hey guys. i have heard from a friend that the cherokee's frames bend real easy. (i realize it is a unibody and doesn't have a full frame). but what do ya'll think? how straight does a cherokee stay under normal offroad use? i have heard it can get so bad the windsheild will pop out.........does this sound like a load of bs???? any advice greatly appreciated

 

It is a load of BS. I don't want to insult you but your friend sounds like a moron. I wouldn't listen to anything this guy has to say. If you take two minutes to see what people do with these cherokees you will see that what your friend told you is a bunch of crap. He obviously just doesn't like jeeps for whatever reason and is making up crap.

 

Agreed, if what your friend says were true my windshield would've popped out a long time ago.

 

After wranglers and cj's, cherokee might be the next most wheeled truck. I think that people arent popping off their windsheild all over the world...

 

Cherokee's will flex a bit, true, but if you look around you'll see some people doing some pretty insane things on these 'weak' frames. Every now and then you'll hear about someone having to adjust the rear hatch to get it to latch. There are a few areas that are smart to reinforce, such as the steering mounts. Also, if it really concerns you, there are a bunch of reinforcement kits that you can get to weld on and make the frame rails stronger. However, lets be honest, most of us aren't going to push a Cherokee hard enough to really need those.

 

If you try hard enough you can warp the unit body, trust me I know but it still rides fine. The gaps in the doors is a little off and the hatch did need to be adjusted but it's a jeep and they ain't supposed to be perfect.

 

thanks for the info guys. bought my first cherokee yesterday and am very excited to get wheeling this thing. different t case should be in by monday. then i will start lookin for a lift. thanks again for all the advice i really love this site.

 

i do hear alot of popping n **** from my frame flexing but dont think that necessarily means that frame will permanently get bent

 

Freind huh lol.

 

An XJ is arguably the most capable 4x4 built this side of a Humvee and $50k. For a couple thousand dollars you can leave almost any other vehicle in the world behind...and people abuse these things all over the world. I have never heard of a windshield popping out.

BTW, full frame pickup trucks flex and bend and break all the time - all you have to do for proof is watch a work truck go down the road. EVERYTHING bends if you apply enough force.

 

I've never had a problem with my xj twisting out of shape.