bigfishyp

Sold my gas guzzling Ram for a really nice 2000 xj classic. One owner 90k. Had a YJ before the Ram so it is good to be back in a Jeep. I want to do some mods to it because it looks really pedestrian. It is my daily driver so I don't want to mess it up and defeat the purpose of selling my Ram. So I have a bunch of questions and would really appreciate your help.
1. I want to lift it but not so much where I have to change all of the steering stuff, and do not want to have to buy an sye. I will do a little playing in the mud but not a whole lot. Would you recommend a 2" RE or a 3" RC? Leaning toward the RC so I can run 31's go if I want.
2. Have an offer to sell my stock 16x8 wheels. If I sell them I could switch to 15's which would be cheaper. Either 30x9>50x15 or 31x10's. Or I could keep the stock wheels and go with 245x75x16 and they would not stick out past the fenders as much. I noticed most of the people on here roll with factory or soft 8's but I really like the DC-1. What wheels do most of you recommend?
3. If I purchase a k and n filter would it offset the loss of mpg of running bigger tires? Throttle body spacer? Is there a whole lot of difference in mileage between a 30 and 31 inch tire. Looking at BFG M/T or A/T. Jeep gets good mileage right now.
4. Will 31 or smaller tires require a regear or sye?

I really love my XJ but want to change the appearance of it without making it impractical. Plus want to have fun with it when I get the chance. It will be my daily driver to the Church so I need it to be reliable. I know a lot of newbie questions but I greatly appreciate it!

BlueXJ

1) Stay with the 2" if you want a guarantee that you can slide w/o a SYE.
2) 15s will be cheaper to purchase. Stick with 30s for now. If you decide to go taller and spring for the SYE then get 31s or 32s.
3) No K&Ns they don't filter well enough. They allow too large a particle of dirt to enter your engine so thus causes more engine wear faster. Spacer may be of some benefit there are mixed reviews.BFGs of either type are excellent choices but be aware that the M/Ts are a bit noisey.
4) No regear required with either of those two unless you are towing in the mountains.
HTH and BTW welcome to CF (We have an introduction area which is a good place to say Hi.)

prerunner1982

1. RE seems to be the most recommended, but I dont think RC would be bad either. There are worse companies out there.
2. The DC-1s should be fine if they are available with the correct offset and such. The soft 8s are cheap and black and seem to look better than most of the cheaper wheels.
3. I would stay away from a K&N filter... they flow better because they filter less and if you plan to off road at all the small dirt particles can make it into your engine. TB Spacer doesnt do much good on an engine where the fuel is injected directly into the cylinders. If the fuel and air were mixed in the TB then if would be more effective allowing the fuel/air to atomize better. Also a "cold air intake" isnt as effective on a Cherokee unless it has a box to seperate it from the heat generated in the engine compartment. With out the shield you are sucking HOT air which only breaks even with the slightly better flow you get from the intake tube.
4. SYE: No... tire size has no effect on this, only lift. Regear: It wouldnt hurt and might be advised with an Auto, but I run 30"s on my stock XJ 5 speed with little problem. And I get 19-20 mpg.

bigfishyp

Thanks for the info. What backspacing do you guys recommend? Thinking about leaving stock wheels on and not worrying about it but really like the Ion wheels or DC-1. Anyone got pics of those wheels on an xj?