XJLala

Hey guys. I've had my XJ for quite awhile now but have just finally gotten around to doing something with it. Although its only a 2wd I've always wanted to put on bigger tires and lift it up a bit. I might have plans to change it over to 4wd in the future, it's just not in the cards right now.

Here's my dilemma... About a month ago I bought some new rims and tires for my XJ. I came across a great deal on some 245/75R16's on stock Wrangler 16" rims and had to have them. We were concerned about fit inside the wheel well but after a little bit of playing with the sawzall (trimming up the fender a little) and some "creative" reconstruction of the inner fender I was able to get them to fit nicely. For awhile..

The only issue i'm coming across is some rubbing when I turn hard right Now that I've driven on them for about a month I'm noticing that I'm rubbing in the back when I hit bumps in the road or have ANY cargo loaded in the back. Not good. So that got me thinking it's time to lift my baby before I destroy my new tires. This lead to a lengthy discussion with my dad (head mechanic) over what lift I want to go with.

He's adamant that a 2" lift will be more than adequate to give me the clearance I need but I'm kinda stuck on the idea of a 3" lift. If I'm going to lift it might as well go with the size I want right? So I guess my question is can any of you give me any opinions on which is better? Is a 2" lift better for my purpose? or will the 3" lift provide me more flexibility if I decide to go 4wd in the future? Any help you guys can throw my way is greatly appreciated, I dont want to destroy my brand new tires! Eek!

Here's a pic after I put the new tires on so you can see what I'm talking about. Any ideas and opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

98CherokeeLimit4x4

Id just go 2 inch lift and use that to add on to a 3 in lift later after 4 wd swap

XJLala

Never thought about it that way.