jgriffin

My name is Jay ( Jonathon ) , I will be turning 16 years old on Sept 20th.
Yeah Yeah I know I don't even have my license cut me some slack.
My dad and his buddies worked together and got me a 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 with the inline 6 4.0.
I had the pleasure of doing my own tune up ( plugs , wires , cap and rotor , tires on Sat )
For my B-day my dad's buddy invited me to go to a Off Roading event here in Texas. Private Property so no license required type deal.
They have already taken me to a lot of the hole in the wall off road spots near Austin Texas and let me practise. Really looking forward to the run on the 20th!

Some things I am trying to search and find are:

1.) Can I fit 31x10.5 MT / ATs w/out a lift kit?
2.) I was considering the RC 3.5" series I / II lift kit and was hoping to get some feedback on those lifts. Also how hard would it be to modify it for rear superflex?
3.) Does anyone know if there is a center ( between the seats ) console that can be added to hold drinks or small items ( cell phone , wallet , etc... )
4.) Mine does not have the roof rack or even roof rack mounting points. The only way to add one would be to drill holes that will most likely leak ( according to my dad ) correct?
5.) Why is the biggest sized tire I could go before re- gearing the rear end ( hope terminology is rite dad's friend asked me to find out.

I know I should be searching the forums for this information , and trust me I will be , but thought I would throw that out there as my starting points. I look forward to meeting some of you and maybe getting to do some wheeling with you!

94XjSport94

Check out the Texas thread in the wheeling neighborhood section, some people should be near you.

1.) They will rub on your fenders (and flairs) as well as your lower control arms when turning. So you won't have as much turning radius before the tires will rub, they will rub with axle articulation without trimming the fenders. If trimming isn't a big deal, cut em up.

2.) Save your money and buy something more quality than RC. Rubicon express or Zone would be what I would recommend. Look into shackle relocator brackets from HD Offroad Engineering. They will help your rear leaf springs articulate better like this




You can see in this picture where I have also trimmed my fenders front and rear.

3.) Look on Quadratec.com for a drink holder for your Cherokee that goes over the e brake, that's what I have and it's the best thing on the market really... Isn't perfect but is functional

4.) Pretty sure all XJ's came with the holes drilled and tapped In the roof for the factory rack. If not, you can make your own and use JCR rain gutter mounts.

5.) All personal preference of sorts. I run 33x10.5x15 tires on stock 3.55 gears. It isn't horrible, BUT there is a good bit of power loss from the bigger heavier tires. Anything bigger than stock will use more power and gas to move. If you look into regearing, depending on tire size, there are a few axle swaps you could do for cheaper. You HAVE to re gear both axles, not just the rear or the t case will blow up. Gears and master install kits run right around $500 or just below and then labor of having the gears properly set up will run $200-$300 an axle. It's obviously pretty pricy. If you have the D35 rear end most will say not to dump any money into it and just replace it with an 8.25 rear end from a 97+ Cherokee as an upgrade.

There isn't a real answer to the last question. Depends on what size tires you want to run with your drivetrain combo.

jgriffin

94XjSport94,
Thanks for your response. All ready researching the names you gave me. I appreciate any suggestions or advice as I am completely new to this. My dad's buddy has a Lifted Toyota FJ cruiser and it's pretty radical riding with him. I'm hoping to get to his level and be able to hang out with everyone on equal ground.

Xj88

Welcome

I agree with will..go with something more quality than rc...will cost you more..but you will thank us later.

The cupholder thing does suck..the one on quadratec works..but it wasn't as big as I'd like it to be.

You can fit 31s fine if you trim your fenders.. and maybe add a touch of bumpstop
For tires I'd recommend mickey Thompson MTZs... I've ran so many different tires and they are by far my all around favorite.

If I were you I'd start looking at build threads and see what you want to do with your rig.

If your on your PC I have 4 links to all 4 of my Cherokee builds..each is a bit different..and should give you plenty of ideas as to where you want to go with it.

XJwonders

Welcome to the forum

1ATony

welcome to the site