Factory 18" center cap to wheel well?

Hey guys new to the site, been lurking awhile and reading up on all the mods you guys have done with your rigs. My hat is off to you guys, lots of neat mods and some pure genius.

While searching I came across several post that refered to 17" as the stock height from the Center Cap to the Fender well to check for sagging suspension.

Well I checked mine this morning and it meassure 18" front and rear? I saw several post when referring to Lifts that reference not all Cherokee's are equal and from one to the next you may need to drop the transfer case - you may not.

But I was surprised to see 18" Center Cap to Fender when I saw numerous post all referencing 17" as the norm. Any idea whats up with that?

My question are:

1. Will 30 x 9.5 /15 fit as the Cherokee sits with 18" from Center cap to Fender without any rubbing?

I'm also looking at a 3" - 3.5" lift for my 98' Cherokee Sport Chrysler 8.25" rear (Based upon the Flat bottom of the differential).

2. Can you think of anything additional I will need above the 1" trans drop to eliminate any vibes with a 3"-3.5" lift? I'm looking at the RE or Rusty's complete kits either AAL or full spring pack kits.

My wheeling will be from the mild to moderate (ranch work etc) - No current plans for the Rubicon - so I don't need a rock buggy.

Thx,
Bruce

Your XJ must have UpCountry Suspension, you can tell if you do-not have a rear sway bar. UpCountry Jeeps usually came with some more factory skids too.
You will probabally need a SYE on a 98 to eliminate vibes

If you are using factory wheels with the 30x9.50 tires, you probably will be all right for clearance. Notice I said probably.

If you got with the SYE, you won't need the T-case drop.

I don't know if you plan to wheel or not, but if you do wheel, you don't need the loss of clearance.

The only advantage of the T-case drop is that it is a cheap fix for the drive line angle. When you go with the SYE, it's more expensive plus you will need a new drive shaft.

There are two schools. Doing it right (which costs a lot) or doing it cheap. If you do it cheap, you have lots of gives and takes with performance and you're usually wrenching a lot more. So it depends on your style and pocket book.

Up Country Suspension huh? But on a quick check I did not notice a rear sway bar.

Interesting there is no reference to it on the Jeep. If it does have the Up Country Suspension, does this mean it has longer Springs up front or did Jeep do some sort of Budget Boost on a factory vehicle. Like Spring Spacers?

taller springs.

97'XJ said:

Up Country Suspension huh? But on a quick check I did not notice a rear sway bar.

Interesting there is no reference to it on the Jeep. If it does have the Up Country Suspension, does this mean it has longer Springs up front or did Jeep do some sort of Budget Boost on a factory vehicle. Like Spring Spacers?

Click to expand...

That's what Littlewhite was saying,
Up Country Pkg. has no rear sway bar, and most have factory skids.

I guess you could call it a factory 1" BB.

your transmission will also effect the driveshaft angle. manual and auto will have different length shafts.

Gene

Are you measuring front or rear? The "norm" is 17-1/2 front and 17 rear.

However ... in the FSM (Factory Service Manual) where they describe how to measure ride height between axle and frame, they give the acceptable height as a range -- a number +/- 1/2". So if yours measures 18" all around, it is half an inch higher than what we consider "standard" in the front and 1" higher in the rear. That does sound like you have Up Country suspension, although why the front would have settled and the rear not is a bit of a mystery.

A little late, but I just got an official nod. (Wanted to make sure I wasn't 'advertising').

1. When you say 'center cap to fender', are you measuring from the exact center of the hub?

Slightly off topic, but in ref. to #2:
I just finished a 3" lift (Rock Lizard Fab) - my first. Got a lot of great help from the owner. Originally a 'budget boost', it's now a kit of new parts (similar to an OME, at 1/2 the price.) IMO much better kit, and service - Plus it's on sale through the end of the year. You can email or pm me. I have *a lot* of info. My XJ looks %$@#! cool, rides much better, and I've got money to put into other projects (like recovery points, tow straps, new tires, front bumper & guard, aux. lights, rear tire mount...etc, etc, etc).

Thanks for the info - I swapped out the tires this past weekend and the 30x9.5's fit great on the factory rims and suspension with a lot of room to spare.