I don't know the exact weight of the cage, but I would guess in the 300 lb range. I bought 120' of tubing and that was around 240lbs according to teh shipping bill. I also plated the frame rails with 3x3 angle. In addition to a custom rear bumper with tire carrier and a front bumper witha winch. I also have a internal cargo rack in the rear with a heavy tool box. So she has definitely put on some weight.
Yes the extra weight has been noticable. I upgraded the front springs to BDS coils which have a higher 240lb spring rate. The Rok Kralwer coils were too soft at 190lb. Stumalump here on the board suggested the Deaver spring with the 280lb rate. The BDS front coils made a big difference. Handles great on the road and still flexes well off road. I might add the 1" spacers I used to have in wth my 3" coils. BDS coils = two thumbs up.
The rear leafs needed some help too. I have a set of OME leaves with an extra full length (2nd from the top) overload leaf. After Moab, the back end had settled, so I added in 2 more leaves from my old Pro Comp pack. It sits at 4.5" now with 9 leaves in each pack! But it rides great and I think handles better than it ever has. If I had to do it again, I would get a custom set of Alcans, which I may still do down the road.
Now with all that in mind, I think I have the ride pretty dialed in now. In Moab and in a few runs around here recently, I do not notice a higher center of gravity. It doesn't feel any more tippy than it did before. My buddy has an '89 with a very similar suspension set up (only no exo) and mine doesn't lean any more than his does when we run the same stuff.
I have noticed the weight in getting on the freeway (kinda feels piggish). Doesn't have the same get up and go, but it still moves. Part of that may have been from a clogged cat (which I am in the process of redoing my exhaust now) so we will have to wait and see.
I went back and forth on the internal versus exo for a long time before I did anything. I am glad I went the route I did. I feel if I flop it, I can get it back up right and still be OK.
A quick story for you guys. When we were in Moab in April we came across a guy in an XJ that had an exo on the Hell's Revenge trail. He was stuck in the Escalator because of a broken drag link. We waited for him to get out before taking our stab at it and he proceeded down the trail. Well, a little later on our way out, we see the Jeep laying on it's side and people climbing out the top (which was actually the side.) Seems as though he had some brain fart and flopped it in a spot that you normally wouldn't do that. We just hooked a tow strap to the top halo and about 5 or 6 of us tugged and rolled the Jeep back upright. They all got back in and kept driving.
Having seen this, I felt better about having the exo. Had this guy not had it, the Jeep would have been a mess, and potentially his family inside would have been hurt. Plus it showed me that stuff like that happens when you least expect it. Wish I had pictures...
Forgot to answer the fuel economy question. It sucks. But it sucked before the cage too! I can get about 18 on the interstate, but seem to average less than around town, and way less than that on wheeling trips. It's not a daily driver, so I am not too concerned about it.
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