be252

Hey guys I'm new to cf and new to off-roading so I need your opinion on what to do next to my xj. I have a 4.5 rough country lift with bilsten 5100 shocks since the rough country ones blew out on me and I think 31 tires not sure what kind. I was content with it for awhile but now that itch of having nothing to do on it is getting bad so it's time to improve some more. The jeep is my DD but does see mud and trails mostly exploring the back roads but nothing extreme. My goal for this jeep is to be reliable. So my question is what do you guys think I should do next? Bigger tires, upgrade stearing, upgrade axels, long arms, armor? I want to here all opinions.

OEJ

thats a 4.5???

Dude. Definately tires. before we go any further....hahha.seriously.
nice xj though.

be252

Thanks! Got any suggestions on how big I should go? I want to go to 33's but don't really want to trim my fenders because I like the look of stock and I don't really trust myself to do it lol

OEJ

then to stay safe i would go 31's. esp. if your worried about trimming and don't really want to trim. i was on that same wall as you, i trimmed, went with 33s and i'm SOOOO glad i did. i love the trimmed look.

but if its not the look u like, then yeah. 31's. not sure if 32s will fit with flares. you'll have to research it.

SuperGlue

I toke me awhile to finally convince myself to trim, but like the previous poster, I am soo very happy I did. I would get 33's and trimmed flairs, a winch, then gears. That would keep you busy for a while. I personally think everyone should get winches before lifts, but thats just my opinion =P Its by far the best 300 I have ever spent. Got the 12k chicago electric from harbor freight and couldnt be happier, have used it at least 50 times in the last three years..

be252

Thanks for the advise. I probably should just suck it up and trim my fenders since I want 33's and ill probably end up doing it sooner or later. I know there is some info out there about relocating your stock flares after a trim. Ill need to research it more though. Also thinking about ditching the stock ones and getting some flat style fender flares. Anyone have an opinion on those? I totally agree with you superglue about the winch and it is on my to do list. It's just hard to justify getting one when I'm not up to that kind of wheeling yet or have a bumper to put it on

Morris4x4Center

What kind of wheels are those? 33"-35" Tires and that XJ will be looking tough!!

http://www.jeep4x4center.com/jeep-tires/index.htm

SuperGlue

First time I ever got stuck was on bald ltb's in like 2 inches of mud, it don't take much for "that kind of wheeling" =P I relocated my factory flares, best thing you can do is leave them in the hot sun for an hour and come back with a razor blade to trim them to fit correctly. Then just use some washers and bolts+nuts to secure, mine never fall off, even when brushing against trees. Here are my fenders cut as much as possible, the fronts will get a little more trimming when my new fenders are complete.. That is 3 inches with 31's btw, your truck will look funky with a 4.5 and 31's IMO.. I plan on running 35's for the trail with 3 inches.

wpwarren

I have a 4.5" lift and 32's fit but rub a tiny bit with the sway bar disconnected . They rubbed badly before I trimmed the inner lip of the fender. I didn't take much off and it was super easy with an angle grinder. I also adjusted the steering stop a tiny bit (2 washers width because I was rubbing on my lower control arms a tiny bit. I still have the factory flares on. Oh and I have aftermarket wheels with slightly better backspacing

wpwarren

I should mention that proper bump stops would probably help too, but who wants to limit up travel

SuperGlue

I would definitly be limiting mine with 35's... lol. But its ok, longarms fix everything

wpwarren

I'd love to go 35's, but am amazed by how this thing does with 32's. I measured actual ground clearance with my 32's on my jeep at the pumpkin vs. actual ground clearance on my former 75 chevy with 35's and there was only a difference of a 1/2". Every where else there is either more clearance or at least better approach and departure angles.

wpwarren

Plus, the weight of the 35's is amazing compared to the 32's, there must be a 25 pound difference. That is a lot of rotational inertia!

EagleXJ

Defiantly, 33's. Especially if your mudding. It will seriously improve the look of you rig and boost its off-road performance. I have a buddy who runs 33's on a 4.5 inch lift with stock flares and he doesn't rub on the road but will if he tries to flex. So for starters you could get away with 33's on you current setup. It you don't like it, trim. If you don't like that look, buy some after market fender flares. In my opinion, stock flares put back on after trimming doesn't look that hot. If you really like the stock look and you have some money your willing to put into keeping that look, check these out: http://notchcustoms.com/shop/x-max-fender-flares/.

Love that green XJ!

be252

Thanks for the advise everyone! I'm going to bite the bullet and trim the fenders when I need to get new tires. Question now is do I buy the tires then trim or should I trim first? Also does anyone have a good clear write up on fender trimming? And before everyone gets on me about using the search option, I have done that. I just want to know if anyone has a good one that I might of missed.