Hi all, new member of the forum, recently bought a 2000 Cherokee XJ SE 2.5L 4 banger with 106,000 miles, brand new RC 4.5" lift, stainless extended brake lines, etc. Was wondering what options i have for intake mods, exhaust mods, header mods, etc to boost the performance of the 4 cylinder? thanks!

i know a 4.0 TB will bolt on but that's about all i know about the 2.5

Get a six and swap it in

Im just kidding- As you have a lift I assume you have larger tires- I would check to make sure your gearing is correct for those tires- might be feeling sluggish because of that

There are plenty of cat-back systems:
Flowmaster/ Gibson/ Magna Flow etc.

I don't know of any headers for the 2.5 Xj- but Im sure they exist. I have never looked at the 2.5l But if the clearances are the same as the wrangler, you might be able to make that stuff work as well- Banks makes a header for the wrangler 2.5.

Nothing I have done to my 2.5 has made a noticeable difference in power. IMO, its not really worth trying to get more power out of the 2.5, accept it for what it is.
I would change the intake if you want a cowl snorkel, otherwise stock works fine. And for exhaust, just get something you think sounds good.
If you want a noticeable difference in power, you have 3 good options...supercharger, turbo, or engine swap.

Its got 4.11 gearing and a Dana 30 and 35. And I'm currently in the process of purchasing 33x12.5r15 tires. I'll look into wrangler 2.5 headers and see if they are compatible. I was possibly thinking of finding a way to do a cat delete and a do header back exhaust for better power and flow. Thanks for the tips!

regear to 4.88s. theyd get you some power back too

You drive a stick? Agreed 4.88 is the ratio you want.

Please read the site rules regarding a cat delete. Install a high-flow cat instead. Also on a 2000+ PCM it will not run correctly.

Honestly the exhaust system in the 2.5L is pretty much the same as the 4.0L. For the amount of air the 4-popper can move you're not going to see a huge improvement. An engine swap will be much more cost effective.... Plus you'll already have good gears. Or put a super and turbo on it and let us know how it goes.

4.10 is the stock gear ratio for the 2.5's. It was designed to be turning stock size tires with those gears.
Definitely go to 4.88's imo. That alone will do more for you than all the intake and exhaust mods you can do to the engine. And like salad said, the exhaust on the 2.5 is pretty much exactly the same as the 4.0s had, it already flows well enough you aren't going to make a difference. I went to 2.5" exhaust on mine with a high flow cat and a decent muffler (don't even remember what muffler I have now, I've changed it so many times) and it made no difference whatsoever except change the sound.

I found a regear kit on completeoffroad.com for $657.00
http://completeoffroad.com/i-1623527...-88-ratio.html

Seems to be like a good kit. Cheapest place Ive found, not sure how much shipping is. Anyone else know about these kits?

Oops posted the wrong link
http://completeoffroad.com/i-1623527...-88-ratio.html

Regearing is the way to go, especially with the smaller 4banger, and you can rev the **** out of those little motors to get em' going. Otherwise dropping some weight is going to help. But if you're going to 33's I'd recommend some shaft upgrades for your D35 or swap to a bigger axle.

Thanks for the tips guys! Ive priced out a 4.88 regear kit and I'm looking into a few other lightweight replacement parts for the suspension and drive systems. Also upgrading to alloy wheels instead of steelies which should help with some weight savings. Again thanks for the tips!

Hit up RWK Haus (he's a vender in here) pricing on gears/axles/lockers are really good & he ships super fast.

My 99 wrangler was a 4 banger, they're actually really capable. I only ran 31's with stock gears. Post up some pictures.