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Turning XJ into street rod - need gear and exhaust suggestions

G

gone postal

NAXJA Forum User
Location
St. Augustine, FL
I have a '97 XJ Country 4x4 w/ 117k on 235/75/15 tires w/ 2" BB.

I also have a Camaro Z28 which is a great toy and I love the power and sound, but am seriously considering selling it b/c I could use the money towards home improvements or wife's student loans. So, if I do that, I'd like to get some of that fun out of the XJ which is currently my DD.

So, I'm currently swapping in a '99 intake manifold, APN header, 62mm throttle body and electric fans. I figure this should be a good start on some more power, but know that gearing would have a major effect for "seat of the pants" feel. So, I'm considering 4.10 gears and am curious what kind of mileage drop I could possibly see for IN TOWN DRIVING ONLY!! I honestly don't expect more than 1-2MPG or so b/c that's what I saw when I went from 2.73 to 3.73 on the Z, but I might be way off.

Also, I absoultely love the sound of my Z w/ Magnaflow exhaust. I know I couldn't hope to replicate that sound out of an I6, but what is the deepest sounding, most V8-like muffler out for an XJ? I'm considering going w/ Magnaflow again, but not too familiar w/ model #'s, etc.
 
mudxj92 said:
well i say 4.88's and throw some 35's on there:D
dont waste a 4 wheel drive:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Trust me, I'd love to, but it would really only be for show around here. The only wheeling spots are if you know someone that owns a farm or belongs to a hunting club b/c those two things own all the land outside of town. Either way, you're only going to find mud pits that the guys in jacked up Chevys / Fords w/ 40+" tires tear up. I hate mud and wouldn't stnad much of a chance anyway, so I only have the beach left which you could handle in a Honda Civic.

stephenspann27 said:
I have a '95 Z28 M6.. it's my daily driver.. 202k miles...
Click to expand...

See, stories like these make me want to keep my Z b/c I love the thing so damn much. It's a '97, so same body style as yours (best one too), but has the newer '98+ interior which I like better. It's also a convertible!! The only thing I'd really change is I'd rather a 6 speed, but the auto isn't really that bad. I'm considering letting the XJ go and keeping the Z, but that's about the stupidest idea ever. The XJ is more utilitarian and will probably last 300k without a hitch and run on 87 octane w/ better MPG!! I've talked to several Z owners w/ 150, 175 & 200k miles that haven't had too many issues, but I tend to drive this harder, so the problems are more of a possibilitiy - especially the Optispark and tranny. I figure the motor is bulletproof.

Back to original topic - anyone run 4.10's on stock tires?!?
 
In town, you'll get better mileage with 4.10s and stockish tires. You are making it easier for the motor to accelerate your bucket, after all.
Also - I have the Flowmaster 40 series and a modified downpipe. it sounds about like one of my old man's milder muscle cars, or the times when he'd have to put a bigger muffler in to please a girlfriend / wife etc
Rumbles nicely at idle, loud at 1700 rpm, smooths out at 2k
 
I have the Borla setup w/magnaflow cat and highly recommend it. You can get a nice magnaflow setup on the XJ as well(I'd go that route before a flowmaster one). I am running a set of used automatic 3.55s instead of the 3.07s on a 27" tire and it has helped out w/ in town driving. I wanted some used 3.73s, but there were none around. It would be fun to have 4.10s on a stock tire height, but I drive highways @70-80mph and I wouldn't want to be cruising too much above 3K RPMs.
 
gone postal said:
Trust me, I'd love to, but it would really only be for show around here. The only wheeling spots are if you know someone that owns a farm or belongs to a hunting club b/c those two things own all the land outside of town. Either way, you're only going to find mud pits that the guys in jacked up Chevys / Fords w/ 40+" tires tear up. I hate mud and wouldn't stnad much of a chance anyway, so I only have the beach left which you could handle in a Honda Civic.



See, stories like these make me want to keep my Z b/c I love the thing so damn much. It's a '97, so same body style as yours (best one too), but has the newer '98+ interior which I like better. It's also a convertible!! The only thing I'd really change is I'd rather a 6 speed, but the auto isn't really that bad. I'm considering letting the XJ go and keeping the Z, but that's about the stupidest idea ever. The XJ is more utilitarian and will probably last 300k without a hitch and run on 87 octane w/ better MPG!! I've talked to several Z owners w/ 150, 175 & 200k miles that haven't had too many issues, but I tend to drive this harder, so the problems are more of a possibilitiy - especially the Optispark and tranny. I figure the motor is bulletproof.

Back to original topic - anyone run 4.10's on stock tires?!?
Click to expand...

your in Florida...there are limited spots but i find some nice places in ocala that put my 37"s to the test,
 
ChrisRFewell said:
your in Florida...there are limited spots but i find some nice places in ocala that put my 37"s to the test,
Click to expand...
Yeah, haven't made the trip to Ocala yet. My brother and I want to go, but something always pops up that prevents us from making it. We decided to take a Saturday off sometime in the fall that way it's a lil cooler and won't have to run the trails w/ the A/C on. By then his XJ should have 6" and 33's and mine will have my 4.10's and locked front/rear. It should prove an interesting study on ground clearance over traction.

I appreciate the advice. Looks like I'm going to go 4.10's and look into a Borla system. I've always liked them, but they can be pricey. I just want to avoid any of the raspiness that most 4cyl cars around here have.
 
ChrisRFewell said:
BTW my 37"s and 5.13 gets maybe 17 mpg and i beat a Mercedes cl500(i think) off the line at a light...and i own ricers...fun fun.
AFE only other mod
Click to expand...

That's awesome. I only get 13.5 now, but have a major exhaust manifold leak which is what prompted me to finally swap to an APN header (well, that and $4+ gas prices). I figured since I was doing the exhaust, I might as well swap a bunch of other parts while the Jeep was down. So, those combined w/ a new O2 sensor and new plugs (since it was running rich and coating my old ones), I'm hoping to get in the 18-19 range. If I end up losing 1 mpg over gears, so be it. It'd be worth it!!!
 
I would also check out SpinTech mufflers. I have a sportsman series on my Jeep and its wicked mean sounding. I always get asked what motor is under the hood after they hear it... But then again the stroker motor helps the exhaust note just a little bit :D

AARON
 
For a lower tone get a bigger exhaust (2.5"+) and place the muffler as far back as you can. And if you're looking to save $ but get a much better and more powerful exhaust, you might as well mount your header yourself, buy a true 2.5" high-flow cat, then have a muffler shop bend you a 2.5" exhaust... most neighborhood muffler shops will give you a quote before you decide to go with them, and I've found its considerably cheaper then even buying a madrel bent kit. Chambered mufflers are fine, but if you like low and smooth sounding exhaust go with Borla or Magnaflow, or Dynomax as a cheaper alternative. These mufflers have a straight-through design with sound deadening wrapped around the perforated pipe section inside the muffler itself. The larger the muffler you chose the more sound material and the quieter the sound. Of course any straight through muffler such as these will all sound deeper and more rich in tone than stock. The price difference is mainly based on the quality of materials, Boral being the priciest with 100% stainless design, Magnaflow 2nd becasue of their stainless housing and synthetic filler wrap material (still far superior to fiberglass) followed by Dynomax with more economical materials used.
 
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