reece146
Automotive Artist
Not to pile on but to reinforce the point - no, this is incorrect. Going up and down forest service roads you might be able to get by but technical wheeling and towing trailers requires the correct gearing.
thinking about another XJ
- Thread starter TOI
- Start date
Not to pile on but to reinforce the point - no, this is incorrect. Going up and down forest service roads you might be able to get by but technical wheeling and towing trailers requires the correct gearing.
I'll pile on, but this is bad advice from the word go. If you live in Florida or Kansas you will live. The first hill you see on the interstate you will be in 3rd gear. I am second guessing even 33's and I've regeared to 4.88's. I'm probably going to stay at 31's.
Also to the guy who said to grab only the front axle....my 4cyl came with an 8.25.
But just so it's clear......wait and get a 4.0.
I said this assuming that the 2.5 he was looking at was an older one...long before the 8.25 came out. It's not too often you find later model XJs with 8.25's and 4.10s. + discs all around... yummy =)
And what everyone said besides HonesT...if you plan on running anything over 30", consider regearing. If you don't, your power + MPG will suck. Just about any post I've seen about people running 31's or larger on stock gears have reported poor mileage.
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
XJ's never came with disc brakes all around.
Discs w/the 8.8...I guess I should have written those last two sentences better and more understandable. Sucks when you understand it in your head but don't write it so others know what you're talking about.
I doubt I'll ever go over 31" tires so my "dream" build will be a JY front axle with 4.10 gears and Ford 8.8 w/4.10s...disc brakes all around. We're more of light/mild off-roaders and more into the exploration, off the beaten path kinda stuff so going 4.5"+ lift and 33"+ tires aren't necessary for the stuff we plan on doing.
TOI, I'd suggest sticking with the 4.0. Either get the manual if you want better MPGs, or an auto but regear if you go up in tires and keep it up to date on tune-ups and anything that has to do with MPGs. I've got a 97 XJ that is auto, just did both O2 sensors and a junkyard TPS... getting about 3mpg better overall now. Autos aren't "too bad" on gas if up to date on tune-up stuff and the 4.0 has great power.
I doubt I'll ever go over 31" tires so my "dream" build will be a JY front axle with 4.10 gears and Ford 8.8 w/4.10s...disc brakes all around. We're more of light/mild off-roaders and more into the exploration, off the beaten path kinda stuff so going 4.5"+ lift and 33"+ tires aren't necessary for the stuff we plan on doing.
TOI, I'd suggest sticking with the 4.0. Either get the manual if you want better MPGs, or an auto but regear if you go up in tires and keep it up to date on tune-ups and anything that has to do with MPGs. I've got a 97 XJ that is auto, just did both O2 sensors and a junkyard TPS... getting about 3mpg better overall now. Autos aren't "too bad" on gas if up to date on tune-up stuff and the 4.0 has great power.
on the engine choices, i'll be going with the 4.0, all but 1 of my 7 jeeps have had them and i know them in and out. i was just curious about 4 bangers. me and a buddy have been toying with the idea of forced induction on a 2.5.
tires, axles and gearing on the other hand is a different story. i ran D35's 8.25's and D44's, i blew up my D44 daily driving (wheel bearing failure leading to fire) killed a pinion bearing in a D35 (loose u bolts:Wow1
and have no complaints with the 8.25 i dont wheel hard enough, or plan on running bigger then 32" tires so even a D35 will be fine. i've also run 36" tires on stock 3.55 gearing and it sucked, as well as 30's on 4.56 which equally sucked. 30's and 3.55 was ok, mileage wasn't too bad (15-20) but it was lacking on hills slightly. so i think 4.10's and 30-31's will be a perfect blend for Daily duty, and offroad/expo use.
so as of right now my search criteria is limited to:
well maintained/<150xxx miles
4.0
auto
4x4
4dr
stock
NO RUST!
preferred a 97+ but i do still have body parts for a 96- it depends on price really now. current cash is <$1000 but i've bought some nice stock xj's for less then $1500 other then my 00' which was a gift from my parents and had a dealer price of $5500. and wasn't worth it in my opinion
tires, axles and gearing on the other hand is a different story. i ran D35's 8.25's and D44's, i blew up my D44 daily driving (wheel bearing failure leading to fire) killed a pinion bearing in a D35 (loose u bolts:Wow1
and have no complaints with the 8.25 i dont wheel hard enough, or plan on running bigger then 32" tires so even a D35 will be fine. i've also run 36" tires on stock 3.55 gearing and it sucked, as well as 30's on 4.56 which equally sucked. 30's and 3.55 was ok, mileage wasn't too bad (15-20) but it was lacking on hills slightly. so i think 4.10's and 30-31's will be a perfect blend for Daily duty, and offroad/expo use.so as of right now my search criteria is limited to:
well maintained/<150xxx miles
4.0
auto
4x4
4dr
stock
NO RUST!
preferred a 97+ but i do still have body parts for a 96- it depends on price really now. current cash is <$1000 but i've bought some nice stock xj's for less then $1500 other then my 00' which was a gift from my parents and had a dealer price of $5500. and wasn't worth it in my opinion
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
I'm replacing my o2 sensors next week in hopes of getting some better mileage, did you notice easier start-up with the new ones?
Hard to say... I also upgraded all battery cables with 2 gauge wires. It does start and run smoother. However, that's with new o2 sensors,cables, battery, muffler and cat converter. All the wear items that decided to crap out near the same time. Start up is a lot easier with those parts. Biggest difference with the sensors had been mpg