Front end rubbing

Ok... so it's been some time since i've been on here. My wife and I just bought her a 90' automatic Cherokee Laredo. She's been achin for a Jeep ever since I got mine. We finally found one.

Now the question is. The previous owner was given some 31" tires and decided to lift the back due to rubbing so he put a 3" lift in the back. Not sure what he put in there yet because I haven't had time to look since we got it on Saturday and have been busy since. While driving the Jeep we noticed that at full turn it rubs really bad in the front. But having read articles on here I know it's not too big of an issue and can be fixed. What would be the cheapest way to fix this rubbing?

This is going to be a daily driver for her and some light off-roading here and there. My Cherokee is the main off-roader. I'd like to even out the front because it does slant down a bit due to the lift in the back.

Would poly spacers in the front be best? Coils from a V8 Grand Cherokee or what? We just need a little boost in the front. We'll most likely trim the fenders in front and back as well to give it some more travel room too. We just need to stop the rubbing in the front. Thanks in advance. And yes I know how to use the search button. What is our best option to stop the rubbing and give it some lift for cheap?

hey man. dont worry too much about the rubbing. i have a 90' cherokee with a total of 5.5 inches of lift. im using a rubicon express 4.5 kit. in the front i have spacers making it 5.5, and in the rear i have longer shackels.
when you lift the front make sure you extend your brakelines. but as far as the rubbing goes....just dont turn all the way =].

My wife and I have a set of coils out of a Grand in her 94 sport. They worked well to level out the rig and kept the flexing characteristics more suited to her driving style (i.e. she's afarid of gravity shifting it's force to a sideways pull and flopping her uncontrollably across the trail... still working on that) while saving some cash. $25 bucks for the pair, and some time to play with brake lines and stuff. She still rubs the control arms, but the fenders clear her 31's with plenty of room with no cuting. Find yourself some aftermarket control arms that have a bend for clearance (should be about $100 new) and you're set.

Oh wow, another Idahoan =)

By new control arms do you mean the lower ones? I'd rather fix it then have her not being able to turn all the way without rubbing... don't want her on a tight trail and not be able to turn all the way. How much will lifting the front to even it out help with the rubbing?

New rimbackspacing/offset could help as well, or adjusting the steering stops. Search terms like backspacing and steering stops should bring up plenty of threads on this.

The lifting of the front won't change the rubbing on the control arms. That is caused by the tire turning, not the suspension articulating. What it will gain you is the additional clearance under the front end of the jeep and the ability to flex the suspension further without having the tires tear the fender flares off. I'm also sure that it will bring the mounted angle of the powertrain closer to the original specifications Jeep designed it for. As for the control arms, you are correct in that it is the lower set that is causing the headaches. Jeep used stamped steel to keep the production simple and the costs down, and for most users, they are fine. The issue arises where the desired clearance creates the need for a bend.... the stamped arms are only strong enough due to their being straight. The way to get around it is to get a set with a bend that is made out of material strong enough to resist the forces exerted upon it. Most aftermarket LCA's are made from heavy tubing or solid stock, making them very resistant to folding, cracking, and flexing. The main reason I'm suggesting them is that the cost of wheels with a diferent backspacing will undoubtedly be higher than the LCA's, especially after the dismounting and remounting of the tires. And I'm not entirely convinced that wheel spacers should even be legal. (I've never had a bad experience with them, and I hope that everyone using them or considering using them understands that they multiply the force on the hub, ball joints, bearings, wheel studs and lug nuts exponentially with the increase in track width. This is a scary concept when you have family and friends counting on your rig to get everyone back at the end of the day.)

The best fix for the tires rubbing the control arms is new control arms. A very easy fix which doesn't limit you much at all is to put a washer behind the stops to prevent the wheel from turning all the way. I have them. It limits my turning a little bit but I really don't notice the difference. I REALLY notice that the tire lugs don't hit the control arm though.

Either ZJ (V8) coils or coil spacers would be good leveling options. Depending on how much the front end needs to go up, you may need a little of both. You also will probably need to extend your bumpstops some.