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Suspension, Tires, Lifts

S

Siffty

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Bloomington, Illinois
I currently own a 2000 Jeep Cherokee, 4 cylinder, 2.5 L, everything is completely stock, and I am wanting to lift my Jeep put some new mudding tires on it, and change the suspension if needed. So I was wondering what the best and cheapest way to do this. Do I need to change my suspension? Do i want a body or suspension lift? And what size of tires will I be able to put on, and what will this cost me approximately? ANy help is appreciated..
Thanks
 
A few tips for you:

Cherokees are "unibody" meaning you can't seperate the body from the frame aka no body lifts.

Depending on what type of wheeling you're going to do depends on what type of lift and tires you will require.

If you can tell us how dificult the trails are that you plan to ride on it would help us give you better recommedations.
 
Well i guess since I am in Illinois, there isnt too many hills or anything, so I guess the majority of what i will be doing is mudding. I have been thinking about a 6.5 inch suspension lift on 33 inch tires.... However i have been looking on ebay, and do not have the cash required to do this, is there a better cheaper place to look? Also will i need to upgrade the engine to do this, or will every thing run basically the same? thanks again....
 
Learn to wheel it the way it is...
A stock XJ is very capable as is.
All of us started with stock XJs and went from there.
If you must throw money at it, get rocker rails and a gas tank skid.
Those are the the first things you will need.
 
I have used it as is.... but unfortunately I have also gotten stuck many times, and have paid friends from distances to have to come pull me out. I shall also look into these other upgrades thank you.
 
I'd start with a 3" lift (Rubicon Express, Old Man Emu, etc) and some 31's.

If you head straight to 33's you're looking at axle upgrades, SYE/driveshafts and big exspensive lifts.

Oh and a good front bumber with a winch mounted to it wouldn't hurt either.
 
yea.. sounds like a good plan... u got any suggestions on where to get a solid 3 inch lift? for mudding.. u dont really need a gas tank skid do ya?? thats more for rocks and stuff...
 
Siffty said:
Well i guess since I am in Illinois, there isnt too many hills or anything, so I guess the majority of what i will be doing is mudding. I have been thinking about a 6.5 inch suspension lift on 33 inch tires.... However i have been looking on ebay, and do not have the cash required to do this, is there a better cheaper place to look? Also will i need to upgrade the engine to do this, or will every thing run basically the same? thanks again....
Click to expand...

My first thought was if the 2.5L 4 banger was a strong enough engine to do what you want, I don't think it'll be very good for turning 33's in deep mud. Second, if mud is the way you want to build your rig for you don't need to go so high, not 6.5".

If you go Rubicon Express, PM fullsizeXJ here on the site, he quotes great prices. Go to the NAXJA vendor's forum.
 
Last edited:
Siffty said:
could i go with a 4.5 and 33's without having to upgrade my axle, and drive shaft???
Click to expand...

Axles probably not, drive shaft could be. After going up 3" the only way to get rid of my vibes was a SYE and new driveshaft, tried the transfer case drop first but it didn't work for me.
 
crap... i wasnt thinking and planning on a driveshaft extension in all of this... i wonder if i couldnt pull it off with only a 3".... probably not a smart thing.. whats the biggest size tire u recommend with a 4 banger, so that i will be able to get the tires spinning in the mud?
 
Try to search around the site a little. With a 4cyl. you would probably want to lower the gears, lift 3", and go with 31's. That would get you around very well. Could even lock the rear axle :)
 
Siffty said:
ok bro... u got to explain that.. how would i lower the gears... and what would locking my rear axle do.. and how would i do it?
Click to expand...

Change the gear ratio to match your now bigger tires, and install a locker to help provide more traction off road. I have done neither on mine but, I have a 4.0 and dont get off road very much. You should study up a bit if those type of things are foriegn, it will save you much $$ and aggravation in the coming future if you are serious about all this. I jumped in too fast and spent a little extra $$ in places I didnt need too. :read: NAXJA
 
Siftty ... I've read your posts here and have the impression that you have limited experience wheeling and that you don't have a lot of money right now. We have all been there.

I will recommend that you install a 2" budget boost which consists of a 2" block in the front coils and an add-a-leaf in the rear leaf springs. These lifts can be had for less than $200. Get yourself some decent mud tires (31 x 15 x 10.5) and have some fun. I cannot remember if you'll have clearance issues running 31's on a 2" lift, but it's right in the range where you may be fine. This is the most economical way for you to go IMO.

One very important thing you will want to have, is good tow points front and rear. If you have a tow hitch, you can use this for the rear. Install factory style hooks in the front. This is a very important safety item as well as it will help prevent unnecessary damage to your vehicle.

HTH ...

Les
 
hey.. thanks for the help man.. its appreciated. yea i got this Jeep in the summer, and have done several offroading trips, and most end up with me getting stuck, however i am a poor college student right now, so i am looking for some cheap ways to fix up my Jeep. Its in beautiful condition, and i cant wait to fix it up, but am strapped for cash, and my knowledge of these things is very limited...
 
Siffty said:
hey.. thanks for the help man.. its appreciated. yea i got this Jeep in the summer, and have done several offroading trips, and most end up with me getting stuck, however i am a poor college student right now, so i am looking for some cheap ways to fix up my Jeep. Its in beautiful condition, and i cant wait to fix it up, but am strapped for cash, and my knowledge of these things is very limited...
Click to expand...

Your welcome ... just be aware this is can be an addictive hobby. Most of us have taken our "beautiful condition" Jeeps and eventually turned them into what we lovingly refer to as "our junk". ;)

Spend some time reading the Mod Tech forum and see what others have done to their Jeeps. You'll learn a lot there. We have seen a lot of people try and modify their Jeeps too far past their knowlege and ended up with a "not so pleasant" experience ... both with problems and expensive mistakes. A lot of people here have taken their Jeeps to a variety of capabilities and shared their experiences. Take advatage of this.

Good Luck ...

Les
 
Yea.. i just want to lift it a few inches so i can put some bigger tires on... and then put some hooks in the front and back... the winch and snorkel are just all dreams.. lol
If you hear about any cheap or maybe free lifts... could ya let me know... i would appreciate it... yea i just dont got the cash to invest while going to college
 
Where in IL are you located Siff?
 
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