hey guys,

So im new to the jeep off roading stuff...always liked them just never had the opportunity to get one and at 700 it seemed like a deal i shouldnt pass up (but im sure my girlfriend wishes i had ). had a crazy 88 mazda truck with sas, 35's, and like ten in of lift... So today is the day!! 98, 130k miles. mint inside out and under. Minor exhaust, death wobble, and tps(throttle positioning sensor) problems. i got a ton of questions but i will limit them!

1. Should i adress the death wobble problem? i am going to get a lift for it anyways, and the entire suspension will be redone.

2. i want a big lift but not so much that i cant drive it when i want to on road. i was thinking rustys 8" long arm with 1.74 spacers and 2" blocks for around 10" total. Too much for any on road driving? other kit was the rubicon express 5.5 long arm with spacers and blocks for around 8 total. Also there is another company tt?? or something anyone have experience with them?

3. the jeep also has a short of some kind in it, the main fuse or something like that (40 or 60 amp)?? blows like once or twice a year from what i understand, anyone know about this or experience with same issue?

Thanks in advance guys!!

 

well first off good deal on the purchase second if you are wanting to lift it dont cheap out on anything third read search read search and read some more... you got the right idea so far tho welcome!

Eric

 

^^X2, this is a great site for all things Cherokee!

 

Welcome from Oregon

 

no cheap out for me this time..i learned that the hard way with my mazda truck..basically all junkyard and self fab work..spent mor time working on it than weeling with it... im extremely happy to have mostly bolt on stuff.. and i have a nice chunk to drop on her... just got back from a deployment with the us military..a little present to myself! will post some picks of her when i get a chance...she is bone stock...perfect for my project

 

anyone???

 

Anything over 6" on stock width axles starts to get tipsy.

if I was going long arms over 5.5" id go with the claytins 8" rather than the RE 5.5". its only about $250 more than the RE.

http://claytonoffroad.com/product_in...roducts_id=106

 

so to compensate for that maybe use some weel spacers? i hould be ordering all the equipment friday or this weekend... still trying to decide wether to go with the 8" kit or the 5.5.... i just think the re is gonna be a better quality.

 

the 8" long arm is a great lift i have a total of 7" with short arms and it works good for me but some will tell ya its a funky ride. as far as the tipsy mine isnt tipsy i have a 15X8 with a 3.5 backspace rim and my tires are 33x12.5x15 and i can take the same corners at the same speed as my wifes ford freestar van

 

Personally, I will never go larger then a 5 inch lift on any rig, but thats just me and I am also pretty short. In my opinion, unless your straight up buggying rock crawling purely off road, its not needed. I would think about the Rubicon Express 4.5 super flex kit. Great great lift kit.

 

XJ 4" Critical Path Long Arm Lift Kit is the tallest you should go with an XJ on the road in my personal humble opinion. I have done a 2'' lift with new leafs and think I am right for daily driver duty. One inch more would be fun, but mileage ect.. never really changed.

 

Welcome to CF! if you haven't already, you're about to realize that owning a XJ is an addiction that won't ever go away. You're aldso going to learn that this is a great forum, and is itself addicting as well.

1. Concerning the death wobble -when you say you're going to replace the suspension, understand that it may not be a suspension issue, but rather a steering component issue. DW can be caused by MANY different issues - single or combined. Check for worn ball joints, tie-rods, control arm bushings, and axle u-joints. Uneven tire wear and/or unbalanced tires can cause it as well. If the front end is out of alignment you can have DW. Like I said, there's a lot that can cause it. The longer you have DW, the more damage it does to parts, so fixing it now or later all depends on how much time is going to pass before you get the lift put on.
2. For a big lift that will see time on the road, I'd stay around 6". You can run a 33" with this and have a VERY capable offroad rig. Even with 33's, you probably want to look at different gears as well (4.10's). 7"+ and you can get in 35's, but those are gonna push the limit for stock axles. IMO, anything over 6" starts to look too tall for the XJ's styling, but that's me.
3. Unfortunately, many Jeeps have some sort of electrical issue, whether it be shorts, surges, or fuses just going kablooie. I'd suggest a HAYNES manual. They have a bunch of electrical diagrams in the back that should be able to help you know what wire goes to what and which fuse operates what so you can get it fixed.

 

Try a BDS lift, made in America with a lifetime no hassel warrenty.

 

Look up Old Man Emu as well, I've heard a lot of good things about them on cherokees. Used to work on cattle farm in Australia (where OME from). My work truck had a small lift from OME we abused the living **** out of that Hilux, it ran over everything that was in our way, and at quite a respectable speed too. We had it airborne, bottomed out, slammed into pig ruts, nothing EVER broke, it was actually pretty astounding lol. Anyway, I was only working there for four months so I'm not sure about longevity but they were on the trucks for at least 4 years (trucks were 4 years old) and I don't know if they ever replaced anything, Also cozy ride on the highway too.

 

I have been looking at the re 5.5 and am pretty much sold on that. I am gonna order the 1.75" coil spacers and 2" shackles but not gonna install them unless after the lift i feel like i want more altitude (attitude!!). 4x4groupbuy.com has the 5.5 lift with aadvanced adapters sye and a tom woods drive shaft for 2100$ as a package deal thing...seems like a really good deal to me. i am also looking at possibly gearing but havent even touched into that yet...been researching lifts and so on for the last week. Any pointers on gearing for the rig??? its an auto 4x4 aw4 or something like that i believe