothing huge.

I don't know if you think I was talking about using armor to prevent 'dents and dings' but I wan't. I'm talking about protecting against substancial damage.

For example, I was wheeling at one point last year and lost traction. It was all I could do to determine what side of the trail I was going off. I wasn't expecting trouble where we were so I was going faster than I should have been. If I had not had that front bumper I probably would have destroyed the grill, driver's-side headlight assembly and driver's-side front fender. You should see the gash the bumper made in the bank where I hit.

I've long since lost count of how many times my XJ's rear end has droped down onto a rock, stump or other obstruction when leaving a hole or starting a climb. I know that any number of them would have pushed that POS stock bumper up into my hatch probably really messing it up.

You don't want to see what happens when your rockers come down hard on something...

I'm not trying to convince you - I just want to make certain we are all on the same page. I'm not talking about bad looking small dings and dents.

Good luck with your XJ - they are a great vehicle!

-Brian

Bill said:

Thanks guys, I'm in jersey by the way so the weather changes like I change my underwear. Some of the trails are narrow so i want to have decent handling, not many rocks just a lot of dirt and mud, big holes, hills, some small streams. I've increased my budget to $2000 LOL no labor cause my friend who works with jeeps is going to do all the work. I have the Part Time gearing. Look im not terribly concerned with dents and dings cause i know its gonna happen. I like to think of myself as a decnet driver cause my other friend has an xj and he go stuck so i drove his out a lil rockin motion and it was good. I wanna get some bigger tires which will prolly mean a lift. And then ill see what if i can take all your advice and do what is absolutely neccessary. Oh and I definitely need new shocks.

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Tires.....31x10.5R15 BFGoodrich AT KO's are $116 each at Discount Tire, approximately $500 for 4 after tax & fees. Quiet on the street, pretty good off-road, last quite a while.

for tires i would go with the goodyear mtrs due to the mud and they work purdy good on road and great in mud. or bfg MTs. the worst tire in mud would be the BFG AT i have them and wheel in CO were we have sum mud but not much but when we get mud they suck they will not clean them selves out.

http://community.webshots.com/user/coxjpr

there are some pics in mud in my jeep pics and there not purdy. they throw the soup but not the slime. and armor first then tires lift then locker good luck

WIll

Most every one is dead on . Get armor. for a 98 i'd stay with a 2in buget lift to make sure you don't have driveline issuse that sem to apear more on the newer XJs. the ORGS rock rails are nice as afew other ones same goes for bumpers. and you can get a factory gas skid cheep and it works well. for tires PEP BOYS and walmart carry inexpensive mud tires that would work well in a 30 in size. I know its not going to look big and bad but it will work very well. then you can get a locker for the rear and maybe the front and most important get some recover gear such as a high lift jack, a good strap(with out hooks!!) and a basic tool set because you never know what will happen.

im 20 now and said the same thing 2 years ago

DONT BUY A LIFT NOW. b/c all youll do is get inch-itus. i want bigger and bigger. so like the other guys said
1) By far the first thing you should do is get the diffs and the trasfercase new lube
along with a trans flush MAKE SURE THE THING IS HAS AGOOD FOUNDATION

2)hitch - for a tow point

3)tow hooks or bumper- for a tow pt

4) skids Tansfer case, rock sliders, and diff

Dont waste your money building a lift it will cast you twice as much. DONT BUY A CHEAP LIFT rubicon express is great along with rustys. both have excellent Long arm kits. but buy your wheel and tire package AnD your lift together.

Haha.
He's older than you are, now!
Man, you must have been searching way back, to find this thread!

if you are going for 31s i recommend the truxus mts some people dont like interco tires and i was iffy but i got them for $112 a piece at ntwonline..quiet on the road handle well on the road and provide good off road traction..

Get a BB, good tires, tow points, and skids. But before any of that tune it up and change fluids and filters. if you have to have bigger tires, then trim the fenders, its easy and looks better than stock.

OT said:

Haha.
He's older than you are, now!
Man, you must have been searching way back, to find this thread!

Click to expand...

Isn't it funny how you'll have a few more people that will then chime in on the long forgotten subject like it's been on the top page for days.