Build ideas.. stroker and remote mount turbo (yeah I went there)

Here's my situation. My XJ is kind of a toy, but I want it to do a bit more than that - I like camping and while I have a giant toy hauler and a dually, I want to be able to camp where most normal people can't get to...

So the goal is to have my XJ (01, 3" lift, 31s, soon to have an 8.8 swapped in, and in process of getting a non-cracked head put on) become a weekend camper puller.

I live in Phoenix AZ and for me to go camping anywhere I go to get out of the heat I have to go "up". N/A engines suck at high altitude - before the diesel dually I had a V10 and while it was awesome at low altitude, at 10k ft with a tiny 5000 lbs camper behind it it was 2nd gear 5000 rpm everywhere... So my idea with the cherokee looking at this thing was - if it is gonna pull a small 12-14ft 2000lb camper, it should have some assisted breathing.

Due to Jeep putting both intake and exhaust on the same side, it's really hard to fit something in the engine bay... I've studied the remote mount turbo kits a bit and I think they'll do what I'm after fairly well. Low boost ( <5psi), spool at under 2k rpm (aka a really tiny turbo), just to keep up at high altitudes... This would also eliminate the problem with underhood temps from stuffing a turbo in the engine bay eliminate the need to run an intercooler somewhat - since I'd have 10+ ft of pipe exposed to all of the air under the heep, and should in theory at least help with power a bit...

Now the questions that I couldn't find the answer to after searching... I'm also thinking of beefing up the bottom end as a first mod; gonna build a stroker, obviously gonna go with one of the low compression kits from Titan; at 8.8 CR. My question is how is that gonna play with a little bit of boost? I know there are a few strokers out there and these things need 91 just to run 9.5+ compression... I'm a little worried about the compression in this motor - too low to spool up the turbo in time, too high to run on pump gas reliably.. Anyone try a turbo stroker - and not in an all out balls to the wall application?

Last but not least, what are some of the injector options and how much is the stock fuel pump good for as far as power/injector size? If the stock jeep makes 135hp at the wheels, I'd be happy with 200 after the stroker/turbo... and 300 torks. Will the stock fuel pump (and why the hell is there no fuel filter on 2001s? dammit chrysler...) keep up?

I'm no stranger to boost - I have a 6.7 powerstroke, a 2.7 ecoboost f150 daily, and a paxton coyote mustang that needs 2 sets of tires per oil change...

If only we had diesel jeeps like in Europe (every one of those a-holes had a CRD badge on their jeep, I swear)...

I've never had a power issue at altitude and I've wheel around at 14,000ft! Also now with my stroker @ 9.4 CR, I use 87 octane. My dyno run netted @ 325hp/400 ft/lbs torque, I don't know how much more you could ask for?

That's at the wheels? or crank? And which stroker kit did you go with?

I'm a bit worried about the towing part - towing at high altitude with anything N/A seems to be an exercise in futility...

That was on a rolling dyno, so measured at the wheel. I didn't buy a kit, but it was conceived via Russ Pottenger(Bishop/Beuhl). My trailer weighs almost 3600# wet so I've dealt with towing before and only stopping was ever a issue!
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1140839

RCP Phx said:

That was on a rolling dyno, so measured at the wheel. I didn't buy a kit, but it was conceived via Russ Pottenger(Bishop/Beuhl). My trailer weighs almost 3600# wet so I've dealt with towing before and only stopping was ever a issue!

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1140839

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I agree. After a 4.7 stroker running about a 9.0 CR I made 190 hp and 250 tq, the only issue of towing is stopping. I had a 98 zj with the 360. Pulled 8500 with it. Talk about a struggle. Lost all breaks once goin down a hill. After a close scrape with god at about 117 I use trailer breaks with that much weight now. But I never had an issue moving it ( till I got the trans super hot and baked a solenoid. ). It's all in preference on how fast you wanna go.


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A roots supercharger setup would work better for what you are asking. Its a shame there isnt a paxton/procharger setup for 4.0's

Green XJ Jeep said:

A roots supercharger setup would work better for what you are asking. Its a shame there isnt a paxton/procharger setup for 4.0's

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I hate the centrifugal supper chargers. It's always nothing nothing nothing then sudden boost. Turbo is a little more gradual and a roots type is pretty linear. I would say 5 lbs of boost would be no problem. Here at 7k ft, we're 3lbs low atmosphere, so 5 would put you just over sea level. There's always something like the banks kit for the tjs that mounted the turbo on the passenger side of the engine compartment, if that's an option.

The real issue is money, your going to have to build a good motor($$$$) and then spend that much again on any "forced air" product !

Talk to Russ Pottenger. Build a stroker that will handle some boost and start there.
If you still don't like it, a remote mount turbo won't require any more work to do later than it would have at the start.

yossarian19 said:

Talk to Russ Pottenger. Build a stroker that will handle some boost and start there.
If you still don't like it, a remote mount turbo won't require any more work to do later than it would have at the start.

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My thoughts exactly. The 8.8 axle is almost ready to go in and that will help with the braking part - going from drums to disc - though the trailer will have its own brakes as well.

RCP, I saw your thread, I'm sorry, your dyno sheets make no sense. Why on earth they would go through the gears is beyond me. Dyno plots should be HP and Torque curve overlayed on the Y axis, and rpms on the x axis.

Something like this:

RCP Phx said:

I've never had a power issue at altitude and I've wheel around at 14,000ft! Also now with my stroker @ 9.4 CR, I use 87 octane. My dyno run netted @ 325hp/400 ft/lbs torque, I don't know how much more you could ask for?

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I still think you need to dyno it somewhere else and get a full 3rd gear pull. Just my 2 cents. :dunce:

trippled said:

I hate the centrifugal supper chargers. It's always nothing nothing nothing then sudden boost. Turbo is a little more gradual and a roots type is pretty linear. I would say 5 lbs of boost would be no problem. Here at 7k ft, we're 3lbs low atmosphere, so 5 would put you just over sea level. There's always something like the banks kit for the tjs that mounted the turbo on the passenger side of the engine compartment, if that's an option.

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Which is why I suggest a roots blower. 5psi under 2k reliably is best left for a super charger which has a nice predictable boost curve with little to no lag
As for centrifguls I have had pretty good luck with them at lower boost levels but for a 4.0 a roots type would be easier to install

Boostwerks.com said:

I still think you need to dyno it somewhere else and get a full 3rd gear pull. Just my 2 cents. :dunce:

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We'll at least the people I've dealt with are reputable, with the limited knowledge/products you have, you future may not be as bright! Why haven't you come up with a "Turbo package" and where's your dyno tickets?

Fosters said:

The 8.8 axle is almost ready to go in and that will help with the braking part - going from drums to disc ....

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That will not help a lot. If you want to drastically improve your stopping power, do a WJ swap on your 30.

RCP Phx said:

We'll at least the people I've dealt with are reputable, with the limited knowledge/products you have, you future may not be as bright! Why haven't you come up with a "Turbo package" and where's your dyno tickets?

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Whoa there. No need for :rattle:

With my "limited knowledge" I've discovered that dyno results can vary... A LOT. If you want to publish your 400ft/lb stroker on a public forum, you might as well make sure your not posting skewed results. If it makes the same amount of power on a different dyno, then more power too ya. Until then, it's hard for anyone to take it seriously.

This was a customer's results btw...

4.2L block, 4.0L HO head, 50 trim T3/T4 on 6psi

[/url]barnacleturbodynosheetcrop_zps8cc2ba2f by Bryson Whissen, on Flickr[/IMG]

First question is what do you plan to tune with? Are you going to....
-Full standalone megasquirt?
-Have a super smart person rescale a JTEC ECU?
-Piggy back using a AEM FIC or a split second FTC?
-Throw caution to the wind and install a larger set of injectors and call it a day?

Second question do you want a super charger or turbocharger? If someone says you need a supercharger because a 4.0 motor cannot spool up a turbo by 1400rpm (or whatever rpm you want) they just simply don't know what they are talking about. Turbine wheel and housing combinations exist for this very purpose.

I am currently running a stock engine with a m90 with a 2.55 pulley. About 10psi by 2400rpm. 36lbs injectors tuning with the 1913 FIC. It's got more power to it but nothing I would want to tow with and I'm at 390 feet above sea level. If I where to tow with my xj I would absolutely use a turbocharger with a flow map capable of pushing 20 to 25 psi. With an intercooler, W/m, colder plugs, bigger TB, forged lower cr posting and a big trans cooler.

Third question. How would you feel about a log manifold that bolts the turbo under the intake manifold for under $300 shipped to your door?

Cummins90 said:

Second question do you want a super charger or turbocharger? If someone says you need a supercharger because a 4.0 motor cannot spool up a turbo by 1400rpm (or whatever rpm you want) they just simply don't know what they are talking about. Turbine wheel and housing combinations exist for this very purpose.

I am currently running a stock engine with a m90 with a 2.55 pulley. About 10psi by 2400rpm. 36lbs injectors tuning with the 1913 FIC. It's got more power to it but nothing I would want to tow with and I'm at 390 feet above sea level. If I where to tow with my xj I would absolutely use a turbocharger with a flow map capable of pushing 20 to 25 psi. With an intercooler, W/m, colder plugs, bigger TB, forged lower cr posting and a big trans cooler.

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No one suggested a 4.0 couldn't spool up a turbo.
I suggested that a supercharger is a better application for 5ish psi from idle to 2k rpm than a remote mount turbo. Not only for lag reasons from the long pressure side run from behind the trans cross member but imo hanging a turbo under the body of a off road vehicle just screams bad idea.


Do you have any pics of how you mounted the m90?

Green XJ Jeep said:

No one suggested a 4.0 couldn't spool up a turbo.
I suggested that a supercharger is a better application for 5ish psi from idle to 2k rpm than a remote mount turbo. Not only for lag reasons from the long pressure side run from behind the trans cross member but imo hanging a turbo under the body of a off road vehicle just screams bad idea.


Do you have any pics of how you mounted the m90?

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That wasn't directed at you or anyone specifically. It is a state of mind that pops up in the jeep world for some reason.

https://imgur.com/a/VS3VZ
https://imgur.com/a/yuvy7
https://imgur.com/a/qhKFW
https://imgur.com/a/zAeVL

Cummins90 said:

First question is what do you plan to tune with? Are you going to....
-Full standalone megasquirt?
-Have a super smart person rescale a JTEC ECU?
-Piggy back using a AEM FIC or a split second FTC?
-Throw caution to the wind and install a larger set of injectors and call it a day?

Second question do you want a super charger or turbocharger? If someone says you need a supercharger because a 4.0 motor cannot spool up a turbo by 1400rpm (or whatever rpm you want) they just simply don't know what they are talking about. Turbine wheel and housing combinations exist for this very purpose.

I am currently running a stock engine with a m90 with a 2.55 pulley. About 10psi by 2400rpm. 36lbs injectors tuning with the 1913 FIC. It's got more power to it but nothing I would want to tow with and I'm at 390 feet above sea level. If I where to tow with my xj I would absolutely use a turbocharger with a flow map capable of pushing 20 to 25 psi. With an intercooler, W/m, colder plugs, bigger TB, forged lower cr posting and a big trans cooler.

Third question. How would you feel about a log manifold that bolts the turbo under the intake manifold for under $300 shipped to your door?

Click to expand...

From my research, the 4.0 can be tuned with the SCT software so that shouldn't be a problem; the guy I used for my mustang can probably tune a bicycle if it's got an obd2 port .

I'm not looking to tow very heavy - I have my dually for that... The campers I'm looking at, range from teardrops to the 14' range, and weigh about 800-2500 lbs. I know it'll pull a teardrop just fine, whereas a conventional travel trailer will have a much bigger aero footprint and that may be a problem... I'm pretty sure I won't need 20psi

Since I'm going through the head swap now, I honestly can't see myself wanting to bolt anything else to the driver side of the engine; and I would really hate adding more heat to this thing as is... That being said, the side mount M90 blower kits i found look pretty sweet; but pricier than a remote mount turbo would end up being...