mudroller

Hey everyone,
I know some stuff about 4-wheeling but not enough to start buying mods so I wanted to know a few things. First off, this will be a daily driver and wheeling on weekends. I plan on getting a Cherokee sport between the years of 94-99 and wheelin it in mud and on trails. I'm for surely going to put BFG 33x12.50 R15's on it and I was curious and would like to know a few things first.
1. What are the pros/cons of upgrading from the short arm to long arm?
2. I might upgrade to 35x12.50's later on with the help of a body lift, any recommendations on a good body lift and what would the recommended height be for the body lift?
3. I know to upgrade the axles for the 35's, I'm going to get Dana 60 for the rear and Dana 44 for the front, but what does it mean to have the axles locked?
4. Recommended Exhaust?
5. Are there any other things I should look in to or do I have the basic setup already planned out?

Thanks for any and all comments.
Jared

spikeypuck

im not certin, but i think a body lift isnt going to happen since all cherokees are unibody. mabey some of the newer ones arrent, thats what im not sure about. but im a noob myself to the jeep world. and have been readin ans asking lots of questions. and was told with a cherokee you can only do the suspension lift because the frame and body are welded.

PDubs

They're all unibody, suspension lifts are your only option...

And there are some good deals out there on dynomax cat-back systems, I just got one for about $100 through streetsideauto.com

Phil99

If you upgrade to 35's someday, you will most likely have to regear .

89cherokeelimited

I have a 6.5 rough country lift and I could run 35" I like 33" but if you get like a 6.5 lift and put blocks and coil spacers you can go bigger. Even if you were able to get body lift I wouldn't do it anyway. Thank goodness cherokees you can't do body lifts. But with 6.5" lift and 33" tires you can go through A LOT you would be suprised.

89eliminator

1) long arms have better ride qualities, better dynamics, they are just better in every way to short arms.
2) cant do it
3) a dana 60 would be pretty heavy and i dont think its necessary. best bet would be a HP dana 44 front, 44 or Ford 9" rear. locked axles means they both spin together all the time.
4) flowmasters are nice
5) regearing will be mandatory, get some armor.

89cherokeelimited

He's right. Dana 60 will be huge. Dana 44 would be as big as you need especially with 35". If it's gonna be a daily driver don't weld the spider gears get a detroit locker or ARB locker. I like detroit lockers I have one in my rear but having a locker in the front can end up wobbling and stuff at high speeds. I would go regular front and some type of locker in the rear and you will need regearing deff

98 JeepJeep

hay man you have the exact lift/tires i want (6.5/33's) do you have any pics? other than the avatar?

mudroller

thanks for the info, I was lookin at some of Rustys offroad lifts, does anyone have any input on the quality of their lifts since they're all bolt-on? Or would it be better to go with something else?

And would I need to re-gear due to the lift or due to the size of the tires?

Cherokee 4.0

Rough Country has great customer service, they ship products cheaply and only take a couple days for the product to arrive. The quality of the parts is exceptional.

I would say you dont need to regear till you get past 33s with stock 3.55 gearing.

4.3L XJ

In regards to long vs short arm suspensions. I would recommend the long arm if you are thinking of running 35s at some point. A lot of guys do it with 4.5" of lift, but others prefer 6". if you go that high then yo will be ready with the long arm. All you will have to do is change springs and shocks.

Cherokee 4.0

why does the tire size relate to long arm or short arm. Im kinda in the dark on that.

89eliminator

it really doesnt at all. lift height is what does.

as for Rustys, i've had problems with them in the past so that is why i wont buy anything from them. Some companies that you can check out are Rough Country, Rubicon Express, RockKrawler, BDS, Claytons, Treks.

Cherokee 4.0

ok thats what i was thinking, tire size shouldnt have an effect on the choice between short and long arm. i havent heard much good from rustys either. Im anti-rustys though, so take it for what you want. i am at 8-9 and am on adjustable short arms and im happy.

Six-Pack Smile

18inches of lift should suffice. for 33's. and look around every supplier has that lift, they just dont showcase them.