UPDATE!

First off thanks so much guys, really has helped me heap on some fun but really smart projects for my Mud Season! With any luck, some serious help from my friend who's a Mechanic and another who does auto body/paint; i'll be ready and rippin this summer!

I forgot to mention but i have already a K&N air filter, a Gibson Cat bat and did a full tune with an accell tune kit last spring.

I am planning to do: ECM from 505performance.com(tuned for 87 octane), headers, throttle body, throttle body spacer, catalytic converter(bought), radiator(bought), water pump(bought), brakes/rotars(bought), Gauge pod w/ air-fuel/Vac gauges, and i'm thinking seriously for the rockers... that sounds FUN

Though do have some more questions: first off, i was really impressed by www.505performance.com ; they had some stuff that looked awesome but plain silly(and by silly i mean if i had a million dollars i'd have already done it...) but there are alot of things that i liked!!

So i have a K&N cold air intake(prolly gonna do hood vents to help airflow/heat) and a gibson cat back but should i look at removing these and going for something bigger and better in either instance??

What size rockers should i do? The Yella's looked great but theres two sizes and i'm curious if you can point me into a direction.

Tried to find an ECU from the guys Cobra Marty suggested with 0 luck. so what else should i do? i think the ECM from 505 should be might sufficent/better than being able to modify it with a handheld? also i do not see many hand helds that will work...

i found a 2 sensor gauge pod that will work for the vac&air/fuel gauges i'm thinking about. anyone see one with 3-4? i found some other numbers i'd like to know.

GEARING! that was up there with the rockers! i'm running stocks with zero plans of changing to anything outside of a low brand all terrain for the short term but what should i do in terms if i want to increase performance? where will i find ring and pinyon sets for reasonable $?

I know its counter to what i'm going for but to give full disclosure i'm seriously considering an Old Man Emu 1.5" suspension kit, for taking the rattling teeth out of my head on bumps/washboards and a set of Nate's 4x4 bumpers(they weigh ~200) i've been in a roll over/rear end up here and want to nail down the front and back a bit more so i'll put on a bit but i think if i can increase my HorsePower, i'll negate the gain. But i'm doing all the performance first than looking real hard at the kit and bumper

 

Help?! comments??

 

i have 3.07 gears on my 96 with 31X10.50X15 with 5 speed and get consistantly 20 MPG.,,,mostly highway driving between 60-65MPH

 

I actually just gave up on trying to make mine more fuel efficient and just accepted the fact its a jeep; then took myself up on my previous post and bought myself an ultra reliable japanese front wheel drive 4 banger 32 mile per gallon commuter haha. Crunching the numbers at $4/gal and 500 miles per week I'll be putting an extra $2,600 in my pocket every year in fuel savings alone, after the extra insurance of the second car. Just made more financial sense to get the commuter and keep the jeep as my toy and trailer tower. If you absolutely must have the jeep for the places you go for your work then I dont know what to tell ya. (Although I have been amazed by some of the off-road capabilities of low ground clearance cars, especially subarus...had my former subaru impreza in places that the jeep guys jaws would drop...and made it through; its all about picking the right lines and having the momentum...and a good skid plate to protect those vital parts if you get snagged lol).

It just seems like your efforts are pretty cut and dry and expectations are a bit too high for what you are working with. It would be great if there was a cheap and easy fix to snag another 5-10 mpg's out of these things and make them practical drivers with good power and towing ability, but it just isnt going to happen...and I stopped at the point where I was dumping so much money into it that even if I did succeed at gaining a couple miles per gallon it would have been counterproductive because of my investment to get to that point. The reality of it is, gas is expensive and jeeps are not going to get great economy with a reasonable investment that will pay off...your either just going to accept the swift kick every time you fill the tank or consider a second ride for commuting; unless you just wanna keep throwing money into it trying (definitely keep us posted if you find something that works out)...just trying to save you the money and frustration cause Ive been there

 

yea i'll admit i'm shooting too high; though this being my third XJ and sadly, more than likely the best i'll ever own? i'm doing this as a quest. Once i reach my summit i'll get to descend with my cherished memories and the XJ i've dreamed of when all the parts were too damn much. Then, someday soon i'll be able to turn her from a daily driver to a weekend hobby but now she's got a damned important purpose! She'll run! I'll see to it!

 

** UPDATE **

installed:
-Spectre air intake system (not a hard install if you have a 18v drill/3" holesaw)
-62mm BBK throttle body (had to get new TP sensor, pain but online only $50)
-4 hole fuel injectors ( mustang, it's amazing how little i put my foot into the pedal)
-Banks header
-flowmaster cat
-new O2 sensors/front pipe.

Hey guys,
First, Thanks for the help guys.

My XJ is running like a top. It's superb. I've got a few small odds and ends to finish in the next two days but overall i'm very impressed with the end results. I have increased mileage from like >~14 to 21+. Not only is it fun to run but it runs on her own.

i'm going to start a build thread once i get some more photos.

again thanks guys

 

I am running a 4.0L AX15 with 3.07s and 31's. I have a 3.5" lift and while I get 18 mpg mixed inner city hwy and surface streets , it sux on power and off road. I am looking for 3.73-4.10 axles to replace mine. It has a hard time beating its own shadow.