johns9761

Hello everybody.

First, I want to preface this question by saying YES, I HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH!!! I have searched several times on this site, as well as Google to find the answer to my question.

Now, that being said. I'm considering purchasing a later model Cherokee (1997-2001) and I want to be able to lift it and clear 33X12.50's on a set of 15X8" rims with 4" of backspacing...unless somebody can advise me on a better rim setup.

So, I would like some opinions on running a 4.5" lift and doing some fender trimming to clear 33's.

Please keep in mind that I live in Western PA and due to PENNDOT's wonderful vehicle inspection laws I will have to buy a set of extended fender flares to adequately cover 12.5" wide tires. I've been considering a set of Rusty's flares. According to their website, you can trim 2.5"-4" with their flares.

Also, it's unlikely that this rig will see any extreme off-roading. It will most likely only see dirt, mud, and rock on the occasional weekend outing (maybe camping, fishing, etc). I'm not really looking to build an Über-flexy rockmobile. I'm mostly interested in a little extra wheeling ability and (although a cardinal sin of the 4WD world) aggressive style.

Is anybody running a setup similar to this? I would really love to see some pictures.

Thanks!

CheapCherokee

bushwackers are another fender flare you might want to consider. http://www.quadratec.com/products/72506_800_07.htm
i know a guy who had 4.5 inches of lift with bushwackers and easily cleared 33s.

flexin91xj

Im running 33 10.50s on 5" of lift with my fenders cut. Check out my profile page and you can see how much clearnce I have. I went with the 10.50s cause I didnt have the money for new wheels.

EzLivn

I just finished installing a RE 4 1/2" lift with 33x10.50's.I know you are talking wider tires and different backspacing but this should be close.When I bought the wheels I had a choice of 4 1/4 or 4 3/4 bs.I chose the 4 .75 thinking they would tuck up into the wheel opening when compressed. I havn't had it off road yet to test that theroy. I have taken the bumper cornors off and will atleast have to trim the bottom cornor of the fender.

Skater28

How much lift did you actually get from the 4.5" Re kit? I installed a 3.5" Re kit with leaf packs and got close t0 5" total over stock hight with fresh springs.

johns9761

That's a fine lookin' Jeep you've got there.

dbcooper1999XJ

Heres my rig on 32's I have double discos and trimmed both front and rear fenders. Rears need a little more trimming. Also note I trimmed below front bumper. Helps with scraping on approach.

XJs-R-us

BLASPHEMER!!!

EzLivn

I didn't get the lift I thought I would.My Cherokee had an UP Country package to start with which is suppose to be a 1"lift.From my original measurements I gained 4" in the front and 4 1/2" in the rear,however considering the Up Country pkg I probably got 5 and 5 1/2.From everything I had read about RE lift kits I thought I would get a little more than I did.

rollingstone

I think that with the setup you want, you shouldn't have any problems fitting 33's. I ran 32's on a 3" lift with a little bit of trimming. Granted, there aren't many places for me to wheel that cause full flex. The best advice I can give is get your lift/wheels/tires installed, flex, and see where you need to trim.

lliamsdad

This is mine. Not quite a 12.50 tire but 4.5 in lift and 33s. I trimmed my fenders a lot and still get a tad of scrubbing at full flex in the rear.

johns9761

Are you guys able to run flares? I'd love to do the flare-less look...but that's not street legal in my state.

lliamsdad

I looked into re attaching my flares but haven't really swayed myself into doing it. Kinda like the way it looks flareless. I butchered my rear when I trimmed, so I just broke out the finer glass and fixed that right up. No laws on flares here in bama either.

lliamsdad

I looked into re attaching my flares but haven't really swayed myself into doing it. Kinda like the way it looks flareless. I butchered my rear when I trimmed, so I just broke out the finer glass and fixed that right up. No laws on flares here in bama either.
Sorry for double post. Computer was acting up.

johns9761

Well, I guess I got an answer to my question...

http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchan...ode=sus_xj_kit

According to Rusty's, with a 4.5" kit and a set of their flares you can easily clear 33's.

It look's like I've got a plan now.