Opinion on stretched wheelbase vs track width

[VAhasnoWAVES]

so... i swapped in a narrowed 44/9", that measure about factory width. wheelbase right now is at 101 at ride height (around 5" of lift) and everything fits about perfect at full stuff on 35s. but i know i want to step to 38s when these tires are at the end of their lifespan, and will need to do some stretching to fit larger tires. i dont want to do all of the stretching with just one axle, and am aware of the work needed to stretch both ends.

my question is, how will this change the handling of the vehicle? right now it is very balanced, and i am quite happy. i did put wheel spacers on the jeep, but really dont like the look. furthermore, if it does still fit on the trailer i typically use, itll be a tight squeeze. so i think i will remove the spacers.

if my google machine is working correctly, shortbed MJ wheelbase is around 112? people like those on stock width axles right? i dont think ill end up that long.

opinions?



current situation:

 

[akendal4]

I'm at a 105" wb and ran 38s all last year and it worked great. But, I'm also on full widths.

 

[cal]

4643 is 104 inches. We pushed the front axle forward 1" and the rear back 2".

The front was easy, just spin the rod ends out a bit. The rear we used F150 leafs in the factory XJ front mount and a custom rear mount.

It made the jeep smoother in the go fast and climb a little easier.

I could see (and would love) to go a bit longer yet, but we're limited by rules.

We run stock width axles with shallow wheels. Seems pretty stable, although I really wouldn't mind being 2-3 inches wider.

 

[1-tonxj]

I had 106 from about 2.5 front and rear stretch on 40s with 8 inch lift and 88 track...front was 2850 rear 2750...It did "ok" but was nothing great on steep stuff ...It should do much better with the rear being pushed back another 8+ inches I got full hydro waiting to be put on and most likely will push front out like 3 more inches the wheelbase is why I boat sided it and bumper up to 44s...I have not completed all the bs stuff but it is close to ready and I know it is going to <POOP> on the shorter wheelbase it was ...it will sit about 118 long 94-96 awide on 7 inches of lift with good belly clearance.
.

 

[89eliminator]

stock shortbed MJ is 113". im pushed to 115" and love it. sucks for tight turns, though.

 

[POLAR_JEEP_04]

I'm about 109" on my ZJ (stock is 105.9") with a narrowed HP44 and widened 8.8" (both around 61.5") and 35" and it does great. it climbs well and handles great at speed

 

[EricsXJ]

I'm at 106.5" via a 5" stretch in the rear. I absolutely love it. Climbs better and awesome departure angle. Running 37's. I could see stretching my front an inch or two, really just to improve the approach angle and make room for larger tires, but otherwise I am very happy just the way it is.

 

[The Red Baron]

How far can you push the front axle forward comfortably?

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

How far can you push the front axle forward comfortably?

i think that answer is dependent on your steering setup. weight bearing shocks make things a lot easier too.

 

[The Red Baron]

Ok fair enough. I have a stock XJ that's on its way up and I have a Dana HP44 sitting on my garage floor that was already cut down and wheeled in a Cherokee. Brackets look questionable. So, let me ask you guys if you think this would work. Use this bracket to center the coil over the axle.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Link-Bracket-Coil-Spring-And-Shock-Mount-Combo_p_1461.html

Instead of the one that keeps things in their factory positions.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/XJ--TJ-Jeep-Combo-Bracket-Upgrade-Kit_p_1838.html

That will push the axle forward 1.875 inch. I think I read somewhere Johnnie Walker is running Synergy mid arms and that they pushed his axle forward 2 inches. Even if I'm mistaken, they look to have a flexible mounting position because they aren't part of the crossmember.

That's damn near 4 inches of tire to firewall clearance. New drive shaft is already on the to do list. So is the axle side track bar mount for high steer. Is this crazy or could this work? would I need to make the Synergy 4 link into a 3 link? There's a bunch of experienced guys in this thread. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for your time. :worship:

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

i believe the synergy brackets use the stock crossmember bolts to locate. good practice would be to burn them home, instead of just bolting them on like the photo. they would work just fine, and i would build my own arms to get exactly the length i need/want. but a quick note... they mount under the frame rail. if you narrow your 44, you will rub your tires on the LCA. i inboarded my frame side mounts quite a bit and still had tire rub on a narrowed 44.

at full bump (both sides)... my tie rod is about 1/2" from the oil pan. this is with high steer. for the drag link angle and throw i needed (high steer arms are longer, so the pitman arm needed to be longer to still get lock to lock) i used a flatter, waggy pitman arm. with both sides at full bump, i have about 1/2" of clearance between the tie rod and drag link TRE mounted at the pitman arm (1/2" of clearance is when the wheels are strait). i plan on jumping the jeep at the dunes so the clearance was needed to ensure that they never clashed. (in other words... landing and hitting full bump with the wheels strait). if i didnt have high steer, or had chosen to relocate the steering gear box forward... i could have gotten away with more stretch. more compression would be on the docket too, but i think i would have had to rework the fenders to accommodate.

something to consider when trying to plan out your stretch. i wanted more... but with my current jeep as my first axle swap, it was an issue i did not forsee and had to accomodate.

 

[Luke95]

I will be sitting at 82" wide (Dana 50/10.5) in my grand with a 110 wb so fronts pushed out roughly 2 and so is the rear diff. It looks like the departure angle will be awesome.

Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Im at 106" on 40s. 8.5" lift. Mj leaves and front lcas adjusted out. I wish it was more like 113-120" like my long bed mj. I plan to get it as close to 120 as possible over winter by linking the rear and pushing it back 6-8" and relocating
The gas tank and pushing
The front another 1" or two.


Too tall with 40s for my
Liking on off camber stuff.

Will probably drop the lift down 3-5" lower and swap in some 37s .