realistic ideas/goals for expo xj and lift?

[wADVr]

33s are the perfect tire for an XJ. I currently have 35s and would swap back to 33s in a heartbeat if money wasn't an issue. From my experience I have zero more capability and less gearing, power, mileage etc.. 33s are all you need to do most any trail you will ever encounter, some exclusions but at that point you are well beyond the rest of your drivetrains capability and strength.
I also have gone from a long arm set up to a perfectly good short arm with drop bracket setup and like the geometry and smoother ride from the flatter arms. I have and do hang up on the brackets at times but only when I'm not paying much attention or it's a really tough spot, which in case they are perfectly strong enough to take some serious rock rash. The geometry is something to be mentioned in comparison to a radius long arm set up. LAs have much higher anti-dive which effects braking-makes it a bit squirly in my experience and while under power have some issues but mostly noticed on tough ledges and such where there isn't much weight on the front end and you need all you can get to aid in traction and keep it from going over backwards. Another experience of long arms has shown that a rock holding the arm up in the same location that it would be on a drop bracket means that it is holding the tire off the ground and not allowing it to droop down and provide traction.. The drop bracket would only be holding up the body. Basically I feel SAs with drop brackets are much more predictable than LAs.

Do yourself a favor and go with 4.88s. You will thank yourself even with the 33s. Mileage is not an issue especially if your going to be loaded down with gear. 33s and 4.88s were perfect for me.

Good luck with your build, the XJ is a great platform if you understand its weak spots.

 

[ert01]

I was very happy with my XJ at 32's and 4.56 gears.

Only reason I went to 35's was because we picked up an 80 series land cruiser for our longer hauls so the XJ is a bit more of a weekend toy now.

But I agree for sure. My little XJ on 32's went everywhere I wanted it to go. At 4.5" lift it didn't need any trimming and the factory flares were just fine.

Lock it and get some gears in it and you'll be happy.

 

[vonguido]

Sticking to a short arm w/ drop brackets would definitely save some coin that could be used for a select able locker(ARB or OX). Sounds like 33's are the better option for what I'm wanting to do with the rig. plus this also means I can get a really nice belly pan setup. I will look into the currie set up a long with a few others. I want to do all the suspension work all at once so that way I can clean it all up and then undercoat the entire under side of the Jeep to help combat rust.

 

[FordGuy1]

X2 on 4.88 gearing. I have a very heavy XJ running 33" with 4.56 gearing with Currie 9's front and rear. If i Did it over 4.88 would be the choice. Definitely don't worry about the the Dana 30 up front, with the RCV shafts you won't break them which will eliminates the possibility of breaking a u joint which then in turn breaks the 30's ball joint, which definitely sucks. The only thing I would suggest with the 30 is use Senergy ball joint's.

 

[vonguido]

X2 on 4.88 gearing. I have a very heavy XJ running 33" with 4.56 gearing with Currie 9's front and rear. If i Did it over 4.88 would be the choice. Definitely don't worry about the the Dana 30 up front, with the RCV shafts you won't break them which will eliminates the possibility of breaking a u joint which then in turn breaks the 30's ball joint, which definitely sucks. The only thing I would suggest with the 30 is use Senergy ball joint's.

Good to know. I eventually want to pick up a trailer either a used AT Trailer or a new one from Manley so the 4.88s were what I had in mind from the beginning.

 

[jscusmcvet]

On my previous rig I ran 3.5" lift, trimmed flares and 33x10.50 tires. Worked like a charm and I think suits the xj for the style of driving/trips you are discussing. When I sold the xj, those tires came off and went on my son's 2000 tj. When my 33x12.50's give up the ghost (got them at an unbelievable price from a friend) I will put that size on my 2005 LJ.

I put a Spartan locker in the xj in the back and frankly that was all I needed, with mostly trail riding, work around the farm and the occasional trip to an off road park. I found it to be invisible on the street and allowed me to idle up sections of trail I used to have to use momentum to get up.

I agree completely with beefing the axle shafts and with armoring the underside. I have done this on all my jeeps (eventually). The peace of mind that comes from these two mods makes exploring that much more fun. Less worry equals better times.

I ran one set of 35's on a wrangler that was well built, armored and fully locked. I did not find any added capability on the trail, and that was in my rack crawling days. 33's are a great choice, especially in the 10.50 width (or one of the metric sizes). Going 35's also seems to be a $ changer, to do it right, costs more than you get out of it from a capability standpoint.

 

[Septu]

For those thinking 33s vs 35s... I've run 33s on both of my JKs. And while I will go to 35s for that extra little bit of clearance (and looks) once these 33s are toast, I've yet to get stuck due to my tire size. It's always been a combination of crappy lines or body clearance (no lift yet), or someplace my JK just doesn't belong.

 

[reece146]

By definition an overlanding rig is going to be pavement pounding for miles and miles. Every little bit you can do to keep the Jeep low and more efficient the better.

A built, triple locked XJ on 33s will go pretty much anywhere you point it and beyond in the context of overlanding.

For my build I did long arms, about 4.5" of lift, 265/75R16 tires. I tow a ~3500+ lb trailer as well.

The Jeep rides great. I did 265 Duratracs (i.e. roughly 32 x 10.5 x 16) in order to get a tire replacement anywhere in North America while on the road. It's a common pick up truck size and a common tire. At most I'd lose a day while traveling due to a destroyed tire - at least in theory. I carry a spare but you never know. Not really critical but gives options if things go pear shaped. I wish my trailer used the same size (5 on 5.5" versus 6 on 5.5" on the trailer).

The Jeep is tall enough to have the required clearance but low enough to almost drive like a sports car compared to other 4x4s I've built. It's also low enough that the SO and the kids don't complain about it being too tall to get into (much).

HTH