00t444e

I feel the same way about any 4x4 with front and rear straight axles. Lowering them defeats the purpose of owning one in my opinion, but its his Jeep and money so he can do what he wants with it. My first post was meant to be a joke BTW, I am sorry if you took it seriously.

prerunner1982

The Archer Brothers, among a few others raced Jeep Comanches in the SCCA truck series.



They used a mono leaf suspension in the rear and cut the front axle to make a drop axle.
The Comanche is a spring under axle design where the XJ is a spring over. You could do an axle flip, maintain your stock leaf pack and get 3-4" of drop but you would probably be riding on the bump stops. A mono leaf with air bags would give you some adjustability and a good ride.
The drop axle would be the best option but a cut or a lowering coil would be the only other options.

Drop axle in case you aren't familiar.

double_0_7

I'm sorry. I don't know about suspensions. I'm still learning, and reading is the best way to do it. Would using the front suspension from the 4cyl cherokee lower it a little because of the extra weight?

Cummins93

I plan on putting 2 inch lift springs in the front then cutting them down. I'm after a stiffer ride.

double_0_7

What else would you have to change to do that? What shocks do you plan on using? I'm looking at using a lift kit for the rear so I can go axle under anyway, and i think there's a deal to be had on getting the full lift kit at the same time. It looks like either this, or just using the stock front and cutting that. I wouldn't mind a stiffer ride. I have no interest in off-roading for anything more serious than occasionally getting to a campsite.

Cummins93

As I have little experience lowering a Cherokee or a straight axle anything I'm going to be fairly conservative at first. I still need to fit a turbo next to the control arm without smashing it. When I figure out what I can do I'll post back the results

double_0_7

I bought some rear leaf springs. 3.5" lift springs. I'm going to do the rear first. I don't know how much custom front springs will cost, but that's a consideration. I'm not excited about the opportunity to screw things up so bad.

I have a rear disc conversion and the leaf springs to do at the same time.

So far, I have bought leaf springs, u bolts, and I'm going to order shackles and bushings based on what the springs come packaged with. Are there two total shackles, one per side? I looked and it seems the rear of each spring has shackles and the front has something else?

Cummins93

Where are you going to relocate the rear shock mounts?

double_0_7

I don't know yet. This is all knew to me. I bought a $1500 jeep and I'm just playing around with it. I haven't done any of the teardown, and I'm just asking people questions as I go.

Can't they just be moved inboard a little? What are you thinking about doing with yours?

Cummins93

I have thought about reverse arching the springs. There is mixed data about the results.

SatiricalHen

There's a lot of info on lowering Cherokees out there if you look. There is a Cherokee out there that does really well in autocross. Googling will help answer a lot of questions. The most common thing I've seen for the front is v8 zj springs cut down for stiffer, cheap lowering.

double_0_7

I've heard plenty of people say that, but everyone on every site is talking about the same two or three trucks. And they dont seem to be active much. Every one else only has roughly the same actual depth to their knowledge as what you posted.

If I was trying to learn the internet version of lowering a cherokee, there's plenty of surface information. When I'm sitting on the couch with my credit card out, and my cherokee on jack stands in the garage waiting for the project to start, I'm gonna need more than I've seen.

SatiricalHen

Depending on how low you want to go you'll have to cut the mounts off the front axle and relocate them, if you go low enough you have to cut the axle and modify the steering and track bar, you need shorter shocks. You can make a bastard pack and go spring under. A lot of the stuff is you need to know what you're doing and just go for it. Some things you might need to start the project and trial and error it. It's not a common thing to do. Some things just take a basic knowledge of how the suspension fits and works and make it happen. Lowering a Cherokee isn't really a "I have my credit card and my laptop and I'm going to order parts that will just bolt on" it's more custom making things work and junkyard parts.

double_0_7

Yeah, I only want around a 2" drop. I get the need for just trying it and seeing what happens. I was more responding to the "there's information out there if you just look". Sorry, it was probably a response to other people more than you. And the credit card comment was about being ready to break ground, so detail is more important than general sentences.

I have all the basic parts on order, and things are starting to show up. My plan is to do the whole rear at the same time, then see where I'm at for the front. I ordered 3" lift springs, and all the supporting components, but I'm doing my rear disc conversion at the same time.

SatiricalHen

For the front end lowering stuff you can look at lowered Comanches too. The shocks you'll probably just have to measure for after you lower it. Then just cut coils and go spring under. You can't use Comanche info for rear lowering since they were factory spring under so they can just throw blocks in and Cherokee shackles which are shorter than Comanche shackles. But they go spring over all the time and gain something like 5" of lift so reverse that and when you go spring under you'll get 5" of drop so use 3" lift springs and end up at 2". There might not be all the information in one or two places or the info may kinda be the opposite of what you need, but you can use it to get where you need to go.