Originally Posted by Dan4governor

Wow...everyone ignored your questions...I'm sorry, I'll do my best (someone correct me if I'm wrong):

1) XJ and ZJ have similar axles, so they are about the same in width.
2) 2 in BB = 2 inch lift (Budget Boost) meaning something cheap like spacers (or the XJ rear shackles or add a leaf...aka aal for future reference). Sometimes we use short hand on this forum and forget that newbies aren't down with the lingo yet.
3) 231's came from the factory behind the ax-15, 242's behind the aw4. Not much difference except that the 242's are more common because more aw4's were made.
4) I've been to a lot of junk yards and seen a lot of xj's, some of the t-cases and differentials have those factory ID tags....some don't...can't figure out why.
5) if you're going to 31's you will need at least a 2 in lift with fender trimming, or 3 in if you don't want to trim. 235x75's won't rub without a lift so you you'd be fine.

In my opinion, the XJ is the better pick for someone on a budget because parts are plentiful at junk yards and parts stores. Most junk yards I go to usually have at least twice to three times as many XJs than ZJs (even though there are a lot of interchangeable parts). I have had lots of friends that have owned ZJs and they tend to have more electrical problems (like door locks, power windows, speakers, etc) because they usually have a lot more bells and whistles on them. Also, what is the price difference? that should be a factor, the less you spend on the car, the more money you can put into it after.
Hope I helped,
Dan
welcome to the forum from socal

Originally Posted by 89cherokeelimited

On number 3 you said the 231 came with the ax-15... My ax-15 came with a 242 and my wife's AWD came with a 231... Both cherokee's. I switched my 242 to a 231 cause I wasn't crazy about my 242 but just sayin. My opinion the 231 is a much better t-case but I thought ax-15 came with a 242...

Originally Posted by (Eckks-Jay)

I agree, the 4.0 feels alot peppier than the 5.9. I don't think it IS all that much faster. Hard to tell without running them together, Chrysler never accurately rates what the vehicle performs... After all they did say the cherokee did 0-60 in 10.2 seconds when its more like 7.7. ...and they did say the 426 hemi was only 425hp....

Originally Posted by (Eckks-Jay)

Don't know where you got this bit of info from, but it is incredibly wrong. the 5.9 pulls 0-60 in 7.1 sec vs. the SRTs sub 5 second 0-60. I have even seen the 4.7ho in a WJ outrun a 5.9. (stock vs. stock of course.)
The srt is insanely fast.

Originally Posted by jodaddy

I have to decided to re-enter the jeep world. I have had 5 full size jeeps in the past but it is time for me to settle into something more economical and fuel injected. I have been looking at 92 XJ and a 93 ZJ. The both are running 4.0/ax15/np231? combo's at around 160-170k miles. Which is better and why? What should I be looking for when checking these out?Thanks in advance. Joe