2003 WJ - A OverOffLanding Hybrid

[Dr.Grand]

Found this forum from a friend and figured I would join up! I have a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4. Right now the only mod is a K&N drop in filter but I am going to get some 225/75/16 Goodyear Wrangler Authirity ATs soon. Here are a few pictures of it after and during my exploring around our county.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Cute Jeep, I remember when mine was stock back in 99 and got excited about mild trails and dirt roads, that lasted 5 months and have been through 3 suspension setups and 4 tire sizes since then. If I had a WJ I would just do a very mild lift and 31's with body protection, add some lighting and storage to keep things organized. I enjoy camping and scenic trails more than extreme crawling, and I got back into fishing this year. My next Jeep will be milder and geared toward expedition type travel.

 

[Dr.Grand]

Cute Jeep, I remember when mine was stock back in 99 and got excited about mild trails and dirt roads, that lasted 5 months and have been through 3 suspension setups and 4 tire sizes since then. If I had a WJ I would just do a very mild lift and 31's with body protection, add some lighting and storage to keep things organized. I enjoy camping and scenic trails more than extreme crawling, and I got back into fishing this year. My next Jeep will be milder and geared toward expedition type travel.

Yea that is kind of the plan. I plan to do a 4 inch lift, 31 mud terrains, and some lockers and skids. That gets the offroading side covered nicly, but it isnt so extream that I cant have it as a daily driver:ylsmoke:

 

[Doctor W]

Right now the only mod is a K&N drop in filter

K&N filters are NOT a good choice for back country exploration, anywhere where there is dust as they are NOT very good at filtering dust (= rapid engine wear)

Check this out (search) on here and other various forums (Google it)

Also with a mild 2" lift (not too complex/expensive), you can fit LT 245/75x16" (= 31" approx) in Load Range "E" (very strong 10 ply rating)..... because these vehicles really need a little bit more clearance than standard.

Enjoy your Jeep Grand Cherokee, they make a good exploration vehicle that's really good to drive on road, getting you near distant places and off road when you get there.

 

[BEVAN]

Nice wj I would love to build one... Good info on the k&n that's news to me.

 

[wjeeper]

K&N filters are NOT a good choice for back country exploration, anywhere where there is dust as they are NOT very good at filtering dust (= rapid engine wear)

Also with a mild 2" lift (not too complex/expensive), you can fit LT 245/75x16" (= 31" approx) in Load Range "E" (very strong 10 ply rating)..... because these vehicles really need a little bit more clearance than standard.

Keep in mind that K&N's (and other oiled filters) have the tendency to foul sensors in the intake and throttle body with oil.........food for thought

Wj's are a wonderful platform for "overland" travel. I think you picked a solid and comfortable. Looking back I wish I had left mine with a 2" budget boost (or 2" coils) and installed some sliders and some JK Rubicon takeoff tires/ wheels. The wheels fit with just a little bit of trimming. One of my friends has one set up just that way and its just big enough to look good/ aggressive, but not so big that it looks still sorta factory. I got stupid with mine and built it for "rock crawling" and quickly grew to hate it.........my words of advice are to do simple mods and just have fun with it!

Some random thoughts about WJ's:

• Consider a gas tank lift, one of my favorite mods I did to mine.
  
  
• Watch out for that low hanging radiator in front.
  
  
• Get sliders BEFORE you dent up the rocker panels.........i did that one backwards.
• If you have a 4.0 and get a "cylinder 6 misfire" code check for debris plugging the fuel injector. This took me months, four trips to the dealer and too much money to figure out!

 

[Dr.Grand]

Thanks for the above info! As far as the K&N goes, I have had mine for about 3,000 miles and it seems to be picking up all the dirt. I know after one trip it wis covered and I had to wash it off

 

[theksmith]

i'll second that front radiator support - it's an expensive fix and easy to mush.

nice clean dub though, i like the dirty Jeep logo pic!

don't worry about not having a lift or even good tires yet - i wheeled mine quite a bit bone stock on mild trails and dirt roads when i first got it while i was trying to sell my XJ still. once you start lifting and doing harder and harder trials, just keep it 4.5" or under on the lift, trust me. for now, get your self recovery points, a recovery strap, some tire plugs and a compressor, a first aid kit, and extra water and food (if you don't already have all this) and hit the roads, have fun and welcome to exploring the world via in a luxury vehicle!


also, till you get a bumper, you can just have someone weld a piece of thick angle steel to your radiator support and it really helps alot if you come down on a rock. won't make it invincible, but spreads out the impact.

 

[Topgun514]

Agreed with everyone- radiator support first, armor second.

For lifts, I would go 2.5- 3 inches, dont go too crazy with it! You will thank us all later when it comes to overland travel. Overlanding is typically more Highwaylanding.

 

[Dr.Grand]

Agreed with everyone- radiator support first, armor second.

For lifts, I would go 2.5- 3 inches, dont go too crazy with it! You will thank us all later when it comes to overland travel. Overlanding is typically more Highwaylanding.

Yea, I have a;ways heard that over 4 inches it gets kind of scary with the Grands
:Wow1: I will figure out the lift soon enough, but until then I will just keep finding cool places to explore. There is one place I want to check out this weekend so I got my camera ready and a list of friends to call up:ylsmoke:

 

[bldeagle10]

you mentioned 225/75/16, id go 235, same height, just a bit wider, not a huge noticeable difference but if the price is right, that is what i'd do. I have run both sizes but would still prefer the wider tire just for the placebo affect if anything...anything to gain a little confidence!

love the WJ's if I didn't love my XJ id probably sell it and pick one of these up. i'll be watching this thread.

 

[Dr.Grand]

you mentioned 225/75/16, id go 235, same height, just a bit wider, not a huge noticeable difference but if the price is right, that is what i'd do. I have run both sizes but would still prefer the wider tire just for the placebo affect if anything...anything to gain a little confidence!

love the WJ's if I didn't love my XJ id probably sell it and pick one of these up. i'll be watching this thread.

Thanks man! You will be watching for a while though cause with a 16 year old's budget of not near enough it will take a while for me to get anything done

EDIT: also thanks for the tire buying advice. The only concern that I would have is if they would rub when the wheel is fully turned. I guess nothing some trimming couldn't cure but I would prefer not to have to staqrt hacking away (unless I absolutly have to )

 

[bldeagle10]

I just pulled 235's off my XJ, completely stock, no rub what so ever, put on 225's only because I got them for free. and trust me I know about the budget, I'm on a college budget. nothing like being 8 grand in debt within the first 8 months of school...

 

[Dr.Grand]

Well I went exploring yesterday. Walked out and halfway down the dirt road I was exploring I realised that I had forgotton the cameraso no pics but just a story:

I came around a corner and saw a narrow trail heading off to the left. I looked at it and there were no "private poperty" signs to be seen so I proceeded to go down it. It got pretty rocky so I had to throw it into 4lo and crawl. On the way back down the trail I came down hard on a rock and upon further examination I have torn the transmission hose and it is leaking transmission fluid so I have to get under it tomorrow and see if I can do a quick redneck fix on it:Wow1:

 

[Dr.Grand]

Went offroading at a place called Sheeps Wallow. Here are the pics:

Bumper Trouble :Wow1:

Fixing it

Flexy :drool:

I am working on videos now. May be a while though, YouTube upload is slow