Alright. To everyone and all. My jeep was/is my first vehicle. I have drove it unwillingly for six months without any mods just to get all the little things worked out, and now i am looking to lift this thing up. It is a 1996 Cherokee Sport. I dont want to do anything huge, as it will still be my daily driver, but i would like to go to the woods and do it without a problem. I am not looking to extend my a-arms or anything technical like that. I have been told to surpass that i need to stay around 3-4 inches, that is one thing i am looking for advice on, and with that i need to know the cheapest way of doing so, as i am only working for minimum wage. I am also looking at a set of MasterCraft 31"x10.50 tires, i know they are cheap, but thats what im looking for. Feel free to give me an opinion on the tires, that is afterall what im looking for from you all. I also have a few other little odds and ends planned for it as followed. Roof Rack, front bumper/ bull bar, rear bumper, rock sliders, and some offroad lights. Let me know what you think. Feel free to be blunt and give me any opinions and or suggestions. Thanks to all.

 

look and rough country lift kits there not the most expansive and they come with shocks. 4 in well clear 31's good. as far as tires i keep hearing about thread wrights or something

 

the tire shop my dad and i own, we sell mastercraft tires... alot of people pick them over the name brand stuff.... ive always had good luck with them and will be putting them on my jeep when spring comes. they are also made by cooper tire. im going with the courser c/t. big lug, deep tread all-terrain.
as for a lift, rusty's, rubicon express, rough country are all good lifts. i would stick with 3" with 31" tires

 

First of all, welcome. As for lift kits, rough country and rustys are both cheap lift kits, many people here dont like rustys but ive never seen much wrong with them. treadwright.com has retreaded tires and you can get 31in mud terrain tires for 75-80 bucks a piece and they have good/great customer service. make sure you find a good junkyard with some xj's (cherokees) in it that are pre 97, they changed a good bit in 97(even though there is a lot that is compatitable), the junkyard will be your best friend. watch craigslist! you will always find good barely used stuff on there because people are upgrading and stuff. invest a few (3-4) bucks in a can of pb blaster which works miracles in helping to get bolts off. as for offroad lights i know that there are some good prices on hellas on ebay, theres a thread with the link in it floating around somewhere. just go through and read the threads and builds, see what you like and what you dont, its all about your style and what you want. Good luck, have fun, and be prepared to be addicted.

 

I just replaced the mastercraft tires I had with some General Grabber A/T2s...

The Mastercraft needed extra siping to be decent in rain, and man... they were worthless in snow and mud.

I'm pretty sure it was these:
http://www.mastercrafttires.com/html...&artw=75&rd=15

Picked them up two years ago, had to replace them after the first sprinkling of snow after moving to MA.

 

hmmm. strang... i put them on many cars and trucks and never had any problems, plus they are usually a good price

 

what is anyones take/opinion on those retreaded tires?

 

heard good things... i would call them and have them check the dates on the tires also get a matching set of tire caseings. anything over 7 yrs old should not be used, so if they are 5yrs old and you have them for more than 2 yrs they are more likely to blow. after 7 yrs the chemcials break down in the tires causing separations. ive heard they are a good business and do a good job but just be aware and ask for newer casings

 

i hear both good and bad things about the mastercraft tires. often times i hear you get what you pay for. but i believe thats probably what i will go with.

 

to do it on the cheap. grab a set of used 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inch front coils, and a set of junk yard s-10 leaf spring packs.
then go to a spring shop and get a new set of centering pins, and some u-bolts made up and some spring wraps.
then split the s-10 pack and cut the eyes off the main leafs.
then split your pack, leaving your main leaf installed and install the top 3 leafs for about 4 1/2 or 2 leafs for about 3 1/2 inches, including the main from the s-10 inbetween your main leaf and rest of your spring pack. use some c-clamps to help get them tight and bang some new spring wraps on, making sure the wraps fit into the holes in the leafs.
then, get some longer shocks, maybe some tubular lower control arms, longer rear brake lines (yj flex line and 2 passenger side yj e-brake cables). you can use some front flex lines from a 95 2wd chevy half ton pickup.
you may need to make some transfercase drop spacers. these can be anything that will space it about an inch. washers are not the best choice, but they essencially will work, but a square bar stock with a couple holes drilled in will be stronger.
put it all back together and do an alignment. then you'll find out whether you need to get an adjustable track bar. you can drill and relocate yours, but it's not the best option.
do it all yourself, and that's about as cheap as you can get.