ZeppmanR

My 1993 Cherokee XJ has a 2.5 liter 4 Cyl. engine (I know!), and I wanted to put a lift and some tires on it. I was thinking maybe a 4.5" lift with 32" or 33" tires. I was wondering if the 4 Cyl. can take it, or would I need to upgrade to an inline six to be able to handle the new setup. I would like to take it off-roading afterwards. What would I need to upgrade to put the 6 Cyl. in...if it is necessary. (It has a stock 5-speed manual transmission) Thanks.

mike albo

what tranny? You can do a 3 or 4 inch with 31s or 32s and be just fine.

semperfi96

my yj had the 2.5 and ax5 tranny, I couldnt not get over 60 mph on the interestate with 33's on it. Now with 31's I could hit 70 75. Now a yj is alot lighter than an xj. But I wouldnt do the 32 or 33 tire at all. Just stay with an aggresive mud tire in 31 like swampers or thornbirds, The meaner they look the bigger they look. lol funny but true

KTMrider

I wouldnt recomend going over a 31" on tires. and i'm not an expert so i will admit that i might be wrong but upgrading to a 4.0 maybe a lot of $$. Might require a new tranny and t case with engine upgrade. like i said, not 100% sure.

bannanaboat

You could also change the gears

thelittlejeepthatcould

I have a 93 xj old utility truck, but its 2wd and a 4 banger.. you think I could lift that without putting anything else in it? i was thinking 3"- 3.5" with 30 or 31 tires but im not sure if it can handle that..

kentuckyscott

I had a 93 YJ with the 4 cyl. too.....with stock tires it had a rough time on the highway getting up to speed!!! So 33's on a 4cyl. xj would be way too much. Like the other guys I say go with 31's and you should at least be able to hit the speed limit!!

thelittlejeepthatcould

sweet so 3"and 30s or 31s would be fine? thanks man

pickles

I had a 2.5L 5 speed XJ years ago. It seemed to have a hell of a time turning the stock tires in the mud (with open diffs). So I ended up selling it in favor of a 4.0L XJ

doogie

I hate to be the new guy that brings back the old thread here but, it's not that long since the last post and I like to spread 4cyl XJ info wherever I can.

I run 31's and 4.88 gears on my 2.5. I wouldn't want to run any smaller tires with these gears and could probably do as much as 33's and still push them reasonable well. I drive TONS of interstate traveling all over the southeast for work. I cruise at about 68 mph, not because I can't go faster, I can go much faster, even up hill. But at that speed with my set up I'm turning 3,200 rpms and my Jeep seems to purrr at those rpms. It gets buzzy at around 3,300 but then seems to smooth back out as I approach 3,500 rpms. But for my own tastes I don't run to close to 3,500 rpms for hours on end. So I choose to cruise a little slower and keep my rpms closer to 3,000.

When I first got it, it had the stock 4:10's and some agressive 31" offbrand muds. I actually live in the mtns of NC and every hill I hit I had to change to 4th, even a small hill. If it's a large hill you are going to be in 3rd. Personally I wouldn't go larger than a 235 on the stock 4:10's. It's liveable especially if you live in a flat place but if you are near any hills you and everyone behind you will hate life.

As far as MPG's, when I had 4:10's and 31's in a flat state I could get 20 mpgs all day long. In a mountain state I was around 15 mpgs. I now get 17-18 regardless of where I am. I can also hit any mtn pass and hold 65 in 5th. The worst mtn passes if I need to pass I can go to 4th and it's crazy how much power is on resrve in 4th. I'm headed out west this summer I'm curious to see how well it does against some passes over the 6,000 ft mark. I really want to go to 33's but after tasting life with the right gears I'm not sure I want to go back to feeling underpowered. I may stick to 31's when it's time for new tires or at the most go to 32's.

ol'DixieJeep

keep the 2.5!!! since you got a stick you can get huge MPG's!!!

regear the front and rearend and you can go big with the tires.

Jeepxj1234

My buddy has a 4cyl xj with a 6" liking arms and 33s. Also has k&n cold air intake and cat back but idk how he does on the highway. Plus re-gearing is a lot cheaper than a new engine.

volaredon

perfect motor swap candidate.... I say get yourself a 318..... and keep it a stick (but if you have an AX5 look for an AX 15 or better)

hankthetank

X2!

ol'DixieJeep

why 318? why not a 340? or 360 torque build?

dollar for dollar regear it and put tires on it. when the 2.5 blows put a small block mopar in it.