PumpinIron

So, I've got a 2000 Cherokee as a daily driver. I absolutely love the car and while I realize a fair amount of people on these forums use these cars for serious off-roading I have no such intention. Instead the car is a family car (I have a wife and a daughter) and we use it for going to the beach (driving on the beach as well), towing my motorcycles, going to the mountain, etc. So, it does see off-road but nothing crazy as you can imagine.

I love the car to death, I just wish it had some more power for around town and highway driving. So far I've got the Dodge Neon injectors and I recently ordered a 2.5 inch stainless steel Magnaflow catback exhaust. I plan on also ordering an intake and boring out the throttle body as well.

However, I don't think those mods alone are going to give me much of a noticeable power increase. I am looking for a way to get some more power out of the Jeep without having to go insane. I've been doing a lot of research on stroker kits and I may just go that route inevitably. However, in the meantime I wonder if it would wake the motor up at all if I were to get some nice headers, a good head job (i.e. bigger valves, ported, etc.), and a decent camshaft upgrade?

I'm just looking for ways to get some more power out of this thing without having to tear the entire motor apart right at the moment (especially since it only has 25k on a remanufactured motor!). Any thoughts would be appreciated!

And of course, I'm sure that ultimately all roads lead to a stroker kit...

bakas

Boring tb and the freeflow or highflow exhaust will definitely increase throttle response and lower end torque big time. But if you really want a higher top speed or lower 1/4 miles times, stroker is the way to go.

PumpinIron

Hmmm, good to know!

Like I said, I've got a 2.5 inch catback in the garage with a high flow cat. I plan on boring the throttle body and getting an intake as well. I just wasn't sure if those mods produced any 'noticeable' power. On most other cars you wouldn't notice the power from those mods that much. This is my first Jeep however so it could be an entirely different world.

Turbo X_J

"I am looking for a way to get some more power out of the Jeep without having to go insane."

Good luck with that. The Jeep 4.0 is very similar to engines used in inexpensive Russian bulldozers. Enjoy it for what it is, or buy something else.

EZEARL

What size tires you running? I went from 215's to 235's(largest I'll go w/3.55 gears)and could tell a diff in the power. Can't imagine what a set of 31's and up would do without a gear change. After messing with 258's for years I'm kinda impressed with the power of the 4.0 HO's(my 1st).

PumpinIron

I'm running 30x9.50x15 tires with a 3 inch suspension lift.

Do you think I need to change my gearing for that size of tire? I don't plan on going any bigger than 30 inch tires, that's for sure!

PumpinIron

Well, guess it's a stroker in the future for me!

In the meantime at least it's a USA made bulldozer motor! I'm happy about that.

Tsaani97xj

No first hand experience but these 4.0 seem to respond decently to boost. It also looks reasonably affordable but involved. Worth a look if funds are available.

PumpinIron

Boost is something I have strongly considered. I simply don't want to have to cut a hole in my hood for a supercharger to be honest. I have seen it done without a hole in the hood using a vortec (not eaton) blower but it was obviously something completely custom fabbed.

I like the boost idea but creating brackets for something like this seems costly and involved.

EZEARL

Yea,I'd go no more than that. My General AT2's are a bit over 29" and that's my limit.

Even before add on's there's a good bit you can do to pep these motor's up. First off is to take it to your local parts place(Advance Auto or such)and for free have them check your battery,alternator,starter,charging system,and scan it for codes. Then make sure the cooling system's in top shape;transmission has clean fluid and filter(you can tweak the throttle valve cable for more positive shifts);tune it up with the right parts;clean your throttle body,IAC,and CTS;clean air filter;run some BG 44K thru the gas tank. That's a start.

Boost Happy

I ran 4.56 gears in mine when I had 30x9.50's.. Gives a hell of alot more ***** than any bolton you can throw at it.

cruiser54

Exhaust and bored throttle body with a correspondingly bigger butterfly from www.strokedjeep.com. Intake is fine.

PumpinIron

That's where I plan on ordering my throttle body from! Good to hear you like them.

cruiser54

Jeff is a great guy and does excellent work. I've purchased 3 TBs from him over the last few years. You won't be disappointed.

Check out your exhaust system right after it exits the header. Is it "crushed"?

PumpinIron

I'll check into that, maybe that could provide the around town power I need.

When going to 4.56 gears where in the RPM range did you notice the difference the most? The Jeep came with whatever the stock size tires are and to be honest ever since going to the 30 inch tires the Jeep just doesn't feel as powerful. I suppose that is to be expected, maybe it's a gearing thing.