suggestions for a 97 xj

I'm setting up a 97 xj for a friend it is a 4.0l sport with about 90k. truck is clean no rust small oil leak looks like the rear of the valve cover. Tranny is shifting a little hard intermittently, I suspect it has been filled with atf over the years. I plan on doing a poor mans flush but I'm wondering if is worth it to drop the pan and change the filter as well.

The cat is shot and I'm wondering if it is possible to remove it all together, no emissions tests where the truck is reged and the o2 sensor is before the cat.

I plan on also doing the basic wiring upgrades any other suggestions for general upgrades are welcome

What I'm mainly interested in is raising the ride height a little. I want to try to retain or possibly improve on road handling. Im wondering if a BB or full lift kit would yield better results. I've also thought about just going w/ cut out flares but that would need at least 31 x 11.5 to look right. After reading on the site about weakness in the front wheel bearings I've kinda nixed the idea but still wanted to throw it in.

Since your new and befor anyone else gets to you first. Did you Search Lift kits, budget boost, basterd pack, JY lift? :eyes: You might wanna check them out. It will keep you busy for days.:greensmok Whats weak about the XJ wheel bearings? Mine have over 300,000 on them and they still hold up fine.

x2 on what he said

oh and replace the cat at least with a 50 dollar magnaflow just for the sake of the air - the no cat mod doesnt do anything anyways...

aparke4 said:

x2 on what he said

oh and replace the cat at least with a 50 dollar magnaflow just for the sake of the air - the no cat mod doesnt do anything anyways...

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X2 Plus they sound like Poo. Some rednecks like it. So once again its up to you.(leave the cat you will regret removing it)

mcnamaag said:

Since your new and befor anyone else gets to you first. Did you Search Lift kits, budget boost, basterd pack, JY lift? :eyes: You might wanna check them out. It will keep you busy for days.:greensmok Whats weak about the XJ wheel bearings? Mine have over 300,000 on them and they still hold up fine.

Click to expand...

I did search but didnt see anything specifically addressing bb vs lift kit vs cut out fenders w/ stock susp would be best for on road use.

As for the cat just trying to save a couple of bucks but if it will get louder it's not something I'm interested in.

The wheel bearings, one of the lift threads mentioned not using - offset rims because of the strain on the front wheel bearings, no one argued it in the thread. Anyway to use 31x11.5's with cut outs I'm guessing I would still need to offset the rims to get them to look right?

What do you mean about offset rims? I'm guessing you're referring to backspacing.

and yeah, there probably isnt a thread that specifically says "bb vs lift vs cut fenders/stock" - but there's plenty on the subject out there, in individual threads.

you can lift your rig and still keep the ride quality very close, or in some cases, better than stock. its all about how much time/money you want to spend on it. What are your limitations? what size tires do you want to run and what kind of off roading (if any) do you want to do?

I'm looking to get 31's under the truck. the truck is going to be 90% on road/daily driver.

I dont mind spending the money(700-1000) on a lift kit but if the same on road results could be obtained without spending the cash then why not. I figure I need about 3" of lift but I've seen alot of talk of sye's and it seems like alot of work especially for a rig that wont see alot of offroading.

Offset is the same as backspacing, offset is how many mm off center the rim is. The thread suggested not to use anything with a negative offset because the added stress to the wheel bearings..

with 31's go with a 3.5" lift with a 1 " drop t-case and shims so you won't need a SYE. Also with 31" you won't need to cut out your flares but you will need "offset" rims (backspaced) otherwise you will rub your LCA's unless you get wheel spacers.