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Lowering jeep. No flame

S

summitlt

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Maine
Yes, i am thinking of lowering my 99 XJ. Why you ask? Well, everyone has a lifted XJ, my stocker will go down every trail around here and, well, I want to do something different.

I tried strapping the suspension down, mainly to see what it looked like, and i see that bumpstops will definatly be an issue. Followed by shocks. Are there any other limiting factors in suspension up travel other than the shocks and bumpstops in these trucks? Like driveshaft clearances with exhaust and the oil pan?
 
but remember, everytime someone lowers a jeep, God kills a kitten! :D

but do whatever you want, if you wanna lower it more power too ya, i get what your sayin bout everyone havin a lifted xj and wantin to be different. im kinda the same just not too extreme. like im doing away with my black rims cuz everyone has them...but not gettin chrome either
 
KarlVP said:
Don't forget to put Dubs on it. No, wait maybe dub dubs.

If'n you really want to drop it, 4 link the rear and put bags on it. It will make it ride 400,000% better.
Click to expand...

don't forget the front wheel drive conversion kit
 
Front axle clearance against the oilpan, pinion and caster angles will be a bit off, rear axle clearance against the frame, tire clearance against fenders.


Oh and Head clearance from your ass for lowering a 4wd Vechicle. :D

The XJ isn''t a great candidate for lowering, you would have to swap the rear to spring under, the front will have clearance issues and a solid axle with not much room above it compounds that problem. If you want to screw up a vehicle that badly, sell the xj and buy a honda, you can get a ready made kit to lower those so low you'll get high centered on a speed bump.
 
Just leave it stock height and put some big wheels on it. You have to lift an XJ to get 20s to fit on them. Think donk. Some 17 or 18 inch wheels with rubber band tires would look pretty cool. It is going to be a pain to lower the rear, the leafs already sit flat. If you remove a leaf to lower it, you will invert the spring pack (springs will look like a W), and it will ride like crap. The axle is SOA so you can't use blocks to lower it like a car, and moving the spring mounts would be a major undertaking. If you are wanting to make it handle better put some bigger sway bars under it and call it done.
 
goodburbon said:
The XJ isn''t a great candidate for lowering, you would have to swap the rear to spring under,
Click to expand...

A d35 out of an MJ may fit, but it is going to be really close to your gas tank and exhaust. Make sure you get the MJ spring plates with shock mounts and you may be able to reuse your stock shocks in back. I'm almost sure that a MJ d44 wouldn't fit above the springs. That would lower it about 5" in the back, so plan on running some 12" wheels with lawnmower tires.

The more I think about it the more I want to :puke:
 
Prepmech said:
A d35 out of an MJ may fit, but it is going to be really close to your gas tank and exhaust. Make sure you get the MJ spring plates with shock mounts and you may be able to reuse your stock shocks in back. I'm almost sure that a MJ d44 wouldn't fit above the springs. That would lower it about 5" in the back, so plan on running some 12" wheels with lawnmower tires.

The more I think about it the more I want to :puke:
Click to expand...
If your going to give bad advise, at least make it funny. :twak:
 
Solid front axles hate to be lowered. Period. Get a blazer or jimmy, something that will at least look decent. There are so many steering issues that will arise in the front if you lower it.
 
The front is easy. Coils, shocks, alignment, done. Bumpstop for clearances, 2WD front beam, ditch the front driveline but keep the t-case for smokey burnout gearing. Your steering angles will be better than the '6" of lift and stock steering, yeah!' guys.

In the rear I'd go SUA with 3" or so lift leaf packs. Stiffer for body roll control, should be easy to find, should be a 2-3" drop. Go ahead and set your new pinion angle before you burn in the SUA perches. Less lifted packs would drop more, packs for more lift would get you closer to stock height.

Feel free to trim for tire clearance, up to and including wheel tubs for the rear. Although, at some point you'll have to remember leaf pack clearance.

At some point I decided I didn't want to see the OP's posts, but I laugh at the people who think it's fine to beat the snot out of a vehicle on the dirt, but heaven forbid anyone lower a Jeep.
 
Don't know if it's worth it to bother with anything more than a 1 inch (theoreticly, that's what ZJ 5.9 Limited coils should give), I'd just leave the suspension at stock height and play more with spring stiffness, shocks, sway bars, bushings, wheels, and tires. I'd also look at reducing weight that's higher up on the body like the roof rack.
 
Shove Some DWINKIES on it...maybe some DWINKIE DEUCES or DWINKIE FOH's...dawg....
 
Phil said:
but I laugh at the people who think it's fine to beat the snot out of a vehicle on the dirt, but heaven forbid anyone lower a Jeep.
Click to expand...


By the same token I also don't think it's wise to lift a scion XB 8" and beat the snot out of it in the dirt, but heaven forbid I point out a fish out of water. The point is, there are certain vehicles that lend themselves to be more easily modified in a certain direction. You don't find people trying to "be different" by lifting their Civics to fit swampers on them because it doesn't work right or look right.
 
Matt98XJ said:
Why lower a jeep? My mind doesn't even register that.
Click to expand...

LOL...I hear ya.

Funny this came up...2 days ago, I saw a lowered Cherokee with chrome 20's or something, and a Liberty that looked lowered but I think it just had REEEEEEEEEAAAAALLY small tires on it...seriously, couldn't have been over 12 or 13"...all on the same day. I was like...AHHHHHHHHHHHH....LORD, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE SUCH A SIGHT :banghead:. I know what you are saying about wanting to be different, but it was more than different, it was just silly. :nono:

Don't worry though guys, that horrific day was countered by seeing my first lifted Liberty in person. I have to say, it looked really nice. AFAIK, they only make a 2 or 2.5" lift for the KJ. It looked a little taller. I think it had 32's on it. Very nice...made me excited for us to hurry up and get one for the wife.
 
Prepmech said:
Just leave it stock height and put some big wheels on it. You have to lift an XJ to get 20s to fit on them.
Click to expand...


Not true... my 96 came with 20's on it stock.
 
like I said, just wanted something a little different than the run of the mill 2" lift that id do, no reason ot go any bigger around here unless you like mud. And im not the biggest fan because all the mud around here has rocks in it.


Think ill just leave it stock height, just wanted to see what i could do with it, but it seems like more work than its worth.

Guess ill just dig into the motor and make a sleeper. I already had a lifted truck, dont want to go down the same road again, wheres the fun in that?

And i had no intentions of dubs. Im thinking of a set of 255/70 15s though. Same size of 235s heieght wise
 
Last edited:
Super Charged Stroker?

yes... I think you will.
 
If you're going for the sleeper thing, you could look for a 2 wheel drive transmission (if yours is 4x4) Then you could sell your front axle (to replace it with a non driving axle) trans, transfer case, and driveshafts and get a few hundred bucks towards your engine.
 
00jeepypoo.jpg
 
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