Expedition TJ Buildup....

[CLynn85]

I posted the same thread over on Jeepforum where I have well over 2k posts. Most of the guys I run with are not impressed with my buildup plans . I've been trying to defend my decisions. Their take is that I'd be limiting myself and the capabilities of my rig by staying with 32's and not regearing. Within the last few weeks many of them have made major improvements to their vehicles; bumped up to 33's from stock, purchased tow vehicles, Air-Rock suspensions etc....

Yeah I get fed up with Jeepforum after a while. They mainly have the go big or go home mindset. None of them have the slightest inclination to try and build a capable rig that's still drivable.

 

[goodtimes]

Yeah I get fed up with Jeepforum after a while. They mainly have the go big or go home mindset. None of them have the slightest inclination to try and build a capable rig that's still drivable.

Unfortunately, that is the case with most boards once they start getting big. MJR is still decent, but even there we have a few of the same folks that hit all the boards who are completely convinced that their way of doing it is the only way to do it right, and all nay-sayers are just idiots. But it isn't as bad there as the bigger boards.

 

[Cowboy]

What ya can't see is me laughing my ass off!

 

[YJ Dave]

I missed the tire/gear/trans combo on my first read threw.

Please don't take this as a bash, it is only FWIW.

I ran my Jeep with 32's, 3.73 gears and a stick for a year or so. While you will have slightly more flexability with the auto, that I had. A gear swap is a very good thing IMHO.

I had a lunch box locker that blew up and needed to be replaced, at the same time I changed the gears.

Before the gear change, my Jeep was sluggish and slow off the line, climbing steep hills often required shifting into 3rd gear, on the freeway. When I switched lockers, I also made the jump to 4.10 gears, it was like having a new Jeep. The thing was totally different, and suddenly a pleasure to drive on the freeway. Before the gear swap I struggled to get 15 MPG, after the gear swap I averaged 17 MPG. When out camping the lower gears were real nice when climbing and descending steep trails, as I had more control over my Jeep, and the breaks had less work to do while off road.

Gear swaps are not cheap, but it has been some of the best money that I spent on my Jeep.

I applauded your idea of adding on lots of high clearance parts. After the gear swap the high clearance parts on my Jeep were the next biggest improvement in performance, in my Jeeps ability to pass threw tough terrain, with ease. More clearance with a lower COG is totally sweet.

 

[Chris85710]

I did a 4 " Teraflex short and stuffed 33"s under it.

I could not have been happier.

We took it from Tucson AZ to the South tip of Baja and back, not great gas mileage(14-16MPG) but it would hold any speed on any grade I felt safe driving.


We solved the TJ space issues by strapping my daughter to the Hitch rack :smiley_drive:

 

[crawldit]

Now this is the kind of thread I like. Welcome to the board Jafe :ylsmoke: Here's my rig :

That's when I had my RE Budget Boost. I wanted a little more room so I swapped out the spacers for 3" Teraflex Coils. My rig is mainly for expedition type trails with the family, but I like to crawl too

I plan on stretching the wheelbase with leaf springs in the rear and running some 35's. I think that the added clearance and the stability of the leafs will only help on my expidition trips. I saw your thread over on JF but those guys are so pig headed. Glad you found this board man.

 

[goodtimes]

I plan on stretching the wheelbase with leaf springs in the rear and running some 35's. I think that the added clearance and the stability of the leafs will only help on my expidition trips.

I always wonder why people like to do this. IMO, if you are going through the trouble of stretching the wheelbase (which requires relocating the gas tank, new brake lines, e-brake cables, ABS wiring (if so equipped), driveshaft, a fair amount of body work, etc....), why not set up a decent pair of coil overs with the proper spring rates, the proper rate anti-sway bar, right link geometry, and not have to deal with the axle wrap, rough ride, and all that crap? You have much more control and tuneability (is that a word???) with coil overs, they make leaf springs look archaic. Relatively speaking, it is easier to tune coil overs to get the front and rear to share the work, and get the ride you want, compared to trying to tune leaf packs. I see no clearance advantage, in fact, I see them (leafs) at a disadvantage when dropping over shelfs.

I too kick the idea around about stretching my TJ out about 10", but have no desire to run leaf springs. In fact, I was going to get rid of the leafs on my Dodge and run a 4-link in the back. I'm not a huge fan of leafs compared to properly set up coils.

So why the leafs?

 

[crawldit]

Well I agree with absolutely everything that you just said. I want leafs because they are cheap, easy and cheap (oops did I already say that ) Coilovers and a properly setup link suspension will be down the road when the money is available. I'm more concerned with spending the money on a good behind the seat fuel cell and then re-working the suspension down the road when the money is available. I've seen plenty of pics of TJ's that have stretched with leafs and the owners all rave about the ride and stability. Granted they haven't driven on coilovers. To each his own I guess :friday:

 

[Scott Brady]

My OME leaves are butter smooth and I can easily out-flex a standard length arm TJ.

 

[goodtimes]

I still have standard length arms on my TJ. It twists up pretty well.

Leaf springs can work well, there is no denying that. They are also cheap to set up, and very forgiving if you set something up in a less than optimal fashion (compared to a linked system anyway).

If my vehicle already had leafs, I would think long and hard before I ditched them for coils, unless I was departing from the OEM's original intention of use (for example, taking a vehicle originally intended to haul heavy loads on relatively smooth roads into a vehicle that hauls light loads over really nasty roads at high speed). But I don't think I would go the other way....

I do like the longer wheelbase aspect of it though. Not only can you get a much better departure angle...but you get to add some driveline length. As you probably already figured out, even with the fixed yolk on your NP241, the driveshaft is still so short it can cause problems.

 

[BajaTaco]

Andrew, I'm a little late here, but welcome to the forum. :beer:

Sweet Jeep! I can definitely relate about being bitten (quite hard) by the exploration bug. I think you will find that we seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days

Your fellow explorer on 32"s,

Chris

 

[thejafe]

Andrew, I'm a little late here, but welcome to the forum. :beer:

Sweet Jeep! I can definitely relate about being bitten (quite hard) by the exploration bug. I think you will find that we seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days

Your fellow explorer on 32"s,

Chris

Hey, thanks for warm welcome Chris... us 32'ers gotta stick together .

So, I was just over @ OK4WD in NJ and picked up my latest additions. Check 'em out. They'll be going in tomorrow!:

No more pressing in bar-pins!

 

[thejafe]

Also, looks like Garvin Industries just updated their webpage... I see that they now offer a mount for an air-tank that bolts to the swing away. This might be a solution for me when I get my CO2 setup:

• Air Tank Mounting Brackets. Mounts power tank or equivelent bracket to the driver's side of the Swing Away. Part #34960

 

[ox4mag]

Jeeps and Expedition Travel

I've been reading up on this post and it's always good to see fellow Jeepers interested in using their Jeeps for expedition travel and adventure. I own a 2005 Rubicon and have done some crawling with it but to me, the real pleasure is taking it off-highway and enjoying the adventure of the world. The mods that I have, that I would recommend for a Jeep expedition vehicle, are as follows:

Stock 31" Goodyear A/T
JKS Quick Disconnects
Warn XD9000i Winch
IPS 350 Series Fog Lights
Bestop Expedition Trail Rack (mounts above spare tire)
2 Adventure Trailers Gas Can Holders and 1 each of Specter Fuel/Water Cans
CB Radio (or handheld) for communication with partners along the trip
2" coil spring spacers for added clearance

An eventual safari roof rack will be in the picture, as well as an Adventure Trailers Chaser trailer at some point but everything listed above has worked well for me and having a Rubicon, there's no need to do wild suspension lifts, increase tire size, and all the other stuff that rock crawlers crave. That's not to say my Rubi can't crawl because it can, but it's nice to have a vehicle that is diverse and expedition-ready. Good luck to you!

 

[BajaTaco]

Hey, thanks for warm welcome Chris... us 32'ers gotta stick together .

So, I was just over @ OK4WD in NJ and picked up my latest additions. Check 'em out. They'll be going in tomorrow!:



No more pressing in bar-pins!

Very cool. Old Man Emu is on the scene. Let us know how it goes.

The CO2 setup would be really nice to have in that location. Do you have on-board air yet? Are you planning on CO2 instead of a compressor?