hi i have just bought a uk jeep cherokee 2.5i petrol for an off road project i have some beginner questions before i start any answers would be great

i have seen a couple of things on youtube of jeep cherokee xj and other cherokees with letters at the end what is my cherokee or is it just a cherokee

next on is i would really like to get some 31" tyres or bigger but what is the max size i can go on standard suspension or what is the minimum i can lift it to get the 31" tyres on it ??

next is does the cherokee have diff lock or lsd ?? always had landrovers and always thought with out diff lock id always be getting stuck is this true or is there any common mods around the issue

last of all any pointers to making a good budget off road jeep its not my day to day hack so doesn't need to be desighned for the road

thanks and hello to all

 

The letters are pretty much what model it is:
Cherokee,all = XJ
93-98 grand Cherokee = ZJ
87-95 wrangler= YJ
97-03(?) wrangler =TJ

And so forth, you have a XJ.

No LSD or locker offered from factory...

Usually you have to lift around 2-3 inches to clear 31s, even then they will rub a little. Only other way is trimming the fenders... Start with a 2-3" budget lift, 30" tires and a front locker.. Just my opinion

 

Oh and trust me, just cause you don't have a locker, doesn't mean you will always be stuck.. With jeeps you are never stuck, just "taking a break"...lol

 

You can fit 30x9.50's on stock height. Bigger and you'll need to trim.

 

Welcome to the forum, well for starters I can't really tell you what type of Cherokee you have, they usually say whether if its a Sport, Classic, Country, Leredo, Limited, ect,ect... if it doesn't say anything it may just be a base Cherokee.

Now for putting 31" tires on you can fit 31's with the factory suspension but you have to do some fender trimming to get them to fit well enough. But if you don't want to trim the fenders then I would suggest atleast a 3" lift. And then 31's will fit just fine.

For the locker in the rear they never came with one. But many of the locker companies out there make a locker for the cherokee's rear axel. Whether you have the Dana 44, Dana 35, or Chrysler 8.25 you can also get a locker for the front Dana 30 as well.

Many people will tell you a 3" lift and 31" tires and armour, skid plates, and recovery Bumpers will all you will need to have a very capable off road cherokee.

I would start with that and then build from there. Good luck with your build.

If your ever on UK Campsite forum look me up. Im also on there. I love the Camping gear you guys can get over there in the UK. I wish they sold those style tents over here.

 

thanks guys didnt know camping gear here was anything special lol sounds cool where can i get bits to lock my diff? 31" is what i wanted really i have seen some spring spacers wicj provide a 2" lift any good or not ? i dont mind cutting the wings any ideas where i can find some arches cheap as i have seen them cost £250+ for landrovers also is there any good websites to buy bits just for cherokees ? not seen any was just worried that i wouldn't have as many parts suppliers for jeep as landrover and a much less capible 4x4

do cherokees suffer with rust problems like landrovers ?

also can you get a body lift kit for a cherokee

 

Try Quadratec.com they sell alot of stuff for cherokee's you can also get a catalog from them that's nothing but aftermarket parts for the cherokee.

And for the rust and bodylift,..... yes cherokee's are prone to rust and you CANNOT put a bodylift on a cherokee because it has a uni-body which means the frame and body are made together. They are not separate to were you can add block spacers between the two.

 

do you think it would be better to get a set of standard size off road tyres or the 31" tyres im on about whats the differance ? apart from diff ground clearance would i benefit from bigger tyres

 

I knew you were from UK the second you said petrol (thanks to Jeremy Clarkson of course). Anyways as far as the axles go. You have to figure out which axles you have first. Chances are you have a d35 or a Chrysler 8.25 rear. Ther's info on how to tell the difference by looking at the diff cover. Everyone on this forum will tell you not to bother locking the d35 as it is the weakest axle to ever be put on a Jeep. People usually pull those and replace them with a 8.25 which could be had here for about 150$. However, due to your location I understand that XJ axles might not be as readily available at junkyards as they are here. So you might have to upgrade what you have. You could get chromoly shafts to make it stronger before you lock it. If you have access to a Ford explorer axle you could swap that in as it basically is a good fit (all thats required is that you relocate the spring perches and shock mounts). If you do that you will have to regear the front axle to match it tough. Some XJs did come with an LSD from the factory.If it turns out you have a 8.25 axle (3in in diameter) with no LSD you could just get a locker for it and call it a day. All the info you could ever ask for is on this forum. You have many options and ways to go about this. Welcome.

 

I believe the 31" tires would be your better option than the factory size if your looking to wheel it. With a 31" tire you would have more options of A/T, M/T, and strictly off road tires to choose from in that size. Plus a cherokee with a 3" lift would be more capable as well offroad than factory height would be. Some would disagree that but I strongly believe a vehicle with more ground clearance is better than stock height when offroad.

 

cool thanks just so you know i bought my cherokee for £ 100 of a friend with just 16,000 miles on the clock it has been sat for 10 years lol

 

Nice find. That's a heck of a deal.

 

There is one thing I have learned from owning over 20 vehicles in a little over 6 years( 5 of them jeeps)... The sky(an the bank account) are the limit... This Isn't your primary vehicle so you can build it exactly to what YOU want. Take the time to look at other peoples XJs and find what you do or don't like, or what does and doesn't work.. Every jeep is unique simply because every owner is different... As with the others have said, start with a lift and wheels/tires, an that will allow you to play as you build... And again, welcome to the forum.

 

only 20 in 6 years your making me look bad ive had around 90 in 5 years lol
....... i always made money on the side from selling vehicles hence buying this one so cheap alot of people in my town know to come to me if they want to sell a car and as this one has been sat so long i didnt really want it but now im getting the cherokee bug i have been looking around for an off road project for a while just didnt think it would be a cherokee but hey im sure it will be fun